Bullet Journal

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December found me searching for a new system. For a few years, I’ve mashed a written and digital calendar, but it wasn’t working. Something was missing. I had to-do lists, but they were in both places, and I lacked confidence in my system.

I came across Ryder Carroll’s Bullet Journal site. I’d heard about it last year, probably from Penny. This time, it made sense to me. Like most of us, I have a number of different parts of my life that require organization. My head can be a jumble unless I have a secure way of getting the information, deadlines, ideas, etc. down somewhere retrievable.

I followed Ryder’s method, and *swoon*! I fell hard in love. This works for me! It reflects my way of thinking! I hacked my Moleskine using Zoot’s 2014 calendar pages. This more traditional calendar makes sense for planning future appointments in a way a “future dates” page doesn’t for me. If you’re thinking of trying this method, be sure to read all of Zoot’s posts about her bullet journal.

Here are some of my favorite things almost one month in:

  • having a home for all the bibs and bobs of information swirling around my life.
  • using the collections pages to organize projects; I’m working as interim director of our writing center this semester, and it has been invaluable to keep all the opening weeks’ to-dos and key information in one place that I always have with me rather than in folders that I might forget at work.
  • adding notes to my daily calendar. I keep track of what we have for dinner to aid future menu planning, as well as notes about fun / noteworthy events of the day.
  • a use for washi tape! This stuff is new to me, and it’s adorable! I’ve been using it to mark month calendar page edges.
  • finally feeling organized. A lot of chaos remains in the bullet journal, but it is chaos that is out of my head. I don’t have to fret about remembering it. And, I’m pretty dedicated about putting the information on a collections page that makes sense. So less chaos than in my head. That’s good, right?

There you have it: I’m a convert. I’d love to hear about your system, especially if you’ve tried the bullet journal, too.

9 thoughts on “Bullet Journal”

  1. I am always interested in different ways to do this. I need to use my digital/outlook based calendar as part of my job. I have a graph paper Black and Red notebook (lots of them) that I keep at my desk and write down every phone call, take it to meetings, jot notes down, tasks to do, but then I have the knitting design part that is not at all part of my day job. I put those ideas in the back of the book. (They do arrive at odd times.) Some of this might work for that, and give me a means of accessing the information. I have a few years worth of these spiral bound beauties in my office, but I have to page through and try to remember when something happened. I may try some of this to see if I can blend it with the digital requirements. Thanks for the info.

  2. I am in a constant struggle to manage all the various (and seemingly unconnected!) pieces of my life. I’ve tried digital. I love old-school paper calendars. Work requires Outlook. I am a “journaling junkie.” My head explodes with loose ideas. I am going definitely going to check out the bullet journal. (Thanks for sharing!)

  3. I’ve come to realize that I am ready to fall hard for any planning/listmaking/brain organizing system that crosses my path- this one looks about perfect for the way my chaotic style. A freind gifted me a planner that I think is base don this system and I’ve been loving it–I need to make time to look at the site more. I’ll, um, put it on my list….

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