Being a
I am a list making wizard and plot my way through life crossing one thing off at a time, (what a crazy cat!) and have found that by co ordinating each aspect of my documentation- we're talking notebooks, diaries, calendars, Evernote, shopping lists on scrap paper, work hours on my phone calendar, address books and sketchbooks- all into one hub of information, I can function more productively daily and plan my time accordingly. Enter the Bullet Journal.
The idea of keeping a journal, scrap book or agenda isn't a new one, but more recently the term Bullet Journal was coined as a more refined and concise way of list making, meant to improve your organisation and general musings of self mindfulness. The original 'Bujo' is really quite basic, you list an entire months dates in the margin of your book then using a handy key system, scribble down any specific tasks/ appointments for that month, next to the coinciding dates. Simple really! Yet since then the concept has grown and branched out and has taken on a whole life of it's own, almost entirely abandoning it's sophisticated stillness and sees a combination of this and a more classic sketchbook vibe... Why hello there, steadily growing stationary stash!
So what is the point? I've found that by having a fairly structured layout offering a monthly overview of my plans I can see really clearly where I'm meant to be and when (yup, I am a total scatterbrain at times), I can keep note of all birthdays, appointments and events coming up, I can schedule in allotted time for studying, blogging, yoga etc, and it's a perfect place to pull in the reigns on my many lists and have one handy place for all the information to collate.
How do you start a bullet journal? Well this is the fun part! Grab yourself a notebook of absolutely any variety, a pen and a handful of jumbled up fuzzy plans, dates and ideas and get writing. You could take the clear and symmetrical route and have a super smooth layout, a condensed key and contents page working methodically as you plan, or you can raid your old box of crayons, pull out pages from magazines, get creative with the washi tape and stick in ticket stubs- there really isn't a wrong way to do it. Just play around and find what suits you. Mine is a bit of everything. I love the clear monthly over view but add my own sketches and doodle my lists, stick in inspiring images or quotes and am just generally building up my style as I go along.
Why journal? I've already mentioned the many ways this helps to keep me on track and to avoid or at least give procrastination a creative use, but another huge reason why people take this method is the pure joy it gives to put pen to paper. We have so many digital means of kicking butt in this day and age, we schedule our lives, we communicate, we produce wonderful work all online so that feeling of holding something and creating something real and whole and solid is refreshing once again. The emotional side of taking stored up thoughts and transferring them onto paper, getting them out of your busy mind and seeing them printed in black and white can be therapeutic in itself. Then there's the creative side, releasing your imagination and just having fun with it, all the while contributing to a highly productive form of organisation!
So if you're in need of a list busting way to whip yourself into organised shape then give journalling a go, but make it work for you. Figure out what information you want to record, find a method that works well with your creativity and time, use what materials you have at hand and just have fun creating something and ticking those completed tasks off!
For some super fun ideas on layouts, page designs, keys and contents pages and even ideas on what to put in your bullet journal- hit pinterest, tumblr or instagram or feel free to have a mooch at my ever expanding pinterest board dedicated to gorgeous images and top tips for making your very own bullet journal.
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