Bullet Journaling: At last, the key to my sanity.

I hope this helps anyone who hasn't found their key to organization just yet. It only took me a couple decades. I remember making schedule books in 3rd grade! I would fold lined paper into fours (hamburger style then hot dog style as my teacher taught us :D). Cut along the tops to make a book, then staple to keep it all together. Looking back I realize I have always been obsessed with organizing my time but until now have never mastered it.

I was browsing through Pinterest, as I do multiple times thorough out the day and as soon as I saw this pin I knew this was it. This would be the final search for the perfect date book. And not just a date book. A place to keep everything I think of, projects, ideas, things-to-do, in one single spot.

My brain had made an attempt at this many times in the past. Before I knew that the Bullet Journal even existed. I have a collection of notebooks. Each with a few pages of ideas, lists, and projects in my swirling around in my head. However, I would only get through a few pages and give up because I just could not go past those few pages. I wasn't quite sure how to organize it. How do you just randomly write things in a notebook and know where everything is? Well, the inventor of the Bullet Journal, Ryder Carroll, gave me the answer. An index page!!! Duh!!!! How this did not occur to me before I just don't know. But, it occurred to him and past it on to everyone else.

If you follow the link you can learn how to initiate a bullet journal. However, this is only the way he structures it for himself. The beauty of this system is that the creator in no way intends to make you keep to his specific way of using the bullet journal. In fact, he mentions more than once that this is just his method and the idea behind the Bullet Journal is that it is customizable to anyone's lifestyle.

I watched the tutorial video first. Then, I used the tutorial provided on the website and started my first day. As I went on day by day I got a feel for how it worked and started creating my own system.

And here, I introduce you to  my bullet journal...

A notebook from my collection

I took the very basic ideas of the bullet journal; an index page, a calender, and a general task page. The following  are my alterations so far:

• After the index page I added a page for notes to remind why something was or wasn't working with the system. Although it was useful to begin, I don't think I'll be adding it to my next journal.

• The original Bullet Journal uses a graphed notebook. I picked out a notebook out of my own collection (that wasn't already used) with regular lined paper. I found the only use I would have for the graphed paper is not making the boxes, which, I can live with not being perfectly square. As long as I can check it off I'm good :).

• I made a calendar on word and glued it to the left side page instead of writing it in. It is much faster and just looks neater. Plus, the heaviness and worn look it gives to the page just makes me happy.

Didn't want to show Feb. as it has all my personal tasks

•  Although the idea of this system is not to worry about pages, I found I only needed 2 pages for the whole week. I used the right side for Monday- Wednesday and the left side Thursday-Sunday. I combined Saturday and Sunday for weekend tasks. 

The last section is Saturday & Sunday together. This is the first time I am writing out a whole week of tasks.

• Again, the idea behind this system is not to worry about pages since you have an index to guide you, and it will allow for you to miss a day or two (or five) here and there. However, I did not want to interrupt my daily calender. This just didn't jive with me. So, I decided to make these random pages by starting at the end of the notebook and working backwards. I had a list of knitting projects, a list of de-cluttering ideas, list of monthly tasks (mainly bills), list of work my car needed, etc.

•  I added an envelope to the back (hardcover) part of the notebook. I am using it to store all my bill payment receipts among other receipts I may need.

• My newest addition are index cards. I found myself wondering what I would do once I was finished with my notebook but not with my bigger projects (i.e. knitting projects, car work tasks, etc.). I didn't want to re-write everything into a new notebook and did not want to flip back and forth between the old and new Bullet journal. So the answer was index cards. Adding these bigger projects to the index cards allows me to move them between Bullet Journals if needed. Also, I'll be adding a pocket to the front hardcover to keep these index cards. I find keeping these lists at the back of my notebook causes me to keep them out of sight, there for, out of mind. Come to think of it I guess bullet point 6 won't be added to the next Bullet Journal either. 

I recently added this idea, some of these are actually done. I promise. I am currently using a paperclip to keep it together with my notebook, but will add a pocket soon.

• And lastly, I will be adding a glued ribbon so that I have a marker. I currently use a paperclip, but tend to lose it often.

Now, the bullet journal seems to be a little more intricate than my version. For example, I tried using the signifiers, but found that I had no need of them. If I have an idea or event I simply add them as a task with a check box. Again, customizable!! Add something that works for you, omit anything that doesn't. There are some bashers out there that say it is not a good system. Only two things could have happened: 1. They do not understand the concept of  how to customize it, or 2, it simply did not work for them. In any case, it worked for me beautifully. I actually missed a whole week recently and realized how much I needed my journal. I missed payments and things-to-do. I thought an appointment was one day but I was a whole week off. It has been the most effective way to keep me on track of all my have-to-do's and want-to-do's. I hope it helps you too. :)