New to the scene of “To-Do” lists is the Bullet Journal. Have you heard of it? I was first introduced to the Bullet Journal in December 2015 by Kara at Boho Berry. Perusing Pinterest late one night (Yes, I’m addicted – check out my Pinterest Page), I stumbled upon a blog post by Kara that showed pictures of her beautifully artistic, and oh so organized, Bullet Journal.
Being an avid “To-Do” list maker, I began to read post after post about this Journal that is the Mother of all “To-Do” lists. I found Kara’s Bullet Journal filled with daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly tasks and goals. Kara also has a collection of beautiful artwork, but best of all, lists, lists, and more lists.
Your Bullet Journal will help you reach every goal you set.
Working with a large number of people and businesses, it is important staying organized and productive. I have tried a number of different ways keeping track of meetings, tasks to be completed, items I want to accomplish during the month, etc. Mobile phone apps, computer calendars, loose-leaf notebooks, pocket calendars, big, small, I did them all.
Then I found the Bullet Journal. Everything came together. With the Index, I easily find my current “To-Do” lists and the lists of things I want to keep track of. I quickly locate my longterm goals as well as where I have broken them down to smaller goals for manageability. Looking at my Bullet Journal each morning and every evening, my goals are always in the forefront of my mind, making me more successful in reaching them.
An analog system for everything.
The creator of the analog Bullet Journal is Ryder Carroll. His concept for Rapid Logging is what makes Bullet Journaling so easy and successful. Rapid Logging consists of topics, page numbers, short sentences, and bullets. That’s it! Take a look at Ryder’s video and introduce yourself to the basics of Bullet Journaling.
Ryder’s system of keeping track of anything and everything, all in one place, is genius. Since I have been Bullet Journaling, I have never been more organized, and I’m pretty anal about organization. I consistently meet goals I have set for myself and unexpectedly, I found myself much calmer throughout the day.
Related: 3 Steps to Achieving Your Goals
If you Google Bullet Journaling, you will see a wide range of how people Bullet Journal. There are hundreds of different styles of Bullet Journals. Some beautifully illustrated and others functional and no-frill. There is no right way to Bullet Journal. Whatever helps organize your days is what works best.
I use Ryder’s monthly calendar and task concept though I have expanded to a full editorial calendar spread and a monthly project page. I really love Kara’s gratitude and monthly tracker pages and I included both starting May and absolutely love them.
The monthly tracker helps track daily habits I am trying to form as well as tracking tasks I want to complete each day. My daily lists often included the same items to complete.
Moleskine, Leuchtturm, loose leaf, & lined notebooks –
Though I went back and forth over the Moleskine versus the Leuchtturm 1917 Notebook (both standards in the world of Bullet Journaling), I bought myself a Moleskine Classic Notebook this past Christmas along with the Pitt Artist Pens. I did receive a Leuchtturm 1917 for my birthday in March and can’t wait to try it out.
Though both the Moleskine and Leuchtturm are often chosen because of their dot grid, you certainly can use a standard lined notebook or loose leaf paper. There is no hard and fast rule about what kind of paper or notebook to use for Bullet Journaling.
6 months ago, when I put pen to paper for the first time in my Bullet Journal, I filled out page after page with my lists. This massive Brain Dump got everything out of my head and into my new Journal. When I was able to clear my mind of tasks and goals and begin to focus on one thing at a time, it was amazing how much my success rate skyrocketed!
Related: Multitasking – The Illusion of Getting More Done
Though I envy Kara’s beautiful artwork, my Bullet Journal is more utilitarian and consists of a few doodles around my monthly and daily lists. I have lists of articles I want to publish, books I want to read, financial planning information, and just basic information I don’t want to forget. I love being able to write everything down, all in one place, and easily find what I need every day. I absolutely love the organization and the success it has brought me!
Have you seen or used a Bullet Journal? What do you think?
Hi, I’m Karen. Welcome to my website! I will show you how to establish the framework for an organized and successful leadership and office management system.
