Bullet journal

[Griffin]

Do we have any BuJo enthusiasts here? What do you use yours for - is it a thematic one (or do you have more than one, for different purposes?) or do you keep everything in a single notebook? Care to share any best practices, what has worked for you and what hasn't?

A couple of colleagues at work recommended it to me and I decided to give it a try. Project management is definitely not my forte and I hate writing post-it notes first and then losing them, or drafting to do lists that I never follow. At first I was planning to use it for work related purposes only, but as I started filling it in, I realised it would make more sense to simply have everything in the same journal, to help gather my scattered thoughts.

I love crafting and decorating too but that's not my priority, I'm not striving to make my bujo extra pretty. I just want to have an effective way of managing all my tasks and appointments and other things I need to remember. I feel a regular calendar is not really enough for that purpose. This doesn't mean I don't like looking at all those pretty pictures you find online. The method does not come entirely naturally to me, so I guess I'm kind of hoping it will be a life changing experience once I find out how to tweak it and what works best for me.

Any discussion, thoughts and ideas are welcome!

[Bekuno]

I've considered starting one as a mental health diary. I'm a little crazy about being organized, and I already have a calendar to keep track of my school work, holidays, and pay schedule.

My main issues are:

1. I'm going to try too hard to make it fancy and creative like the ones I see online instead of focusing on it's purpose.

2. I've tried journaling before, but never had the motivation to go more than two weeks before I just ignored it.

[Griffin]

My main issues are:

1. I'm going to try too hard to make it fancy and creative like the ones I see online instead of focusing on it's purpose.

2. I've tried journaling before, but never had the motivation to go more than two weeks before I just ignored it.

These are exactly the two things I was (am) worried about, myself. I read this article to get started and I think it has some very good advice in regard to both issues - the main thing is to keep it simple, at least until you're comfortable with the system. She even tells her readers NOT to look at any "inspirational" pictures before learning the basics with the logs. I think I recently even read a comment by the developer of the bujo saying most of the pictures you find under the tag 'bullet journal' are just pretty notebook/diary pages and not exactly what the journal was originally about, rapid logging. I noticed the same myself when searching for ideas for calendar and index hacks. The index, for me, is the most revolutionary thing about bujo. How come I never realised one could do that?! I even added an index to my notebook at work, containing miscellaneous seminar notes, research ideas, lists of books... most of which I had already forgotten about. 

I know my main problem is that I'm afraid of "messing up" - a mindset that I'm trying to forget with the help of my bujo. Turn the page and move on. I have also never been a journal/diary person so it's very unlikely I'll be adding any longer entries to my bujo. Maybe you could try what my friend did, a test version first, if you're intrigued? Simply grab an old notebook with some pages left and try out the logging method without having to worry about embellishing.

[nessa16]

I looked into doing this but for the most part it seemed tedious and frustrating to me. The concept is a little hard for me to grasp. The perfectionist in me shys away from bullets, writing, etc. all on one page for some reason. I also just don't know what to put. Calling it a title (bullet journal) and index doesn't let my mind just jot down things. It makes me feel like I am not able to follow the "rules". I didn't feel I could be free with it. Probably a reason journaling in itself is hard for me to stick with. Also, I am not going to sit down and make it all pretty with gel pens and washi tape, again, tedious. 

Oddly enough though, I do have an old notebook that I just jot down random lists, wedding stuff, etc. It's not labeled or in order though and the lists get rewritten or are scattered throughout. So maybe it's a crude version of a bullet journal. If it were more organized it probably be more helpful. The only way I could see that happening would be in a three ring binder because it's great that there's an index but if ideas are not grouped in the same category, my mind just can't handle it.

Weird, I know.

[Dragonflitter]

-googles 'bullet journal'-

Hmm.....interesting...

[Bekuno]

Yeah I decided to give it a try because I was having a crummy day. I found a composition notebook with graphing paper instead of notebook paper in our supply drawer at home. I did look for inspiration online so I can get a few ideas for pages. I have a page where I track my mood every day for a year (5 colors ranging from awful to amazing), a list of ideas to calm me down when I'm upset, a list to keep track of new books and movies I've read/watched this year, a page to list items online that I want, and a habits page for march. Then I go straight into journaling for march.

I decided that the journaling part will have the number of hours I slept, a small meal list (not a to-eat but what I have eaten), and space to write notes about my day. Currently I also have a progress bar to keep track of my reading!

I left some open pages for more lists and things. I plan to decorate with stickers because I have tons of them, and then doodle when I feel like it.

[melodys_angel]

I get overwhelmed easily so I don't think something like that would be for me at the moment

[glitterball]

When I did Weight Watchers I bought their journal to write my food diary and weight-loss tracking, but ended up making my own in a kind-of bullet style one (but without all the pretties) to include my own little graphs and and forecasts, medications, moods and significant events. Possibly not quite what a proper bullet journal should be, but it served its purpose! 

[dragonfly]

this is the way I've always taken notes. I figured everyone just did it. I was surprised to learn that it is A Thing.

[Griffin]

Thanks for all the comments!

Oddly enough though, I do have an old notebook that I just jot down random lists, wedding stuff, etc. It's not labeled or in order though and the lists get rewritten or are scattered throughout. So maybe it's a crude version of a bullet journal. If it were more organized it probably be more helpful. The only way I could see that happening would be in a three ring binder because it's great that there's an index but if ideas are not grouped in the same category, my mind just can't handle it.

Weird, I know.

Well I'm not an expert but to me that sounds very much like a bullet journal! Of course I understand anyone who doesn't want to stick to labels or be categorised like that - I often hate it myself as it only makes things stressful. But as I understand it, the whole point in bullet journaling is that you don't have to keep your notebook in any specific order, just fill it in and rewrite as you go . The index is then the key to finding your way about the book. A ring binder sounds handy, too!

I guess it's still too early to say whether this works for me or not. I'm really hoping that keeping everything from work to personal stuff in one notebook will help declutter my brain.

I mean, there's just so many things to keep in mind, and most of it isn't urgent but simply stuff that I need to do at some point. Post-it notes between my calendar pages clearly were not doing the trick, I would only get frustrated with them. I have a bad habit of avoiding things I don't want to do... I'm a master procrastinator. There are also many little things that don't feel "important" enough to get listed but I still have to remember or think about them. Making a mental note is not an option for me, I will certainly forget! I think I have the memory of a goldfish or something. I still have a traditional calendar but I'm looking to get rid of that as well and only use the journal in the future. 

DF, by note taking do you mean using different types of bullets/signifiers for different kinds of notes, or the yearly/monthly/weekly/daily logging? Or having a single notebook for all kinds of miscellanious stuff? Just curious.