Category: Bullet Journal

Bullet Journal – 10 things I removed and why

The Bullet Journal system has five kinds of layouts or collections: an Index, the Future Log, Monthly Logs, Daily Logs, and Custom Collections. Through trial and error, I discovered there is a good reason to keep your bullet journal simple.

If you look at social media for inspiration, you’ll find many beautiful spreads. I used many of these as templates in creating my own layouts. But making beautiful layout became too time-consuming. Other collection pages I added to my bullet journal but then realized they didn’t add value. This is a list of a few things I have stopped including in my bullet journal and why.

1. A Key

I have been bullet journaling long enough that I know my own system and don’t need to use the bullet key for reference. So I skip this page and save the pages at the beginning of my bullet journal for more useful information.

2. Complicated monthly themes

There is something exciting about planning a theme for an entire month. Thinking about all the little drawings and borders to include on each page for the month can be fun. But coming up with a new theme every month for years got old. And adding the month theme details to each page was too much work! Now the closest thing to a monthly theme is a different highlight color. The different colors are purely practical so that I can easily identify months when flipping through my bullet journal.

3. A Collection of Show and Movies I have watched

I thought that it would be a good idea to know what I have watched so I don’t watch it again. But Netflix already keeps a list of what I watch. Making a duplicate list didn’t prove to be beneficial.

4. Fancy Reading list Collection

In my first couple of bullet journals, I drew a picture of a bookcase with books on it and the title of what I read on those books. I also had a complicated color-coded method of marking when those books were read. Now I keep my reading list is a literal list format, and I read so much more!

5. Reflection/Brain dump pages

Longer writing can be done much faster in an electronic format. So instead of having unorganized blocks of text throughout my bullet journal, I keep all my reflections and more traditional journaling outside of my bullet journal.

6. Monthly Habit Trackers

These never worked for me. There always seemed to be too much flipping back and forth between pages. When I use my bullet journal on a daily basis, I look at that day’s log. I don’t always look at the monthly log. Tracking information on the monthly log just didn’t work for me.

7. Budget information

Monthly budget information is hard to record in a format that makes sense in a bullet journal. Keeping totals of spending categories requires math and a calculator. Budget information is much easier to track on a spreadsheet or an app specifically designed for budgeting.

8. Artwork

When I started my bullet journal, one of my goals was to have a place to keep all of my artwork. I really wanted to draw more and I thought that a bullet journal would help me to be more creative. Initially, it did. But as the mediums I used for artwork expanded, I couldn’t keep it in a bullet journal format.

9. Recipes

I love baking. Often I would jot down a recipe in my bullet journal. But once a bullet journal retires, I don’t like pulling it out again to reference the recipe. Now I keep all my recipes in their own notebook.

10. Difference Weekly Log layouts

I tried out so many different weekly log layouts. But once I found one that worked well, I don’t change it. In my current bullet journal, I use the same layout every week and it’s been helpful. Now when I flip through the journal looking for something, it is very easy to distinguish between different types of pages.

I hope these tips help you make your Bullet Journal work for your life. Happy journaling!

10 Unexpected Benefits of a Bullet Journal

When I started my bullet journal in 2016, I had two goals:  a centralized place to store my drawings and to create some self-imposed structure for learning web development. But those goals morphed quickly. Just as I have changed through the years, the reasons I keep a bullet journal have changed too.

A lot has happened in the last four years, and keeping a bullet journal has resulted in some unexpected benefits.

1. Thankfulness

Every year I create a “things I want to do” list. I was looking through my first bullet journal recently and realized that I have actually done 4 things on my 2016 bucket list! Those four items didn’t get transferred into more recent journals and I had forgotten about them. But the realization that there were four things I was working towards in 2016 that I am either currently doing or have done in the last four years made me incredibly thankful for the life that I get to live.

2. A documented personal history

Writing down information about your days and weeks creates an incredible record of your life. I tend to forget past events easily. But whenever I flip through one of my old bullet journals, memories come rolling back. When an important event occurred is easily remembered because everything was recorded when it happened.

5. Insights on what makes you happy

Do you have a 5-year plan? I did. I was going to be a self-taught web-developer digital nomad who traveled the world. It was going to be so exciting! After reading “The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and join the New Rich” by Timothy Ferriss, and following blogs by people who were successfully digital nomads, I decided that it was the life for me. If other people were successfully traveling and working, I figured I could too.

But just because someone else thrives in a trendy lifestyle, doesn’t mean its right for you. Fortunately, I found this out early in my 5-year plan. After multiple trips that left me mentally and emotionally exhausted, I realized that solo longterm travel was not for me. For someone with my personality type, routine and stability are necessary for happiness.

4. Mindfulness

Keeping a bullet journal makes me pay attention to my days, weeks, and years. At the beginning of each week, I always create a new weekly spread. This makes me really think about what is happening that week, taking note of how I feel, what I need to do, the places I need to go. Every day, I write down what is important for that day. Focusing on one day at a time has made me more conscientious about how I live out my days. There is a quote by Annie Dillard that I love and beautifully illustrates the importance of how we structure our days.

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time. A schedule is a mock-up of reason and order—willed, faked, and so brought into being; it is a peace and a haven set into the wreck of time; it is a lifeboat on which you find yourself, decades later, still living.” – Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

5. Peace of mind

I don’t have to worry about forgetting important events. Everything is recorded in the bullet journal. By taking the time to plan each month, I know exactly what events are coming up. Nothing that can be schedule takes me by surprise anymore. All my bills are paid on time, birthdays don’t sneak up on me, and I don’t have that nagging feeling that I am forgetting something important.

6. More productive

Productivity should be a given when it comes to keeping a bullet journal but wasn’t my goal when I started. I love making lists and getting that dopamine release when I cross off an item. But before using a bullet journal, I lost most to-do lists before finishing them. Keeping all of my to-do lists in a single place, organized by month, week, and day helps me get way more done.

7. Goal Tracking

I like to have a list of micro-goals, smalls things like daily habits, and macro-goals that are perhaps a bit more lifechanging. Keeping track of my goals has been insightful because it has shown me what I actually find valuable. This, in turn, has lead to more impactful goals.

8. It’s a great traveling companion

On trips, I always take my bullet journal. Before the trip, I also use it to create packing lists and keep my travel itinerary. While waiting in airports or taking a break at a coffee shop, I love to write down notes about my experiences. Sometimes I will illustrate some of my favorite things about the trip. Writing down even a line or two about the trip helps me remember it more clearly in the future.

9. Better Health

A bullet journal is a great way to track health issues. I have quite a few food allergies. While working with a doctor, I was able to use my bullet journal to track food intake and symptoms. By keeping a meticulous health log for a year, I was able to improve both my physical and emotional health.

10. Helps prevent boredom

In my bullet journal, I keep a list of things that I think are fun or know I enjoy. Things like books I want to read, local places I have never visited, and sewing projects I would like to do. Whenever I find I need something to do, a quick look at my journal gives me plenty of inspiration. If that fails, I can always take those quiet moments to add to my bullet journal and create something beautiful.

Happy bullet journaling folks!

10 Tips for starting a Bullet Journal

I have kept a bullet journal since 2016, use it every day to schedule and organize my life. Recently I pulled out my very first journal, what a walk down memory land! A bullet journal is one of my most important daily habits and I highly encourage keeping one. Before you start a bullet journal, here are 10 tips to consider.

    1. Read the original Bullet Journal website. – It will simplify the process and outline why the bullet journal system works.
    2. Define your goals. – Why do you want to keep a bullet journal? I started mine to keep myself more organized and to have a central location to keep lists and quotes. The goals of my bullet journal practice have changed and evolved over the years, depending on the season of life I was in.
    3. Don’t start at the beginning of the year. – It can be really tempting to only start a bullet journal at the beginning of the year. Creating a beautiful beginning of the year spread can be so exciting. I love the New Year because I get to organize a new year and dream of all the things that might happen! But starting in the middle of the year lets you try out different methods to figure out what works for you.
    4. Use what you already have. – When you start your first bullet journal, start with a notebook you already have. No need to go buy specialized items for a habit that might not stick. Use an old notebook and a pen that you like to get into the habit first. My first bullet journal started halfway through a drawing notebook.
    5. Use the same kind of pens. – To keep your bullet journal neat and more uniform, use the same kind of pen and markers if using color.
    6. Keep a pen test page. – In the back of your bullet journal, make a pen test page. Keep track of the pens you have and what they look like on the page. This helps prevent the purchase of duplicate markers and ensures that the pen you use doesn’t bleed through the page.
    7. Use a notebook with numbered pages. – This way it is possible to keep an index of your pages and makes it easy to find pages in the future. I reference my bullet journals from past years frequently and this makes it so easy to find what I am looking for.
    8. Don’t strive for perfection. – If you want the perfect bullet journal, you won’t keep one for long. You are going to make mistakes. Every page won’t be beautiful. Some pages you think you will find useful, won’t ever be referenced again. And that’s okay. A bullet journal is supposed to add value to your life, so make it useful and not perfect.
    9. Use social media inspiration sparingly. – There are so many examples of amazing bullet journal pages on YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest. And I confess I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to bullet journal inspiration. But trying to copy certain layouts takes so long! If you don’t have the time to spend several hours a week on your bullet journal, don’t try complicated layouts. These days I use the exact same layout for all my weekly spreads and it saves me so much time.
    10. Drop what isn’t useful. – If something isn’t useful to you, you don’t need to use it. Those elaborate habit trackers may seem like a great idea, if you only find you use them for half a month and then drop them, maybe you need to change your approach. After using a bullet journal for a few months, review what you use frequently, and make adjustments accordingly.

I hope these tips help you as you start your bullet journal. Have fun and happy journaling!

Current Bullet Journal Layout

My current bullet journal is the simplest one yet. Here is how it is organized and what information I keep and why.

Yearly Setup – kept at the front of the bullet journal

  1. Index page – essential for referencing all the lists interspersed through my daily spreads. At the beginning of the year, an index doesn’t seem important, but by July it saves me from flipping through pages trying to find things.
  2. A future log – this is where I keep track of important dates like birthdays, vacation days, travel, and appointments. Its rare that past months are referenced, but when I start each month I copy over the events for the current month onto my monthly spread. To allow plenty of space for notes, the future log is split into three double pages.
  3. Goals for the Year – one page for a list of goals I would like to accomplish in the year and one for goals for each month. These goals don’t need to be lofty. One of my monthly goals is to file that month’s paperwork.
  4. Book List – a great and track the books I read and want to read. Books I want to read are indicated by an empty bullet point. Once the book is read, the bullet point is filled in and the date the book was finished is noted. No more wondering what my next read should be!Generic Lists
  5. Craft List – a list of things I intend to make one day. Empty bullet point list and once I make the craft – anything from felted Christmas ornaments to an apron – the bullet point gets filled in.
  6. Wardrobe changes – I want to be more intentional with my wardrobe purchases. Keeping track of what I purchase helps me reduce the mindless purchase of new clothes.
  7. When Did I Last… – A list of things that only happen a few times a year with their corresponding dates. Things like getting my oil changed, the date of my last flu shot, and when I last changed my toothbrush.
  8. Health Notes – a quick reference for information on allergies, appointments, and vaccinations.
  9. Things I Want/Need – List of purchase I need to plan for, essentially anything that I am not going to buy at the grocery. Also, a great place to list what I think I want and then reflect on before purchasing.
  10. Extra Income – a partial page to keep track of miscellaneous income from babysitting or selling unused items from my wardrobe on Poshmark.
  11. Dates – partial page to keep track of any dates I go on. Each date’s info is kept on a single line – the first name, where we went, initial impression, and the date.
  12. Weddings and Engagements – partial page to track when people get engaged and weddings for the year. A really easy way to keep track of people’s anniversaries years from now.
  13. PTO and sick days – a partial page where I like to track what days I took off from work, just incase in need it for reference.
  14. Important Events – a partial page to list the dates of important events – things like raises and moves. Especially useful for reference in future years.
  15. Baking Inspiration – whenever I come across anything that I think I would like to bake, I write it here so I don’t forget it when I have time to bake.
  16. Gift Ideas – I am a terrible gift-giver. Gift giving is not my love language! When I stumble across something that reminds me of someone, I take notes here in case I need a gift for them.
  17. One Day I Want To… – essentially a bucket list of things I want to do ‘one day’. Places I want to visit, and things I think would be cool to do.
  18. Job Thoughts – Personal notes on my job and my expectations. If I were planning on changing jobs, notes on that process would be kept on this page.
  19. Gym Classes – List of classes I attend at the gym and how frequently I attend them.
  20. Etsy Shop Ideas – I love the idea of multiple income sources, no matter how small. One idea for an income source was to sell digital downloads on Etsy. This page is where I keep all those ideas.

Monthly Spread

At the beginning of every month, I use two double pages to plan the month. Each month get its own unique color for accents and headers. This helps quickly identify each month when flipping through the pages. Every month has a combination of the following items.

Detailed monthly page

  1. Month Calendar for reference
  2. Goals specific for the month
  3. General To-Do list
  4. Favorite things that happened this month
  5. Bills I need to pay
  6. Gratitude List
  7. Days in a list format for keeping track of my schedule

Weekly Spread

Every week takes up a one double-page spread. The weekly spreads are how I keep my life on track. Most of these pages now that the exact same format. These are very functional pages and rarely have any extensive doddles in the margins or fancy headings.

Weekly page

  1. The month in calendar format with current week highlighted – much easier to reference in the future this way.
  2. Days of the week in two columns in the center of the page – I only write out one day at a time with that day’s list. So the length of each day’s notes varies. I have found that I am more productive when I don’t try to plan out the entire week ahead of time.
  3. A weekly to-do list – everything I need to do for the week gets added to this list and then transferred to an individual day when needed. This may seem like extra work, but I find I am more likely to complete my to-do list this way.
  4. Habit tracker -I like to only focus on a few habits at a time. Some habits are more important during some weeks and I find this works better for me than a monthly or yearly tracker.
  5. Grocery list – list of what I need at the store. I never take my bullet journal into the store, what I do instead is take a picture of the grocery list with my phone.

Collections

In a perfect world, all of my random notes throughout the year would be kept at the beginning of my bullet journal so that the month and weekly spread would be consistent. But I never know how many pages to reserve at the beginning of the year. My workaround is to put my collection pages between months. If there is something I want to turn into a collection page, I will count out how many pages I need for weekly spreads for the remainder of the month and then create the collection page. This ensures that there are no blank pages in my bullet journal.

Example Collection page

Collection Pages for this year so far…

  1. Quote pages
  2. Sketches of Herbs
  3. Book Notes: The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp – still haven’t finished the book
  4. Book Notes: Recapturing the Wonder by Mike Cosper
  5. Book Notes: Burnout: the Secret to Unlock the Stress Cycle
  6. Birthday list – a few years ago I started making a list on my birthday of all the things I would like to do that year. This year it’s my 34 List.
  7. Garden plans
  8. Bedroom Organization Ideas
  9. Personality Test Notes – notes on my personality test results and the results of some of my friends
  10. On My Homestead – all my daydreams of what I would like to have on a hobby farm one day
  11. Blog Info – List of article ideas (including this one)