BULLET JOURNALING: The View From Two Weeks
What I learned in Two Weeks of Bullet Journaling
Two weeks ago I stumbled upon the Bullet Journal method. I was in a state of overwhelm trying to manage my responsibilities and projects and ideas for my work, home and, just life in general. That state of overwhelm is way, way too familiar to me. (and my husband, but shh, don't tell him I admitted it , okay? ) Over the years I have tried several organization and productivity methods, but I always spend a whole bunch of time setting them up and then when I lapse using them they themselves become the thing I am spending time updating instead of actual work on actual goals. That doesn’t sit well with my self concept as a free spirited bohemian, so I let them go, have no system and have periodic meltdowns because my brain can’t handle itself with all that it is trying to manage.
The Bullet system appealed to me because- I COULD START WHERE I WAS WITHOUT A WHOLE HUGE SET UP. Trying to catch up never works. Maybe with Netflix, but not with life. The messes and tangles have accumulated over time, it takes time to undo them. If you have to clean up the back log before you can address what is coming at you now, well, that’s a recipe for never feeling like you are accomplishing much and never having any freaking peace.
I have re-discovered that when it comes to most things in life- I am really just an analogue kind of girl. I can access parts of my heart and brain with a pen and paper that I just can’t on my computer. The new journal system is great for me because it has helped me combine my practical and structural parts of productivity with the creative and healing parts and keeps them organized. They aren’t happening in separate applications, they are all right there, flowing as they come and then tied together with the simple but GENIUS index. Also, getting back to a handwritten practice has brought back Freewriting, and I never do that on the computer.
The system of breaking down what I want and need to do into daily lists and getting it done makes me more productive, more creative and has helped me really relax for the first time in a long time. It is crazy satisfying to see a list get finished, and so I have seen my lists become more focused and I have kept myself on task way better. Then, when a list is finished, I have a feeling like I haven’t had since college when you pass in the paper and lay out on the green. I can rest without mental burden, like a kid done with homework. My work is out of my head and onto a schedule. But the real magic is how the journal is helping me to work through it so that it stays out of my head.
My new journal has lowered my screen time significantly. The internet is great and all, but, you know, health and life are better. Whenever I try to use computer based productivity tools I -
SQUIRREL!
Right- I get distracted. Having an actual book as the main hub of my day instead of a dashboard keeps me more focused and just lowers the time I am staring at a lit screen.
People are CRAZY creative with their Bullet Journals. I find that inspiring, but not where I am going with it, yet. I won’t be posting instagram shots of the inside of my journal. For me it is a tool. I want to be CREATIVE with my journal not creative with my JOURNAL. It’s an adaptable system.
It is a great excuse to buy a new pen.
This thing is really helping me have better habits. (It's been two weeks- I'll keep you posted on this one.) I have been keeping a chore log and a food log and apparently consistency counts. I have surely been eating better by documenting it and if I do say so myself, my house is fucking sparkling! (for me. Sparkle is relative)
So then, two weeks in - worth it. I'll revisit.