This post has expanded my horizons and inspired me... I use a paper journal intermittently and I greatly enjoy and benefit from the practice of using it -- when I do. When I'm writing in my journal daily I usually reflect on the previous day's activities, goals, and plans. During those times I am much more intentional with my time and attention; more mindful of my actions in general.
I've gone through a stage recently where I didn't "feel" like using pencil and paper. That was bolstered by a lot of daily tasks in my schedule which keep my nervous system on high alert. In that state I have a hard time "stopping" to do anything creative or reflective. However, stopping is just what I need to do because my state of hyper-arousal is brought about by my un-mindful over-commitment of my time and attention.
Anyway, I'm reading this post just as I've identified another cycle of adjustments to how I use my time and I was just about to return to daily journaling anyway. However, one of the big reasons I stop my daily writing and reflection is the overwhelm I experience with how to organize such disparate projects, tasks, and ideas in a single notebook over the long term.
Long story, short: This bullet journal idea is fascinating and may get me on my way to a steadier practice. Seeing how you use it and how colorful yours makes the idea all the more alluring. I've worked my way through setting up a new one according to the short intro video on bullet journal.com. I even ordered a four color erasable pen to conveniently bring color to my practice. You've gotten me excited about trying my hand at a new way to manage my writing and reflection practice! Thanks.
Sudni, I am so glad that this post was helpful for you and that you are going to try using a bullet journal.
My number one tip is - don't be a perfectionist over it! (I don't know if you suffer with perfectionism, but so many people do...) It is a tool. Just use it.
And don't be afraid to tweak things as you go. My bullet journal has been developing over the decade that I've been using it, and I am still slowly changing things to work better for me.
And let me know how you are getting on with it. I'd love to know. Good luck!
Thanks Emma. I’ve been using it since the start of September. I’ve struggled with perfectionism since I was a child. However, I’ve come a long way with ways to put limits on it. In fact, the process of applying the bullet journal technique has been a cyclic meditation on what I want to include; where. I’ve always done that, but this is a new framework for that process. Best of all has been the freedom to add some special writing/notes/data into the flow of my daily journal and just give it an index entry so I can find it later. The index and the shorthand markup is quite helpful. I’ve written every day that life hasn’t been “too much.”
In short, I now feel comfortable putting everything in a single journal and that makes it easier to write every day and reflect on my writing. So far, so good!
And here I thought that was what yellow post-it notes were for. I have a zillion on my desk. Those and stacks of trusty old 3x5 cards. Feeling overwhelmed lately by all that I have to do, I went back to my journal, which I dedicate myself to on and off, usually when I'm off. Either way, the point is similar. Write it down, whatever "it" is in whatever form works for you. Writing my anxieties, my hopes, my tasks ~ it doesn't matter what ~ helps me. Thanks for the post!
Thank you for your comment, Nancy! I completely agree with you. Just the act of writing things down, whatever those "things" are, and wherever you are writing them, helps us with anxiety and overwhelm.
Picturing you, surrounded by your zillion yellow post-it notes and trusty 3x5 cards (I remember those from my school days), is making me smile.
Yay! Glad to find another BuJo user! I'm excited to read your post on the subject. I love seeing other people's Bullet Journals and planners. Good luck with grad school!
I don't use bullet journals but I have no fewer than 4 different planners and calendars in my house so...maybe I should? I do have a Moleskine weekly planner that I refer to as my all knowing planner, so that basically fulfills the same function.
lol That does sound like me, before I used a Bullet Journal! But I think you should use whatever method works for you. I like Bullet Journaling because I can adapt it for my own needs. But it wouldn't suit everyone.
I usually end up looking wistfully at all the planners in the shops at this time of year, knowing that I can't buy any of them, which is sad, but probably a good thing too!
No worries at all!! Welcome aboard the chaos train ha.
My issue with bullet journaling is the part you enjoy most - I'm not a big fan of having to sit down and draw everything out. That's stressful to me, and I like having planners with blank pages instead where I can dump all my thoughts and to-dos. I envy the folks (yourself included!) who have these wonderful looking bullet journals because I know if I tried to do such a thing I'd just make myself more frustrated and throw it all down in a fit of pique.
I promise you that my bullet journal is a hot mess! But yeah, I do find drawing everything pretty soothing. Although having all the stuff drawn out like I do isn't really part of the main bullet journal concept. Blank pages where you dump out all your thoughts sounds much closer to Ryder Carroll's original method! I'm glad you have something that works for you.
Really interesting read Emma, I do aspire to this, and I have managed a bit of a bullet journal now since reading your recommendation of How to get things done, definitely more effective than other methods I've tried but with my foggy brain more recently it's seemed more of a chore, and also other than get up, eat, art and rest there's not been a lot to put in there!
Thanks for the mention!!
I also get the urge for new stationery (mind blank for spelling today) in September! x
New stationery (and you have the correct spelling!) in September is a delight!
I don't think anyone should have/use a Bullet Journal (or any method) if it doesn't suit them or their needs. And none of us needs any more chores added to our, already too long, list of chores we need to do!
In my early days of Bullet Journaling I just used it as a place to write down the bits that made sense to me - it was very basic. It has taken a decade for mine to become the thing it is now. And it continues to change...
Ooh I'm the same as you. This time of year gets me in the mood to buy new pens and a notebook. It literally gives me a rush of dopamine 😆 I'm drooling over all your notebooks. Even looking at them makes me feel happy and want to get organised! I have a million different types of notebooks for different things (my husband can't understand why I need so many haha). One for just lists, one as a type of day to day journal, one for health and appointments/logging symptoms, one for article ideas. All sorts. I was tempted to start a book journal. Write down the main points I want to remember. I tried highlighting passages in a book, but I just never went back to it. Any excuse to buy a new notebook hey 😀 but writing things down really helps to unload the chaos that goes on in my brain and helps me to relax and feel less cluttered up there!
I'm glad my notebook pictures have brought you such joy! I also have lots of other notebooks (beyond the Bullet Journals) for lots of other purposes - including ones that just contain lists! Maybe I will gather them all up and take a photo...
Writing things down helps 'unload the chaos', as you said. It reduces anxiety for me.
This post has expanded my horizons and inspired me... I use a paper journal intermittently and I greatly enjoy and benefit from the practice of using it -- when I do. When I'm writing in my journal daily I usually reflect on the previous day's activities, goals, and plans. During those times I am much more intentional with my time and attention; more mindful of my actions in general.
I've gone through a stage recently where I didn't "feel" like using pencil and paper. That was bolstered by a lot of daily tasks in my schedule which keep my nervous system on high alert. In that state I have a hard time "stopping" to do anything creative or reflective. However, stopping is just what I need to do because my state of hyper-arousal is brought about by my un-mindful over-commitment of my time and attention.
Anyway, I'm reading this post just as I've identified another cycle of adjustments to how I use my time and I was just about to return to daily journaling anyway. However, one of the big reasons I stop my daily writing and reflection is the overwhelm I experience with how to organize such disparate projects, tasks, and ideas in a single notebook over the long term.
Long story, short: This bullet journal idea is fascinating and may get me on my way to a steadier practice. Seeing how you use it and how colorful yours makes the idea all the more alluring. I've worked my way through setting up a new one according to the short intro video on bullet journal.com. I even ordered a four color erasable pen to conveniently bring color to my practice. You've gotten me excited about trying my hand at a new way to manage my writing and reflection practice! Thanks.
Sudni, I am so glad that this post was helpful for you and that you are going to try using a bullet journal.
My number one tip is - don't be a perfectionist over it! (I don't know if you suffer with perfectionism, but so many people do...) It is a tool. Just use it.
And don't be afraid to tweak things as you go. My bullet journal has been developing over the decade that I've been using it, and I am still slowly changing things to work better for me.
And let me know how you are getting on with it. I'd love to know. Good luck!
Thanks Emma. I’ve been using it since the start of September. I’ve struggled with perfectionism since I was a child. However, I’ve come a long way with ways to put limits on it. In fact, the process of applying the bullet journal technique has been a cyclic meditation on what I want to include; where. I’ve always done that, but this is a new framework for that process. Best of all has been the freedom to add some special writing/notes/data into the flow of my daily journal and just give it an index entry so I can find it later. The index and the shorthand markup is quite helpful. I’ve written every day that life hasn’t been “too much.”
In short, I now feel comfortable putting everything in a single journal and that makes it easier to write every day and reflect on my writing. So far, so good!
And here I thought that was what yellow post-it notes were for. I have a zillion on my desk. Those and stacks of trusty old 3x5 cards. Feeling overwhelmed lately by all that I have to do, I went back to my journal, which I dedicate myself to on and off, usually when I'm off. Either way, the point is similar. Write it down, whatever "it" is in whatever form works for you. Writing my anxieties, my hopes, my tasks ~ it doesn't matter what ~ helps me. Thanks for the post!
Thank you for your comment, Nancy! I completely agree with you. Just the act of writing things down, whatever those "things" are, and wherever you are writing them, helps us with anxiety and overwhelm.
Picturing you, surrounded by your zillion yellow post-it notes and trusty 3x5 cards (I remember those from my school days), is making me smile.
Another BuJo user! I literally have an article in the works on this exact topic! I love my bullet journal and just started one for grad school!
Yay! Glad to find another BuJo user! I'm excited to read your post on the subject. I love seeing other people's Bullet Journals and planners. Good luck with grad school!
I don't use bullet journals but I have no fewer than 4 different planners and calendars in my house so...maybe I should? I do have a Moleskine weekly planner that I refer to as my all knowing planner, so that basically fulfills the same function.
Also, I thought I was already subscribed to your Substack and I wasn't?! I have rectified that terrible omission!
lol That does sound like me, before I used a Bullet Journal! But I think you should use whatever method works for you. I like Bullet Journaling because I can adapt it for my own needs. But it wouldn't suit everyone.
I usually end up looking wistfully at all the planners in the shops at this time of year, knowing that I can't buy any of them, which is sad, but probably a good thing too!
No worries at all!! Welcome aboard the chaos train ha.
My issue with bullet journaling is the part you enjoy most - I'm not a big fan of having to sit down and draw everything out. That's stressful to me, and I like having planners with blank pages instead where I can dump all my thoughts and to-dos. I envy the folks (yourself included!) who have these wonderful looking bullet journals because I know if I tried to do such a thing I'd just make myself more frustrated and throw it all down in a fit of pique.
I promise you that my bullet journal is a hot mess! But yeah, I do find drawing everything pretty soothing. Although having all the stuff drawn out like I do isn't really part of the main bullet journal concept. Blank pages where you dump out all your thoughts sounds much closer to Ryder Carroll's original method! I'm glad you have something that works for you.
I need a tada list!! ❤️
Really interesting read Emma, I do aspire to this, and I have managed a bit of a bullet journal now since reading your recommendation of How to get things done, definitely more effective than other methods I've tried but with my foggy brain more recently it's seemed more of a chore, and also other than get up, eat, art and rest there's not been a lot to put in there!
Thanks for the mention!!
I also get the urge for new stationery (mind blank for spelling today) in September! x
New stationery (and you have the correct spelling!) in September is a delight!
I don't think anyone should have/use a Bullet Journal (or any method) if it doesn't suit them or their needs. And none of us needs any more chores added to our, already too long, list of chores we need to do!
In my early days of Bullet Journaling I just used it as a place to write down the bits that made sense to me - it was very basic. It has taken a decade for mine to become the thing it is now. And it continues to change...
Ooh I'm the same as you. This time of year gets me in the mood to buy new pens and a notebook. It literally gives me a rush of dopamine 😆 I'm drooling over all your notebooks. Even looking at them makes me feel happy and want to get organised! I have a million different types of notebooks for different things (my husband can't understand why I need so many haha). One for just lists, one as a type of day to day journal, one for health and appointments/logging symptoms, one for article ideas. All sorts. I was tempted to start a book journal. Write down the main points I want to remember. I tried highlighting passages in a book, but I just never went back to it. Any excuse to buy a new notebook hey 😀 but writing things down really helps to unload the chaos that goes on in my brain and helps me to relax and feel less cluttered up there!
I'm glad my notebook pictures have brought you such joy! I also have lots of other notebooks (beyond the Bullet Journals) for lots of other purposes - including ones that just contain lists! Maybe I will gather them all up and take a photo...
Writing things down helps 'unload the chaos', as you said. It reduces anxiety for me.