Here’s What Happened When I Tried Bullet Journaling
Bullet Journaling is another one of these new fangled things popping up today that all “the kids” seem to be doing. Intrigued, I looked into what bullet journaling actually is and why it’s all over my twitter feed. Basically, it’s a SUPER organized organizer. Like Palm Pilot on crack, only you actually write it down. So retro, using pens and paper.
The basic premise is to use bullet points in your journaling (hence “bullet”). Your journal should have an index (which, apparently, is in constant flux) and a “monthly log,” which is basically a fancy reinvention of the word “calendar.” In this log, you keep track of things that you need to do this month, stuff you forgot to do last month, birthdays, holidays, events, etc. You then keep a system called “Rapid Logging,” in which they invented symbols to set priority to tasks or to indicate that something didn’t get done. Basically, the point is to simply jot things down, rather than write full sentences. Right, so you still with me?
At first glance, you are probably thinking “it’s a day planner.” Yeah, me too. But I figured I’d give it a whirl and see what happened. How bad could it be, right?
Step One: Supplies
Thankfully, I buy journals like most people buy milk, so I didn’t need to go out and get a new one. On day one, I just used regular colored pencils, but after I got tired of sharpening them every fourth letter, I decided to go out and buy fancy colored pens instead. I used the colored pencils for coloring and the pens for writing and drawing graphs or whatever you want to call what I did.
Step Two: Get Started
First thing was to establish an Index (again, that is constantly in flux). What I found was that I didn’t even know what I was going to do, so how could I make an Index? OK, page turn….a Monthly Log should be easy enough. So I wrote the month at the top of a page (the x-axis) and the numbered days down the page (the y-axis). I then filled in what I knew (birthdays, doctor’s appointments, etc). Then I set up my medications and vitamins, habits, etc that I want to track. Finally, it was time to start journaling.
Step Three: Journaling
Now it was time to actually start on the day. I started to jot down tasks that I wanted to get done, starting with the most important first, followed by things that needed done, but not necessarily on that particular day. Then I made a spot to track my drowsy levels (which would also help my doctors out, in tracking my thyroid problems) and my mood (again, for the doctors, too). I decided to track meals and snacks (like a hobbit) and which meals and snacks I remembered to eat that day. Then I made a section for notes, musings, and thoughts, and a spot to jot down writing ideas.
The Results
The first day was great. I wrote down a bunch of things and checked off most of the things on my to-do list, plus the things on my COULD-do list. I had half a page of notes and musings, and half a page of writing ideas. I ate all my meals and remembered all my meds and vitamins and supplements, got some exercise. I thought it was great. It’s important to note that the day I started this, I did not have to go to work.
The NEXT day, I did. I didn’t want to drag around a journal and bundle of colored pens and pencils with me at work, so I kept track of things on a small notebook at work, so that when I got home, I could easily copy my notes down. After a while, though, it became abundantly clear to me that this was double the work. Also, my life is just not that interesting to require THAT MUCH documentation.
I like the idea of a Bullet Journal, and a quick Pinterest search yields HOURS of mesmerizing and beautiful Bullet Journals, but for me, it is just too much work. I plan to continue my journal, though, but not by following the exact components of Bullet Journal as I discovered in my research. But I do think it’s a Day Planner and Journal combined, one that you actually have to make.
