Bullet Journals

Have you seen all the bullet journals on Pinterest, Instagram and blog sites?  I've been searching for a better way to organize all my to do lists, calendar events, shopping lists and mental notes. When I worked full time I was pretty efficient at using my electronic calendar to track where I needed to be and what I was supposed to be doing.  I had a notebook that I kept my to do list in and I would cross out each item in highlighter once it was completed. That way I knew it was done, but I could still see what was on the list.

Since retiring, I have not had an efficient system to track all the stuff I've got going on.  I've got a gratitude jar where I write gratitudes and good news with the intention of rereading them on New Year's Eve. I've got a calendar on the fridge as well as the calendar on my iPhone to track events.  I have a list app on my phone to share lists with my husband including a grocery list, a list of house projects and a list of things we want to plant in the garden. On Facebook, I've saved posts where people have shared books that I think I'd like to read. My Fitbit tracks my steps for me. And in my head, are all kinds of other lists and things - exercise, diet, places I want to visit, restaurants and recipes I want to try, and on and on.  Needless to say, having lists and ideas in so many different places is not working.

Recently, I stumbled upon bullet journals or bujo.  They seemed like a good idea - one place to keep track of everything.  They were originally developed by Ryder Carroll and you can visit his website at bulletjournal.com  There's even a bullet journal app available now.

Some of the bullet journals on Pinterest and Instagram are works of art!  Everything is written in fancy script. People add watercolour illustrations, detailed borders, colourful doodles and it's all a bit overwhelming.

Some inspiration from chasingfoxes.com 

I don't think my bullet journal is going to be a work of art. But hopefully it will be a helpful tool for keeping all of my lists in one place.  Tomorrow is the first day of June so a new month is a perfect tie to start a new project. I find writing to be very relaxing. It helps me reduce stress and relax so I think the bullet journal will be a good self-reg practice. I can reflect at the end of each day as I journal.

Are you using a bullet journal? How is it working for you? Or are you using another method or planner to keep track of your lists? What are you using?

Some bullet journal inspiration sites:

Pencilling it in - Bullet Journals 101

9 Bullet Journal Ideas That'll Organize Your Entire Life

How to Start a Bullet Journal

5 Essential Bullet Journal Pages