Bullet journaling is a technique developed by Ryder Carroll. It’s described as a form of journalling where mindfulness and productivity meet, a way to align your productivity with you beliefs.
For me my go to planning method has always been making a lists of things I would like or need to get done. I would enthusiastically buy a new planner hoping that it would magically make me more productive and organized. However, there was a disconnect. I never really new how to translate the list into a plan of action. Has this ever happened to you? I always assumed that planning was just not my thing.
That changed one evening. While exploring YouTube I came across a bunch of videos with people preparing for the new year by setting up their BuJo (bullet journals). After watching a few of these I realized that maybe it was my approach had been wrong.
What I realized is that using a journal without preprinted pages frees you up to plan and track the things that matter to you. Having an index system (a kind of table of content ) at the beginning of the journal allows you to add sections any where in your journal as needed. You are not confined to predetermined spaces provided by traditional planners.
The beginning of the journaling process involves setting up a “future log”. Create a general reference for the entire year. This is done by listing all the known upcoming events, such as birthdays, Doctors appointments, vacations and deadlines on the appropriate month. You can also list any important tasks and goals . This gives you a quick overview of your entire year and gives you the foundation to begin making plans for the individual months.
Daily, weekly and monthly reviews help you gage your progress and maybe see patterns or roadblocks you may be experiencing.
The beauty of this method is, in addition to the daily/ monthly logs, you can develop pages to track or log what ever you desire. For me I decided I wanted to track how often I get out for walks and how often I post on social media. These are two things I want to become more consistent with. I have seen other people track things such as diet, health, books read, cleaning schedules. The possibilities are endless.
Back to my original question: Does it improve productivity? My high hopes are high. I am just beginning my bullet journaling journey but I feel like the logic behind the process is sound. I will check back in 3 months (I have it listed in my future log) to see if I can maintain my progress. I feel I have a clearer understanding about what tasks I have to complete each day in order to move closer to my goals. For example I was able to write this blog post! so that’s progress.
This is of course just a really brief introduction to how this method of journaling works. If you are interested in learning more about bullet journaling, I suggest starting form the source by watching Ryder Carroll’s introduction video on Youtube and then you can explore the many videos of BuJo users for inspiration. youtube.com/@bulletjournal
I have attached a super simple template of a future log, walking (exercise) tracker, and social media tracker for you to print and tryout if you are curious.
Do you use the Bullet Journal method? Have you found it works? Do you use other methods of planning to encourage productivity? Let me know at madebycro@gmail.com