It’s Getting Organized Month. Already feel behind?
It’s already been an eventful 2020, and we’re just barely a week in. We invest a lot of hope and enthusiasm for the new year. It can seem daunting to have so many goals and aspirations and need to keep track and plan them. I know one of the biggest challenges I have is forming new habits.
If you’re ready to toss out a traditional planner or date book or are fed up with keeping track of everything on your phone, it might be time to look into bullet journaling. My bullet journal is part art journal, part diary, part calendar and part project management system. It fits me…and if you’re a quirky creator, it might be fit for you too. My #bujo is a bit messy and whimsical–sort of like me, with little hidden surprises. I postponed bullet journaling for a long time because I was intimidated by how pretty and perfect some of them look. Mine is perfectly imperfect for me!
To learn more about bullet journaling, I highly recommend you check out:
Truth be told, my journal is a bit different than many examples out there. Instead of grid paper, I use an old-school lined composition book and each page, front and back, is dedicated to the week. Instead of pretty calligraphy, my journal is personalized with stickers and cuttings from magazines I like. I added coloring pages. Here’s one!
I also really love re-purposing old magazines, cards and flyers. Here’s a few examples.
If you are glued to your phone, and wondering if it’s even possible for you to go to a completely analog system, don’t stress. There is a bullet journal app designed by Ryder Carroll that gives you bullet journaling on the go, if you’re not toting yours with you. Also, I back up my journal before my week begins on Evernote. That way, if my journal is in my car, or left at home, it’s still there for me digitally and I have digital record of my itinerary if needed. If I am traveling, I also back up my travel itinerary.
I think one of the best things I’ve learned from bullet journaling is that I do have a habit of over-scheduling myself, mistaking busier for better. Bullet journaling has helped me break large projects down into more manageable steps and help me spread workload over days and anticipate my busy-ness and business better. I’ve also adapted the bullet journal methods to the editing of a documentary feature I’m working on!
Plan your successes in 2020! I hope “Getting Organized Month” is a good month, and 2020, a productive, profitable New Year for You. Your bullet journal doesn’t have to be pretty or perfect. It, like you, is a work in progress! Here’s to making a masterpiece of 2020.
Kristin West 