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I’ve been hearing a lot lately on bullet journaling. I wasn’t quite sure what it was, so I decided to Google it. After all, doesn’t Google know everything?

I was quite surprised to realize I already a use bullet journaling technique. I am a list maker. I like making lists. I like my lists – get the picture here? I used to make lists with little dots in front of them – never knowing that people actually teach this sort of thing. To me, it was an easy way of distinguishing each task on the list.

Then, I graduated to using numbers. I’m the first to tell you to do your own adding and subtracting – and Heaven forbid anything more complicated than that – for yourself. I’m a writer (not claiming to be a good one, just one) not a number person. I am one of those people who freak out at counting change in public. I would rather break a dollar than count change. But, in this instance, I like numbers. Numbers are orderly, and my brain likes orderliness.

I found a video on-line on bullet journaling, and while his bullet journaling technique looks and sounds like great, it is just not how my brain works. Ryder Carroll uses boxes, circles, and dots in his journal book. I liked the little boxes and the idea of checking them off. Scratching through items is messy and too chaotic for my brain, and after a while makes it difficult to see what has been accomplished and what hasn’t. And, like him, I use the star method to draw attention to important to-dos. But, my brain likes pretty-pretty and writing in a graph book is just not going to do it for me. Also, for my personality, I need less cluttered structure.

I would love to know Ryder’s personality type, one, because personality traits fascinate me, and two, because I am interested in the correlation between his personality and his chosen methodology – bullet journaling.

I have recorded my very first video blog about my week, rather than using pictures. It’s not at all professional, but it shows my week. Hope you enjoy it.

In my planner, I have a pretty week on two pages that I love. It’s colorful and cheerful and adding colorful washi tape and stickers draws me in and makes me want to sit down and plan my week. What works so well with the particular week on two pages that I’ve chosen is each day is broken up into boxes and columns. I can label columns and put tasks or appointments relating to the column heading into the appropriate box. It allows me to compartmentalize, which in turn keeps me focused – really helpful if you have zero attention span – as I do.

I also use a daily sheet. It has a place for phone calls and a little to-do spot as well as a time frame list. This works with my brain. I jot down things on my week on two pages and each day I transfer what I need to do. I also add things as they come up. Using the daily sheet keeps me focused because I only have to look at one page. There are also weeks when my days aren’t so busy and I actually use the same daily sheet for a couple or three days. I am also able to schedule my time. I need this to stay focused and be able to accomplish things. If not, I wander around doing whatever grabs my attention and miss doing things that may be important – just ask Hubby. Poor man! I drive him crazy!

Located behind the daily page is a week at a glance where I keep my blog information. While all of this may seem redundant to some, it works in keeping me focused – remember, zero attention span. It works with my mind (as you’ve heard me say before) and not against it. I like to look at the project page (which is what I call it) and see at a glance the next book that is up or the next post I need to write. I also have space to jot down ideas for future blog posts.

And, as if all of my pages wouldn’t drive someone else insane, I recently added a card to the mix. It is ongoing information or a list of things that need to be done but don’t necessarily need to be done immediately. I can move the card from week to week, or take it out and use it when I run errands. I recently purchased a Sizzix machine and I can now make pretty little cards for this purpose. I am more likely to sit down and write my to-do list if I have a pretty place to write it down; a plain piece of paper just wasn’t working for me.

While I really liked the bullet journaling video and will probably watch it again to see if there are any additional pointers I can translate into my own system, his way of bullet journaling is not going to work for me. Yes, it is an easy system and I could see myself following his method, but it wouldn’t be fun for me. It would seem like a chore. I like my pretty papers and my cards and stickers.

So, for me, I think I’ll stick with my Day-Timer and the inserts I’ve found. It’s a good system and one that I have stuck with for many months. The important thing about choosing a planner is to figure out what system will work for you, how much information you are willing to document and how much time you are willing to devote to it. My system involves several pages, but in real-time, it doesn’t require a lot of my time to set up each week. I also find comfort in sitting down to plan my week and enjoy the creativeness it takes to decorate my planner. There is just something cathartic about putting colored ink to paper.

If you are looking for a quick, simple way to organize your thoughts and life, I encourage you to watch the video and try the bullet journaling method. I’d be curious to know how it works for you.

Looking to become part of a planner group? Check out my group on Facebook – Southern Charm Planners. We Southerners consider everyone a friend so don’t let that deter you from joining.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LouisianaPlannerGirls/

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