How I Set Up My Bullet Journal

Month at a Glance, To-Do List, Notes, and Habit Tracking

The Bullet Journal had me from the start with its simplicity, adaptability, and the that it is a pen and paper system. One space for planning, tracking, and capturing random thoughts. One journal to rule them all.

I was introduced to Bullet Journaling through a random video suggested to me on YouTube. I was so taken with the concepts presented that I checked out “The Bullet Journal Method” book by Ryder Carroll from the library. Reading it front to back took only a few days, and I knew this was a system I wanted to adopt into what I was already using.

My New Bullet Journal System — 2-Page Spread #1

Using notebooks and journals I already had and inspired by the systems and techniques I had seen in the YouTube video and in Ryder’s book, I now have a new, simple system for planning my 3 daily To-Dos, taking and finding notes, and tracking daily habits. Yea!

On the left side of this 2-page spread is a 1-page month at a glance. At the top is a calendar where I cross off the days. Under the calendar is the heading Appointments with a list of all of my appointments. Appointments are any and all date and time-specific meet-ups whether they are social, educational, or professional. Details of the appointments are in the Cozi online family calendar, a tool we use across all of our devices which I will write about in detail in a future article.

The right side of this w-page spread is my habit tracker, turned horizontally. This is where I record those daily tasks that need to be done to keep m myself and my home healthy and running efficiently. This is a tool I didn’t have in the old system which left me always writing the same tasks day after day just so I could check them off when completed. I do love checking tasks off my to-do list. But truly what a waste of my time and INK! Now, I write all the tasks one time and check them off each day. Win!

My New Bullet Journal System — 2-Page Spread #2

Like the previous 2-page spread, this spread is two 1-page spreads facing each other. On the left is my daily planner were, I write down my three To-Dos for the day. These are the three one-off tasks that are the most important for me to get done. One-off tasks are non-recurring tasks such as making phone calls, working on the next step of a project, etc.

The right-side page is for taking notes. My notes are short, usually only a couple of words that trigger the whole idea when I read them later or when I am working on a related project. Notes can be a one-off task to be completed in the future, a reminder to have a conversation with a person, topics for future articles, etc. They are anything that I will likely need to come back to in the future. Memory isn’t infallible so I only rely on my notes.

The notes page isn’t what I use to fully develop an idea or plan. I have other notebooks for that.

For example, a couple of days ago, I had the idea of writing an article about how I use the Bullet Journal system. It wasn’t the best time for writing it then and I didn’t want to forget about it so I captured the idea on my Notes page:

Yesterday, during my writing time block, I pulled out my writing notebook, checked my notes and saw the idea of writing about Bullet Journal and gave it a go. It didn’t go well. No problem. I closed the writing notebook and set it aside, out of my mind. This morning, I woke up with a new title and sub-title in my head. Out came the writing notebook, and yes it is going well.

Bullet Journal is working for me because it is my own system rather than one which is perfect for someone else that I have to alter to meet my needs. I can use up the notebooks I have rather than having to buy all new ones. And it is flexible so it will grow and adapt with me rather than having to throw the whole thing out and start all over again as life changes, which it always does. Incorporating some of the Bullet Journal techniques into my pen and paper system is a comfortable evolution of a system that did its job and is now even better.

If you are curious about Bullet Journal, look for Ryder Carroll’s channel on YouTube and/or his book “The Bullet Journal Method” both of which I will link below.

Link mentioned in the article above: Ryder Carroll’s channel on YouTube

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Originally published at https://letstalkabout.com.au on August 20, 2021.