Bullet journals are kind of a fashion statement for those who love organizing things. And, let me get on the record to say: I don’t organize things. I am messy, and moody, so it’s hard for me to predict what I can manage to do next.
But, I had started my bullet journal in August of 2017. I think it has helped me a lot, and I am sharing my experience with you today.
2017 lessons on bullet journals
I did not know much about bullet journals early on. Here is a nice link on what these journals’ functions are. Anyway, I have seen many posts on YouTube and Pinterest regarding ideas on how to set up a bullet journal. Essentially, I have been trying out different set up formats and pages.
My favorite way to use the journal is to track my daily activity, mood, and set up a list of the books I got for the month along with the ones I did read as well.
I found that my bullet journal has helped me look forward to my day a little better, for simple reasons. When I decorate my journal for the next day, I find myself decompressing before bed while working on them. Even the simple act of adding stickers, or changing the color of the pen would give me a little boost–I know, it sounds silly.
2018 ideas for my bullet journal
Part of the journal’s charm is to add awareness to one’s daily activities. I noticed that my days tend to be repetitious in terms of the individual tasks. As a result, a sense of hopelessness has been festering along the way.
So, I am thinking of changing my goals for each day. For instance, I always try to write a post on my blog each day, but, instead, it takes me all day, staring at a blank screen. Sometimes, I think I am really clever and attempt to multitask. Let me tell you something about me: I don’t get much done when I am trying to do more than one thing at a time. Therefore, I need to stop trying to go on YouTube, and write a post, while tweeting. It’s not working for me at all.
How does this relate to bullet journals? Well, I am thinking of using mine to also include reminders. Like, “Hey, if you finished this task, give yourself 10 minutes on YouTube.” For a while, I used to designate Pomodoros for each day, and that worked well. I am thinking of going back to that.
Another really neat use of bullet journals is that of trackers. I have slowly been integrating mood trackers, as someone who has a milder form of bipolar disorder (it’s called cyclothymia). I want to cross reference my journals, though. I keep a journal for therapy, and I am thinking of including a short description of how I am feeling, accompanied with why I think I feel that way.
In addition, tracking reading time (in Pomodoros, for ease) sounds like a good idea, because I don’t regulate how often I read. Instead, I try to rely on my mood, which is not such a good idea. Anything that involves me sitting still for a long period of time intimidates me. I think scheduling a time for me to get off the Internet and read will help me disconnect.
Finally, I want to use my bullet journal as a practice in accepting imperfection. I tend to beat myself up for not drawing the perfect shape, or messing up the spelling of a word. For the new year, I want to embrace these flaws and carry on with my journal without ripping pages (that’s why the page numbers help me).
