In one word? YES! If you read my planner post, you know I have struggled to find a planner or organization system that works for me. After reading Ryder Carroll’s The Bullet Journal Method it gave me some sound bullet journal ideas and practice tips. Additionally, I followed his advice to not try to do too much in the first two months – – just simply stick with it. And I have and love it!
Bullet journal ideas
Getting started
Read the book! I had previously given bullet journaling a try without much success but this time I actually read the book and followed the guidance of Ryder Carroll. It has made all the difference in my execution of the system.
Get an inexpensive dotted journal to start, no need to buy any of the fancy ones on Amazon. My first one was under $8 at Walmart and it has served me quite well. I have my next one on order from Amazon but it isn’t anything very fancy either.
Do not feel intimidated! You do not need to be fancy, you do not need to doodle and make swirly designs, you do not have to do one thing remotely artistic in it (unless you want to do so). Simple has its value when you first start.
Follow Ryder Carroll’s advice
Start simple. As I just stated in the previous section remaining simple has its place and purpose when you first start with the bullet journaling. When you first start if you try to do too much and go BIG instead of starting small it will and can get overwhelming.
In an “all-or-nothing”world, we tend to forget the power of something.
Ryder Carroll
Touch it daily! This one is so, so important. As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions likewise the best plans are only executed if you remember to actually do them. If you do not use the bullet journal daily than its power to help you organize your projects, tasks, and necessary life to-dos will fall through the cracks.
Adding in new elements
I started using it to track my physical activity since becoming healthier was a goal for me in 2020, that was the only special element I added from day 1. After two months in I started to play around with other tools and bullet journal ideas. The first one was a food journal, which also supported my goal to be healthier this year.
I looked online for some inspiration for my food journal and took what some others had done and modified it to fit my needs. When you need inspiration for adding new tools to your bullet journal it is very easy. Just head to Google (or your preferred search engine) and type your search term + #bujo and you’ll get bunches of ideas.
Project planning is also a great way to use your bullet journal. In the book, the example given is planning a trip to Hawaii but I utilized it to plan out a course I am creating. It made it so nice to have it all in one place during the planning stage and helped me keep on task and get all the information that I wanted to cover.
Make it your own!
There are SO many bullet journal ideas for how to use and design your #bujo but ultimately you have to do things in a way that fits you and your needs. That is the beauty of all the bullet journal ideas – – they are really just suggestions and jumping-off points. You can make them work for you, and if it doesn’t work you don’t have to chuck the whole journal. Just modify it and roll on!
What’s next?
Well, obviously the bullet journal is continuing on the journey with me in life. I am so happy that I gave it another chance! Hopefully, I have inspired you to do the same.
Stay tuned for more reviews of resources you can add to your business toolbox as well as another installment of the Do What You Love series.
As always, drop me a line or comment below if you would like to discuss this topic more or have some brilliant bullet journal ideas that I could implement. Or hop over to Facebook to the community group.
