One thing I really loved about the new school year in my teens was the prospect of the school equipment shop ready for September. Each year this involved much deliberation over which rucksack or bag I would have (back when it was cool to have the straps as long as possible so the back bumped along somewhere near your bum), along with new stationery; pens, pencil case etc.
As an adult I am no different (although my rucksack preferences have changed somewhat) and September always brings with it the urge to reorganise and sort my belongings, along with my life in general. Diaries and planners have been a big part of that process, as I love the process of planning things out and seeing my week, month or year in front of me all mapped out. For a long time I trusted my usual 'Organised mum' diary (http://www.organised-mum.co.uk/) - despite not actually being a mum. As this with its stickers, year planner and month planner as well as pull out lists and address book worked perfectly in helping me to plot out my life. However, since leaving my previous job and starting life as an academic as well as a teacher this model has not fit my work balance well at all and I have reluctantly been searching for a viable alternative.
Having a variety of different sections of my life to now organise, with never ending to-do lists for various projects as well as the usual 'life stuff' I have been left with a grand total of 8 notebooks which collectively hold my work and social life. This just was not working. Plus it was giving me shoulder pain trying to lug them all around in my handbag.
A few months ago my boyfriend had told me about the bullet journal and how he used it to turn a regular notebook into a diary. At the time I only half listened; I was a planner pro and didn't need the advice of a man who mainly uses google calendar to organise his life (I do also LOVE google calendar, but nothing really compares to pen and paper for me). However, one evening this week from underneath a pile of half filled notebooks and planners I asked him for help finding something that works better. With a slightly resigned sigh he reminded me of the bullet journal and pointed me in the direction of a youtube tutorial in how to create one for yourself (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm15cmYU0IM ) .
The video does an infinitely better job than I could ever do in explaining how it works and the process to set up. I used an A4 notebook for mine rather than the A5 it seems to suggest (partly because I had a lovely new one from Sainsbury's which I wanted to use and partly because the biggest issue I have with my current -A5- diary is the lack of space for writing notes and dealing with all of my changes of plan).
This method has stopped the trail of never ending and never completed to-do lists in books, notepads and on my phone as well as making me feel much more accomplished and productive each day. An old boss taught me how to make a list and prioritise for things which needed to be done, as well as to see what I had ahead of me for the next day. This bullet journal method helps me to do that in a productive manner, keeping track of the tasks I need to complete without having the get out of throwing the sheet of paper away if there is something on there I want to avoid. Working from home has become a much more productive enterprise (although getting a cleaner would definitely help in that arena too) as I am able to work through my list. Meetings and projects are also a lot easier to track as I do not need to remember which notebook to bring to which meeting as everything is in one place.
If you are someone who has lots going on, or if you need to make sure you are using your time more efficiently I cannot recommend this method enough for bringing all areas of your life together in one place without it feeling too busy. Check out the tutorial video- you don't need a custom made bullet journal to make it work, any nice (or not nice) planner or notebook works just as well. My only worry now is what to do when I finally fill mine!
Comments
Post a Comment