I found a thing. It’s big. And scary. And really, really effective. And – like all things that are big, scary, and really, really effective – it’s deceptively simple to implement.
The thing is called BULLET JOURNALING!
I can’t really describe it – it’s not quite a To-Do list, nor is it an appointment diary, and it’s not a notebook or a journal as we have gotten to know it over the years. It can be a sketchbook, or as utilitarian as you want it to be. It all depends on you!
Since I wanted to do it, too but wanted to do it RIGHT, I went right to the source – the creator of the Bullet Journal, Ryder Carroll. He wrote a book about his creation, The Bullet Journal Method, in which he outlines exactly what a Bullet Journal is and how to start, build and use it in as many ways as one can imagine.
Ryder Carroll has been diagnosed with ADHD. That is scatterbrained on steroids. He developed his Bullet Journal system as a way for him to keep tabs on things during his school and college years and has found that it works effectively in all areas of life. And obviously, more people have asked him to explain his system and now it is widely used all over the (at least Western) world as a way for people to keep their thoughts organized.
My own journal is pretty simple.
It’s A5 sized and contains roughly 200 pages of dots. (I know it’s roughly, because I created the journal myself, and one or two pages may have become notepaper before I had the opportunity to have everything bound together.) It cost a fraction of what I would have paid for a ready-made notebook. The bonus is that because I wasn’t sure how many pages I would actually use, I have decided not to number the pages too far into the future. That way, if I am left with extra pages at the end of 2021, I can simply rebind them (with new pages!) into a new cover for 2022 (God Willing). There might even be some envelopes added into the mix for 2022, as the world gradually gets going again.
I have used mine for a week now. So far, I have recorded an injury on duty (my own) with all the administration that goes with that. I use it to keep track of appointments and events both in my private life and at work. I even wrote down some inspirational words that I found online! And framed them nicely with colored pens.
That’s the other part of Bullet Journaling that I love. It doesn’t have to be boring. Because Bullet Journal pages are blank or have dots, they can be used as notebooks are, with the dates and times put in by hand every morning. And the IMPORTANT tasks get priority – those that would cause someone’s death if they were neglected. That means that I have to spend some time every morning and every evening reflecting on what carries weight in my life, and what can be delegated or dropped altogether.
THAT is the scary part!
Bullet journals don’t have to be boring lists. I am right-brained and I can already see myself doodling mind maps on some pages while figuring out goals and projects. But the concise nature of the bullets means that those tasks have to carry some meaning, to someone, somewhere, or else they have no place. That judgement extends not only to tasks but also to goals and projects. Do those goals and projects mean anything REAL, or are they simply a way to please others that you don’t even like? And in my case, cutting those goals and projects to their “bear necessities” means that I don’t have to spread myself all over the place. And also that I only have a small handful of goals (especially personal ones) and can give them my full attention. Analogue project management.
That brings me to my next point.
We 21st Century people are all much too dependent on technology. Here in South Africa, we have blackouts (they call it load shedding, but it’s basically the result of a power grid that is old and has gone unmaintained for years). There are times when you can’t rely on a phone or a tablet for keeping track of appointments and tasks. The bullet journal forces me to spend at least an hour of my day away from the screen, both during morning and evening reflection times and throughout the day, when I consult it to see what needs to be done next. That “Amish hour” before bedtime definitely helps me to wind down and get to sleep better.
That time of thanks and reflection definitely helps to keep me positive, too. This Covid-19 bug is definitely getting to me, and not in a pleasant way. While I am thus far spared from getting ill (being so insular has its advantages), it definitely affects those that I care about deeply. That bugs me. Big-time. So now I have somewhere to put my prayers and positive words that I receive during the morning or day and every evening I can put down something that happened that made me believe that God is in control. Or something positive that I have experienced and would like to remember when I can see only darkness.
A point to remember. Always.