Monday, May 16, 2016

My Ugly Bullet Journal

About a month ago, a friend turned me on to the bullet journal. If you're unfamiliar, there's a short, excellent video to walk you through it.

The video motivated me  to act. I found a perfect Moleskin notebook, added a pen loop so I'd never be without a writing instrument, and happily set about creating my bullet journal. 

After a few days of using the bullet journal, with its system for capturing tasks versus notes, I was completely hooked. All of my notes and To Dos are in one place. I also added a tracker for my workouts and weight loss efforts, and have included reference pages that have proved to be very useful to have on hand. I have my bullet journal with me most of the time, and I feel 100% more in control.

I actually look forward to getting settled at work every day so I can pore over my bullet journal entries over my morning tea. I am that much of a nerd. I get a little jolt of joy every time I cross out an item on my list.

Recently I looked up "bullet journal" on Pinterest, just to see how other people used theirs. There are some really creative people out there -  I felt immediately and completely inadequate. Some of these bullet journals are works of art: beautiful calligraphy, lots of color, even some elaborate illustrations.

And then there's mine.

I use a standard, office-issue black pen. I have ridiculously bad handwriting, so the pages are filled with scrawling chicken-scratch. I actually tried to emulate one of the perfect Pinterest people and create a cool, two-page layout to illustrate my goals for the year. I ended up with a series of unevenly-drawn frames and various ink colors smeared across the page. An artist I ain't. 

But here's the thing - you can't let perfect be the enemy of good. My bullet journal has become my absolute most valuable tool to stay organized and on top of my ever-growing To Do list. It's not pretty - but as Bruce Springsteen says, "You ain't a beauty, but hey, you're all right."

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