The end of a year, quarter, month or week offers an opportunity to reflect on what has passed. What went well? What could be improved? What do you want more or less of? And the golden question, ‘what now?’ Remember, where there’s an end, there’s always a beginning!
New beginnings can be exciting and nerve-racking, and with fresh situations, goals or projects comes a tendency to overthink or overplan through the fear of getting it wrong. Here’s where bullet journalling wields the power of simplicity to bring order to chaos and pave the way for achievement.
What is Bullet Journalling?
Bullet journalling is an adaptive practice that combines the functions of a to-do list, daily planner, diary and sketchbook. Its purpose is to help plot the past, arrange the present and plan the future by efficiently capturing tasks, events, ideas and emotions. Bullet journalling personalises goals and maintains the freedom to swap and change as life evolves.
The Benefits of Bullet Journalling
- Organising Mind Clutter: transforming scattered thoughts into organised lists and categories lets your mind focus on what truly matters.
- Boosting Creativity: sketching, doodling and crafting creative layouts nurtures your imaginative side, inspiring fresh ideas and perspectives.
- Problem-Solving: logging tasks, ideas and plans creates a tangible resource to identify patterns and find solutions.
- Setting Goals: structuring simple thoughts leads to setting and tracking goals, from short-term tasks to long-term aspirations.
- Increasing Accountability: recording tasks and setting goals ensures accountability, maintains progress and reduces procrastination.
A Short Exercise
Purchase a dedicated bullet journal or create your own using a blank-page notebook. You’ll need sections for an index, future log, monthly task list and daily log. Create symbols, words or doodles to represent different tasks, e.g. projects, goals, events, ideas for the index. Tasks can also be categorised into family, personal, business, finance, etc.
Dedicate a double-page spread for a future log and record important events or goals for the next few months – quarterly, half-yearly or annually all work. On the next spread, mark out the days in the upcoming month and set achievable goals for each week – this is your monthly task list. Think about how to break each goal down into smaller tasks. Use your symbols.
Finally, use a daily log in the following pages to organise specific tasks to accomplish.
Keeping a bullet journal personal and relevant lays the foundations for a more organised and fulfilling life. It keeps you accountability and is definitely one for those who appreciate structure.
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