Bullet Journaling: Why It Works for Me

I have been "bullet journaling" for seven months and am 100% hooked! 

I heard about the method in late-July/ early-August after I had been in the market for a good planner for several months. I needed something flexible enough to help me organize the various facets of life (home, blog, work, Brandon's schedule, events) but the problem was that I was shopping in summertime with high expectations. I hated the idea of dropping money on a 2014 planner that I would only be able use for 5-6 months. I also tend to use my planner consistently for several weeks and then put it aside for a week or two before diving back in. When I heard about "bullet journaling," I thought I would give it a shot since I already had a spare moleskin on hand.

This awesome video will explain the method much better than I ever could. If you are interested in this method, check it out here. I (obviously) highly recommend it.

How I have customized this:

1. Each month, I lay out three month spreads for: Events, Meal Planning, Blog Posts
2. In addition to the monthly goals, I list weekly goals during busy times (so I remember to include them in my daily task list).
3. If I am working on a project (like my 2014 family album), I designate a two-page spread for thoughts and notes. In this way, my planner serves as a brainstorm space for things I do not necessarily want or need in my personal journal. 
4. I use it for packing lists since I'm a pen-and-paper gal but don't need to record in my personal journal that I took toothpaste with me to Pittsburg in February 2015.
5. When I lay out my weekly spread of daily tasks, I often note the intended meal for the night so that I do not have to refer back to that monthly page as often. The month-long spread just allows me to plan further in advance than a week. 
6. I use highlighter to mark completed tasks (sometimes).
7. I decorate my pages with wash tape because its lovely and makes me want to use the planner more.

I love this method because it allows me to plan everything in one place! This can include the details of an event (who to invite, what will we eat?, what color flowers to buy), the needs of my day-to-day activities (prep bread dough, buy stamps) and the diverse work tasks at hand (check support email, pay customers, email P about Google bug).

This method also works for me because the weeks I do not use my planner, I am not wasting planner space. I just turn the page in my moleskin and start fresh. (This was especially wonderful during my first trimester- mostly September- when meal planning and creative thinking were last on my list of priorities.) When 2014 ended, my planner was not yet filled up so I turned the page and started my January 2015 spread. No need to start a new planner with every new season!

I wish I had known about this method years ago. Do you think you will give bullet journaling a try?