Last January, the Bullet Journal started making the rounds on Twitter, and along with loads of other people, I thought this is amazing. I finally understood how always keeping a notebook with me – the oft-cited single-most-important thing for a writer to do – could actually be useful. And useful it has been. A year later, I’m well into my second notebook, and since my first blog post about using this system quickly became one of the most popular blog posts I’ve ever written, I thought another follow-up would be a good idea.
I’ve never been fancy about how I use my bullet journal, though I did use it as an excuse to buy a nice fountain pen. I use it mostly for daily to-do lists, and I capture things like social events and other milestones in those lists, too, since this is the only kind of diary I keep, so why not.
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Since I keep track of pretty much every time/date-related event in Google calendars, I don’t use the monthly spreads, but I do use two so-called collections: one for my 2015 #yearofmaking (this takes the place of the daily log worksheet in the ebook), and one for books I’ve read (even though I also keep track of this on Goodreads; for some reason, the redundancy seems to make sense).
Though I did a fair bit of doodling in my first bullet journal, I’ve fallen out of the habit, preferring to doodle in sketchbooks instead. But I did finally become comfortable making random notes in my journal. For example, we’re planning a five-week camping trip for the late spring. When Greg and I started hammering out our itinerary, I made a mess of lists over a spread in my journal. It’s the kind of thing I would ordinarily use scrap paper for, but I’m really glad I didn’t, because I’ve referred back to that mess a few times already, and I’m sure I’ll need to look at it more as we start finalizing our plans. See that? What would have been treated as disposable and, eventually, missed, ended up usable because I scrawled it in my bullet journal. Immensely useful.
I also make lots of notes about soap-making and other skin-care recipes. So much so that it all became a bit unwieldy, and I decided to dedicate a separate notebook to those. Once I finalize a recipe through various iterations in my bullet journal, I transfer it to the separate notebook. This way I don’t have to sift through all the versions, even if they are marked down in the index, and if I happen to get sticky or oily stuff on the notebook, well, at least I don’t have to then go and put it in my bag after.
Someone mentioned on Twitter a while back that they’ve taken to wrapping washi tape along the edge of pages they want to mark in their bullet journal. I wish I could find who that was (speak up if you’re reading! it was fallenpeach!), because it’s such a brilliant idea. I’ve marked my year of making log in washi tape so it’s really easy to find (you can see it in the photo, above), and I’ve marked my books list with a different colour.
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To sum up, I’m still using this system, I’m still doing it the way that works for me (which means jettisoning quite a bit of what the original website lays out), and I’m still very pleased with it.
Over the last year, I’ve grown to trust that I always have my journal with me, and I’ve delighted in only rarely losing some or another important note I wanted to keep track of. That’s a huge change for me, and one that never stops feeling pretty spectacular.
Do you keep a bullet journal? Chime in with your own update in the comments!
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I’ve been using a bullet journal (off and on, mostly on) since you mentioned it for the first time last year (thank you!). I thought I would have issues with the index (surprisingly, I don’t). I thought I would dislike combining work + personal (I don’t mind). I had to get over my issues of putting notes about different topics (ex planning for a trip) right in the middle of my daily pages, but it’s actually been freeing for me. I do also include a printed month calendar and I do usually put the next month in a bit early. I use tape flags for different months & washi tape as well. The google plus Bullet Journal group has a lot of great ideas from people, and I love seeing how people adapt the system to their own needs — https://plus.google.com/communities/109117749342179166498 . That’s why I like it – it’s simple and flexible.
I had to get over putting notes about different topics in the middle of everything else, too, and also felt great freedom when I did. Thanks for linking to the G+ group!
That was me on Twitter about the washi tape. I’m finding it really helpful since I started – I’ve marked a birthdays list and a list for stuff I’m interested in watching or reading since I tend to forget if I don’t read or watch immediately :) .
I also want to thank you for mentioning Bullet Journal. I started using it just after you mentioned it and it has really helped me stay organized. I love not having a million scraps of paper hanging around. I’m still getting used to collections and using them well, but I think this year will be the year of fine tuning how I want to use those. :)
Aha! Thanks so much for chiming in, Lindsey! And for your washi tape suggestion!
I’ve kept journals for decades now, and did a combination of coursework/work/personal in college that was messy but at least kept things together, and then I had a job that required me to keep field notebooks, which is when I started saving a few pages and keeping and index and photo log in each notebook. Bullet journaling felt like a natural next step to what I was already doing, and is working really well for me at my current job. My daily bullet journal to-do lists have made quite an impression on my new co-workers!
Because I have so much going on in multiple notebooks, using the Evernote app on my smartphone to make backups gives me a lot of peace of mind.
Do you back up every spread of your journal to Evernote? Regardless, I hadn’t thought of combining the analog and digital that way; I use Evernote pretty much daily, too!
Mainly the work related ones, and project notes that I know I’ll need. It’s also handy for being able to pull up info from an older notebook that I’m not carrying around.
You aren’t kidding about backups! While my email address is in my BuJo just in case it gets lost, I worry more about damage, so at the end of the each month, I photograph each page and upload it to Flickr.
Aha! This is exactly what I need for work. I’ve actually started using a composition book to make notes and keep track of things, but this organized system will work great for me. I’m so glad you shared this update!
I like that it’s really adaptable. I began using it as a to-do list tracker, and I still do occasionally, but lately it’s been tracking health-related things (exercise, sleep, etc) that for some reason just never click for me in digital form. It’s been nice to jot down notes in an organized way, as well.
Well, *Piper*, you changed my life with this one. I found out about bullet journal from you, tried it, and have filled three so far. Thank you thank you! Like you and jess, I didn’t think I’d like starting random topics in the midst of daily pages and am surprised to find that it’s freeing.
Have been using those Post It brand plastic tabs but have been looking for something else to use. Maybe washi tape.
A good friend turned me on to Getting Things Done, and bullet journal is flexible enough that I can integrate them.
MK: I’m going to do that! Back up some parts of filled journals to Evernote. Thanks!
I’ve been using the bullet journal for a few months now and I love it. I am terrible at the monthly thing, so I left that idea out this month. I love the daily lists and specific notes about things quickly moved to separate notebooks, like you did with the soap recipes. I have little to no scraps of paper with random notes scattered around the house as a result.
I started using one at the beginning of January, after reading your post from last year. I use it for personal and school. I make a list of all of the assignments I need to complete by the next class in between my regular date entries. Having assignments in one place instead of scattered in different places has been really helpful. I’m also keeping a grid of daily habits (on the month spread), and put a little x in the days I complete them. That keeps my daily entries clear of ongoing things I’m trying to do. I’m still using Google calendar so that I don’t lose track of future appointments. Overall, working really well so far. Love the washi tape idea!
I love the idea of marking an x to keep track of habits!
I love the washi tape idea — definitely going to try that. I used my bullet journal all year last year, which is a first for me with any kind of planner/calendar thing. I love being able to make notes or lists wherever and find them again via the index (I used to have a chronic post-it note loss problem). I use a pretty minimal group of symbols, and I use a two-column index (one chronological and one topical) and sometimes use a second column on daily pages to park things that need to be slotted in soon.
This year, my first project of the year was to make the book for this year’s bullet journal. I started learning to bind books last fall and decided that the best way to get exactly the book I wanted for this year’s journal would be to make it myself. It has exactly the kind of graph paper I like best, and it’s hardback (last year’s graph paper composition book was too floppy to comfortably prop it on my knee in bed to make my tomorrow list) and can be opened flat and stay open. It’s a little rough in places since my bookbinding skills are very much a work in progress, but I absolutely love it.
I started my journal for work at the beginning of this week and am quite pleased with it! It’s going to help me keep my brain straight for sure. Getting ready to start one here at home, and I’m sure it will look very different than my work journal. Thanks again! :-)