did you know
• BULLET • Journaling
by Katie Cardner
With a new year upon us , we have a fresh set of New Year ’ s Resolutions to hold ourselves accountable for . Most of us start the year off strong , but as time continues , we lose track , get lazy , or simply forget to stick with our goal for the year . It ’ s no wonder this happens ! Today , our minds are moving a mile a minute , making the task of balancing our work lives , personal lives , social lives , and New Year ’ s resolutions almost impossible !
• • • Keeping track of everything going on can be a real complication for us . How can we possibly keep up with it all !? We try to set reminders , use calendars , take notes , but most of these efforts are independent of each other . For example , I use my phone for reminders , an agenda to keep track of events , and a notepad for my task list . Thanks to innovator Ryder Carroll , efficiency just got a heck of a lot easier ! He has introduced a new apparatus into our lives , called a Bullet Journal , that will be sure to make 2017 a breeze .
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After many years of trial and error , Ryder created an analog system to help keep track of all the things that need his attention . The Bullet Journal is a place for everything ; it ’ s a to-do list , a notebook , a diary , a calendar , and whatever else you need it to be . This analog system prohibits any important information from slipping through the cracks and allows you to prioritize projects and see them to the end !
WHY IT WORKS
The Bullet Journal has been so successful because it is simple ! For most of us , notetaking and journaling is time-consuming . The more time required to do something , the more it seems like a hassle . The bigger the hassle , the more we avoid it . This cycle hinders us from following through with our obligations . The Bullet Journal is all about rapid logging ; simple , easy note-taking that gets right to the point . The simpler the task , the more likely we will stick with it !
WHY BULLET JOURNALING IS ESSENTIAL FOR NEW YEAR ’ S RESOLUTIONS
Let ’ s explore some common New Year ’ s Resolutions and see how Bullet Journaling can make a difference . For starters , let ’ s say your New Year ’ s Resolution is to exercise more . You can put your workouts into your Bullet Journal as an event . When you “ schedule ” a workout , you are more likely to stick with it . From here , you can take notes on that workout ; what you did , how you liked it , what you want to do differently next time , how long it took you , etc . Or , you can make
an event for a class you want to take . For example , each Monday night you want to go to the 6:00 pm Zumba class . Make it an event on every Monday and stick with it !
Another common New Year ’ s Resolution is to enjoy life to the fullest . By using your Bullet Journal , you can make notes of the things that bring you great joy in life . For example , let ’ s say I went on a long walk around Tweed ’ s Park with a friend . The scenery , the companionship , and the physical exercise made the experience wonderful . I would make a note in my Bullet Journal for that day with a special signifier to indicate that this was a feel-good experience and I want to do it again . From there , I would “ schedule ” another event to do the same thing in the future with my friend . I could take notes of how I felt before the walk , during the walk , and after the walk . I could take notes on how it impacted the rest of my day and why it was so important to make the time for it .
Lastly , a frequent New Year ’ s Resolution is to spend more time with family and friends . You could “ schedule ” events to get together with family and friends in your Future Log or Monthly Log . You can make notes on how it made you feel , what you did , what you want to do next time , etc . Also , you can look back over previous months to see just how much time you spent with family and friends . Was it enough to fulfill your New Year ’ s Resolution ? Do you need to make more time for loved ones ? Or , are you happy with your progress ? The Bullet Journal system makes it easy to check-in with the progress of your goals over time .