Humans aim to be productive every day. It’s a trait that society has instilled in people over the years. But sometimes, people stray away from their initial cause, leading to productivity without a purpose. Today, experts suggest incorporating mindfulness in everything that one does. Mindful.org defines “mindfulness” as “the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”
In line with this, mindfulness is the goal promoted by the bullet journal. The bullet journal is “a mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system. It’s designed to help you organise your what while you remain mindful of your why.”
What is a bullet journal?
According to founder and creator Ryder Carroll, it is an information organising system using an analog journal. What makes a bullet journal different from a run-of-the-mill day planner is the migration aspect of the system. If a task, for example, does not get accomplished on a particular day, you can move that into a future date. That way, preparation for the task can still be planned and executed accordingly.
There are no limits.
Now, a lot of people on social media have featured their bullet journals. They even show the process of making theirs pretty but also functional, melding the art of scrapbooking with the art of scheduling. Some use calligraphy to write titles and headings. Others even use watercolour to spruce up the pages.
People are even more creative when it comes to their systems of organisation and scheduling. Many use one page per day while some utilise a spread or a page per week. Some have incorporated mood and habit trackers to see their consistency and patterns throughout the month. Those who use a bullet journal can also add an expense tracker to reach their goals, may it be a new pair of shoes or lot for sale.
The possibilities for a bullet journal are endless. It’s also flexible because the user can experiment on the layouts, systems and designs that work best for them. Since there is no fixed pattern, they can explore as much as they can.
The basic system of the bullet journal only requires a notebook and a pen. This system uses “Rapid Logging” which “captures information as bulleted lists.” The idea is to get rid of long notes and segments on a journal or a planner. This means there should only be one line per entry. By using different symbols as bullets, the user can identify whether the entries are tasks, events or notes. People can also use hierarchy or “nesting” to provide clarity and organisation within the lists. So, people only really need a pen and notebook to write bullets and one-liners.
Being aware of how one lives their day-to-day life can help them feel gratitude and accomplished at the end of the day. The bullet journal is a great way to keep track of one’s goals and tasks while being mindful of themselves.