I'm Giving the Bullet Journal a Shot

I came across this the other day, and it's genius. So simple, yet so effective at keeping track of everything and being flexible as life comes at you, I've only tried it for a day, but I like it so far. It's way better than having a ton of apps or trying to make a planner from the store work for you. Take a look.

What I Love Most about the Bullet Journal

My favorite aspect about this system of to-do lists and organization is that everything can be on one page. That's the problem with most other planners: you very rarely can have everything on one page. You have your month, but very little room to add things in. Or, the pages are too small to do anything with in the first place. With this system, your month is on one page, right next to a to-do list for the month. It's great for setting goals for the month, and keeping track of those things that only happen monthly, like paying your bills, doing certain chores, and moving your car for the street cleaners.

I also like the idea of running to-do lists, as one of the most frustrating things about preparing it the day before is that things can come up. Then, you spend your day doing the things that come up, and you get a lot done, but because you didn't do much from you list, it looks like you actually didn't get much done. It also means that a lot of your things from your to-do list have to be moved to the next day, which isn't fun. When you have running to-do lists, where you can add things as they come, you don't quite have that problem.

This Doesn't Replace My Inferno of Productivity

I'm still going to have my point system, but I have run out of index cards and old business cards to use, so I'll see if I can incorporate this into my inferno of productivity. Each task will still be a point. At the end of each day, I'll just tally up my points and then keep a running total somewhere else in the notebook. It wastes a lot less paper and everything gets to be in one place, which is the ultimate goal of the bullet journal system. I'll also still be able to add notes to each task like with the system I came up with. My system also has rewards, and who doesn't like rewards?

Speaking of rewards, I still haven't bought that file cabinet I've been wanting for a few months. If I finish my September goal of completing those DMV appointment articles, then I'll have the money to purchase that file cabinet. I have over 500 points accumulated, so at this point I can get much more than that file cabinet. I do need a haircut, as well as some new music and a few things for the apartment. I can do it! I can finish those articles, accumulate more points, and finally get a few things that will make my life that much better.