Bullet Journal and take control of your life

AKA wellbeing from a journaling practice elevated by ikigai thinking

🌸 ikigai 生き甲斐 is a reason for being, your purpose in life - from the Japanese iki 生き meaning life and gai 甲斐 meaning worth 🌸

I adore stationery. I’ve always got several unused notebooks and a nagging sense they are too pretty to use for just any old thing *grin*

I’ve used gorgeous notebooks and fabulous rainbow coloured fineliners since 2011 for work productivity. I love looking back and seeing how organised I was with colourful To Do lists and lots of examples of creative problem solving with mind maps.

There was nothing personal in them at all though.  As if work was the only thing that mattered to me. Thinking back I did often have issues with falling badly behind in life admin.

My blog was my expressive therapy from 2002 up to 2009. Then pouring my thoughts or angst into Facebook notes, although not as frequently and not to the same extent. Perhaps a lesson learned in the censoring we do when sharing so publicly, something I hadn’t spotted back then.

In 2017 I stumbled upon a wonderful phenomenon, bullet journaling, that hooked me from the beginning. It allowed me to start blending work me with home me and recording my changing thinking. It’s taken me another 5 years though, to really get into my stride, with it now making a significantly positive difference in my life. I want to try and convey even a fragment of how powerful it has been for me, to let you see if it’s something that may help you too.

My actual home office; of these notebooks, 11 have been used and 8 haven’t, ahem.

What is bullet journaling and why should I care?

The official website for Bullet Journal, invented by Ryder Carroll, has this to say;

“Bullet Journal® (aka Bujo) is a mindfulness practice designed as a productivity system.

It will meet you wherever you are to help you process the past, organise the present, and author your future.

All you need is pen and paper.”

I LOVE that his intent is for us to work towards being in control of our destiny, and I love the words ‘it will meet you wherever you are’.

At its simplest level it is an organisational system that only requires a notebook and pen, and it can be super simple I promise. Named because of the bullets that are used to quickly note down tasks, notes or events. It is also said to partially come from the community preference for using dot journals.

An analogue system designed to track your past, order your present and plan your future.

The beauty of the bullet journal system is the fact it is infinitely customisable. It can grow and evolve as you do. You can try things out and if you end up not liking or using them then it doesn’t matter, next week, month or year you do something different instead. An actual blank new page, not wasted prepopulated pages that you get in static planner systems.

Do any of these factors apply to you?

• Struggling to remember things that have happened over the year, or even last week?

• Do you have lots of notes or information stored across lots of different places and systems so you struggle to find things or get organised or track changes?

• Are there days you find yourself wondering where time has gone?

• Is it a challenge to tear yourself away from your phone at times?

• Have you fallen into the trap of negativity?

• Some days you are unclear if you are on a path of improvement and you just want a happier, simpler and more purposeful life?

Key benefits of bullet journaling;

• Flexibility; Bullet journaling allows you to design your own pages and layouts to fit your specific needs and preferences.

• Productivity; Writing down your tasks and goals in your bullet journal makes you more likely to actually complete them. The act of physically writing things down sets intention and helps cement them in your memory.

• Organisation; Bullet journals are great for organising all aspects of your life. You can create dedicated pages for things like passwords, recipes, blog post ideas, and more. The possibilities are endless.

• Creativity; Bullet journaling provides an outlet for creativity and self-expression. You can decorate your pages with drawings, stickers, washi tape, and more.

• Mindfulness; The bullet journal method encourages mindfulness by having you reflect on your tasks and goals. The practice teaches you to consider if they are truly important and serve you, rather than just mindlessly adding things to a list.

• Offline break; Using a physical notebook gives you a break from screens and digital devices. This can be relaxing and help you unwind.

• Record of progress; Your bullet journal acts as a record of your accomplishments and growth over time. You can look back and see how far you've come.

If you are intrigued, then the key is to start simple and customise your bullet journal to your needs. Don't worry about making it look perfect. Focus on the benefits of having a system to organise your thoughts and goals. With regular use, a bullet journal can be a game changer for productivity and mindfulness.

The tools I prefer, but honestly any book and pen will do!

I don’t buy a lot of stuff, but with things I use daily I let myself invest a little more in. Having beautiful, enduring and well crafted tools makes me a happy bunny. Anything that is a joy to use is motivating and removes some of the friction in maintaining a long term healthy habit.

Notebook; I love Leuchtturm1917 A5 dot grid journals the best.

Dot journals are a beautiful compromise. They help you to measure space on your page and can be used to draw lines, boxes and tables, keep your handwriting neat and get creative with hand lettering and art works. Unlike lined or grid paper, dot grid is a much more subtle form of structure on your page.

Leuchtturm create quality notebooks with awesome features; lots of gorgeous colour choices, two ribbon markers, numbered pages and a back pocket. They also have a purpose and philosophy I very much admire;

LEUCHTTURM1917 has developed a brand philosophy which is that everyone discovers and develops their character and their own ideas through writing by hand. The result of this conviction is the guiding principle of LEUCHTTURM1917: Denken mit der Hand. 

Thoughts grow into words, sentences and pictures. Memories become stories. Ideas are transformed into projects. Notes inspire insight. We write and understand, learn, see and think – with the hand.

Find out why writing with the hand makes you smarter. And probably even happier.

Pens; I prefer using fine-tip pens for their precision and variety of colours. My absolute favourites are the Staedtler Triplus Fineliners. They come in a huge number of colours, last ages and are pretty good to not dry out even if you leave them uncapped for most of the day.

Extras; To enhance my bullet journaling experience, I also use Tombow Dual Brush Pens for adding colourful boxes and accent colours to headers or doodles. Washi Tape: For making my pages pretty and setting a colour theme. Stamps or stencils: For an easy way to create page titles, and for drawing consistent shapes and layouts.

Bullet Journal System Basics

You can watch a short 4 minute explainer from the official channel here;

Here are the basic elements of the bullet journal system, with a picture of each from mine;

1. Key: A simple legend of the symbols used throughout my journal. I’ve evolved mine to add signifiers so I can find important information more quickly when I am reading back through previous pages.

2. Index: The first couple of pages of my journal are dedicated to the index, where I list all the page numbers and where all my dates and sections are for easy reference.

3. Future Log: This section contains a year-at-a-glance calendar where I note important dates and future events or key project dates. I create it over 4 pages, with three months per page.

4. Monthly Log: At the beginning of each month, I create a two-page spread with a calendar on one side and space for goals along with a daily gratitude list on the other.

5. Weekly Log: I create weekly spreads to visualise work appointments and key work actions that break down my tasks into manageable chunks. Daily Log: On the facing page for each day of the week I write down thoughts, feelings, tasks, appointments, and notes.

The secret sauce; bullet journal spreads

These are special collections, thematic pages I create as needed, such as habit trackers, reading lists, project planning pages, and more.

Anything you want to build upon over time, or brainstorm or refer back to. They can be done anywhere in your journal, or at any time you think of a new one that is needed. However it is nice to sit down and brainstorm before starting a new journal and then laying out as many as you can think of, right at the beginning of your book, where they are easy to find and flick back to at the front.

From trackers of books I want to read, to my dog’s health, to my essay ideas braindump and YouTube thinking. You can see that some are neat, and some are messy. When I sit down with colours and a pen in my hand, I find that the ideas typically flow.  Even if they don’t come easy initially, I make a little start then can always come back to it later, and often do. Even weeks or months later.

What combining bullet journal with ikigai thinking has done for me;

Bullet journaling aligns so well with the five pillars of ikigai: starting small, releasing yourself, harmony and sustainability, the joy of little things, and being in the here and now. For my new journal for July 2024 I will build in explicit journal prompts to reflect on these every month.

The process as a whole helps achieve personal development. Before bullet journaling, I often struggled with setting and achieving personal goals. I now record results from self assessment tools and refer back to them. I mindmap on lots of different topics and projects, it helps me ideate and keep track of what I have tried, and what is left to try.

Decluttering mind = managing emotional wellbeing: Bullet journaling has been a game changer for my mental health. Daily logging allows me to unload my thoughts and feelings, helping me process emotions more effectively. I also use the journal for mindfulness practices like gratitude lists and reflection pages, which have significantly reduced my stress levels.

Balancing Work and Personal Life: Integrating work and personal life into one system has brought harmony to me with less overwhelm. By having all my tasks and plans in one place, I can better manage my time and priorities. This means improved productivity at work and higher quality time at home.

Lots of studies highlight benefits of journaling, mindfulness, and organisation:

1. Improved Mental Health: Journaling can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety -  expressive writing helps us process emotions and reduces mental distress.

2. Enhanced Productivity: The act of writing down goals and tasks can significantly boost productivity. People who write down their goals are more likely to achieve them.

3. Better Memory and Cognitive Function: Writing by hand, as opposed to typing, enhances memory retention and cognitive function. Those who handwrite notes have better recall and understanding of the material.

Bullet journaling is more than just an organisational tool; it’s a powerful practice that can enhance many aspects of your life. By combining the flexibility of a personalised system with the mindfulness of reflection, you can take control of your past, present, and future. Whether you're looking to boost productivity, manage stress, or simply find a creative outlet, bullet journaling offers endless possibilities.

I hugely recommend you to grab a notebook and a pen, and start your bullet journaling journey today. You might just find that it’s the key to unlocking your full potential and leading a more fulfilling life.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and especially your stationery recommendations *grin*

Sarah, seeking ikigai xxx

PS: I’ve been listening to one of my favourite albums, A Century Ends by David Gray recently. It reminded me of the small pleasure of listening to an album in order, something I had forgotten about with randomised playlists! Here is Shine, one of my faves;