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trying a bullet journal

buying a new notebook is always a joy

I must be one of the last people who has ever looked up productivity on Youtube and not tried bullet journalling.

I remember it being a big thing a few years back, but it never struck a chord with me at the time. I think I was put off by all the images and videos of complex and over-decorated notebooks that seemed to be more about artistic prowess (of which I have none).

My interest was reignited when I saw Ryder Carroll’s book The Bullet Journal Method available to read for free on Amazon’s Prime reading. My interest was confirmed when deciding to use a bullet journal meant purchasing new stationery. 😃

So what attracted me this time round?

  • Simple approach My misconceptions around the artist aspect have been firmly put to bed. This can be a simple and quick, it doesn’t need to involve multiple pens, stickers and a flair for drawing.

  • Rapid note taking. The technique using symbols looks to be useful, I’ve already started using this in my work notebook.

  • Seeing the bigger picture. The future and monthly logs seem to provide something I just can’t get from my electronic devices, the ability to zoom out a bit and look at the overall ‘picture’ of my time.

  • Friction to help planning. I am a great believer that slow is sometimes faster, the bullet journal approach adds in enough friction to stop and think, creating more clarity and helping filter out some of the dross. 🤞

It will be interesting to see how the journal relates to a more online based calendar approach, my life is planned online like most others - I am hoping the online vs paper argument becomes more of a complementary approach with each providing their ’lenses’ on my life.

I will also be interested to see how much of the bullet journal system I bring into my work life. I have already started rapid logging, I may try some of the other aspects to see how they fit.

I’ll be posting about my progress, good or bad.

Wish me luck!

mark hysted
about
mark hysted
Learning about minimalism, productivity and what makes us humans tick. I like marmite, bad dad jokes, and good coffee. Reply by email, follow me on mastodon, or subscribe to my rss feed.