Bullet journaling - is it life changing?

[pastypirate]

Should I order a bullet journal? I'm going back to work after months on sick leave (mh) so looking for new habits to help with anxiety and just general being on top of life.

Thoughts?

Wouldn't say it's life changing but it really helps me feel more on top of things. I have one for my home life and a separate one for work, I like doing it, makes my mind feel less full. Hope it works for you!

Not dramatically but still worthwhile

I did it for a while and found it really helpful for keeping track of eating and exercise habits. After a while though it became a bit compulsive, the act of journaling became more important than the eating and exercise. I'm quite a compulsive person though and become fixated on small repetitive tasks... In the end it was making me more anxious if I'd missed a day doing it.

The artistic side of it (fonts and drawings) I found really relaxing though so I just took up doodling as an activity to unwind.

I started mine five years ago to help with what turned out to be menopausal anxiety - I thought my life was just getting busier, but it turned out that in fact what was happening was that I was less able to cope with remembering what was going on. It’s been great - I’m on HRT now, but I still keep a bullet journal.

I'm wondering about this too, but have no idea how to start, what journal to buy etc. I've looked on pinterest, but it all seems so complicated, yet some I've seen completed look amazing. Is there an easy way to start?

I bought a bullet journal but I use it more for practising lettering, zentangle, quotes and doodles. I find it easier to use phone apps to track habits.
It's a nice way to unwind.

Not life changing but worth having. It gives me structure and focus. Plus it's kind of relaxing to draw and doodle and plan the week ahead each week.

I've switched up my layouts so much to find something that works for me. Each morning I write 3 things I'm grateful for (bit cheesy I know) but it really helps, plus I have a habit tracker (see 'the X effect') for things like exercise, meditation & eating healthily which has made a huge difference.

Following as I am interested. Is it very time consuming?

Bullet journaling does help a lot, when you develop a style to meet your very specific needs/interests/what is important to you so it is absolutely not worth it to order a prefab bullet journal. It is not worth the price, whether is £2 or £45.

The best way is to search for bullet journaling videos in YouTube and chose a pretty notebook (one that opens flat and stays flat so you can write comfortably on it). I prefer those that come with blank pages to allow me to do tables, mind maps or draw.

Isn't it just writing lists? I've always written lists

I use it for work mostly but also include home projects, personal development trackers, goals, finance and even menu planning.

I keep an index of tasks/instructions so I can find what I need quickly.

Sounds like it could be quite positive then. I need to order the note noon any recommendations?

Bullet journalling has helped me a lot. Mine is functional and not artistic at all. I bought the bullet journal book by Ryder Carroll which I found helpful and interesting and a cheap notebook.

You could try watching their year planning session (hope this works) bulletjournal.com/pages/yearlyritual?utm_source=Newsletter%20Subs&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Public%20-%20PWU%20Event%20%28S7rmYM%29&_kx=lvJR84LDXh_xGuD03qHG-bBxaNETphgFsBbeVO3ldTA%3D.N4sebt

I found it really helpful.

Ah there was a nice turquoise one reduced to a fiver on prime I've ordered it 😀

@GlasgowsGreen

You could try watching their year planning session (hope this works) bulletjournal.com/pages/yearlyritual?utm_source=Newsletter%20Subs&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Public%20-%20PWU%20Event%20%28S7rmYM%29&_kx=lvJR84LDXh_xGuD03qHG-bBxaNETphgFsBbeVO3ldTA%3D.N4sebt

I found it really helpful.

Thank you that's really helpful

It helps. I started one during mat leave because without the structure of work, and with the chaos of new motherhood, it really helped. I’ve sort of messed with the format to personalise it to how I use it these days, but what I do is still rooted in the method.

There are some good podcasts with Ryder carrol. Listen to this before you Pinterest/Instagram and get swamped with visuals - getting caught up in stickers and lettering can really get in the way.

I love the idea of bullet journals but I fear it would ultimately become another tool of procrastination.

I didn't get on with bullet journals mainly because I found I didn't have the time for the stuff I'd have liked to do, but there were a couple of bits of what I recorded that have really stuck with me because they were genuinely helpful. I have found ways to continue with keeping those records that aren't quite such a faff.

In 2022 I need to get my career back under control, keep the dds organised and lose 2 stone so think it's worth a go for me!

I’ve just been looking at this. I don’t really understand the point of the index pages. Can anyone enlighten me as to why they’re needed?

I'm quite artistic but I hate the idea of spending time on all the pictures and fancy lettering. I've create a 'bullet journal' in a folder on my computer which is where I keep my annual budget, list of goals and next steps, list of things to buy, holiday plans, and anything else. It doesn't look fancy, but its functional and it works.

It can be a very good simple system.. but keep it simple especially to start.

Matt Ragland is good on how to use

I find it useful, I am not very artistic so mine is really boringly functional.

The best bit for me is the index, you can write what you want on the next page without worrying about planning it, or making it perfect. Just mark it in the index.

Before I used to have a diary stuffed with little scraps of paper and struggled to find what I needed.

Here is the how to clip on youtibe:

It definitely gave me structure. I ended up demonstrating it at a job interview. Didnt get the initial job, but got work experience and then the next available job after that. So life changing for me!