BuJo Wankers 2 - declutter your mind!

[mercifulTehlu]

Woo hoo! It's the second Bullet Journal thread! For the benefit of newbies - Bullet Journal is a brilliant way to organise your whole life in a lovely notebook. Perfect for anyone who has tried every app and every scheduling system but just can't seem to get on top of things. Also perfect for lovers of beautiful stationery and especially for people who like lists!

Sooo - get out your fineliners and your washi tape! Stroke your Leuchtturms! And get all that stuff that's whizzing round in your head out onto paper instead!

website here

I am starting to use my index more now that I have filled up more pages - it becomes harder to find things by flicking through when you've got more to flick through!

I love the index and use that and a few tags on the side all the time.

I have loads of collections which I don't need and won't be copied to my next BuJo but enjoying working out what I use and what I don't. :)

I've just read these decluttering tips - when sorting out a bunch of random stuff do not use a "keep it" box it will only create another random items box of clutter! Also, don't tip a whole drawer full of stuff onto the floor.
Instead pick up one object and take it straightaway where you think you'd be looking for it (ie where it belongs) or get rid of it (throw/give away/sell)
Then do the same with every item

And if you need to stop at anytime you can, you've already made progress and there's nothing to pack away!

Thanks ladies. Just about to make myself a coffee and get down to some BuJo business. I have a "day off" today. DH has taken DS to PIL since Kindergarten is closed. DD is in daycare. My rubbish cold and I will be spending the day sorting out my brain I can't wait to look up the links.

I also might need to go pen shopping later...

That's a good point about using the index more as it fills up! I def need some kind of tab system too. I did use paper clips but they made the pages lumpy. Having an unexpected day off today as DC is sick, so will get some time with the journal later.

I don't tend to use the index very much either. I have sticky tabs on the pages I refer to most often so I tend to use those to find things.

I think I need a create a collection to track gift vouchers etc. How much they were originally for and how much is left etc.

I didn;t use my index much until I got to page somehitng or other when I suddenly realised the genius of the index!

I think Theo lay decluttering tip that would work for my house would be "buy a new house, brick up the old one and move on"

Theo lay? Seriously?? The only. FFS.

Has anyone got one of these notebook straps for their BuJo: www.bureaudirect.co.uk/papelote-notebook-strap/p3685?

I thought it looked handy and just ordered one and am now wondering if it will just be annoying to have two straps to remove to write something in. I can always ebay it or give it away if it is, I guess.

I have been BuJoing now for about four weeks and while it has helped a bit with not forgetting some things, I still don't seem to have had the epiphany some people on here have - I am not sure what I am doing wrong.

I haven't started any collections yet though - maybe that will be my lightbulb moment.

One thing it has definitely done is opened the door to my inner stationery addict. Four weeks ago I didn't even know what washi tape was, never mind own any. Now I am scouring Wilko and the Works and anywhere else I pass for ever more attractive designs - now I just have to work out what to use it for.

By the way, if anyone is thinking of ordering anything from Bureau Direct in the near future, I used the code "CUTE" today and it gave me 10% off.

Oh now I want a notebook strap

I think the epiphany I've experienced through BuJo is in some ways more of a mental one than a practical one.

So the fact that I feel calmer, more efficient, more in control and as though I have more time is down to the freeing effects of the brain dump.

I have less of a tendency to use MN, faffing about on the internet etc to try and escape from stressing about the stuff I have to do, because I no longer have my head filled with all the gazillions of things I need to remember to do. They are safely in my BuJo waiting to be ticked off.

Oops - sorry Kewcumber . They do look useful though, don't they and come in such nice colours.

MercifulTehlu I think I see what you mean. I think the anxiety I am still feeling is probably down to the fact that, now it is (or some of it is) written down, there are so many more things I need to do than I can ever imagine getting round to. Mind you, to be fair, I am doing things now I would have definitely put off (or forgotten about) till they were too late before, so in that sense, there are definitely improvements.

I think maybe in a month or two when gift vouchers are not expiring before I use them and credit cards are getting paid on time, I will start to feel a lot calmer. Plus, colouring in and drawing pretty pictures is therapeutic in its own right isn't it?

frozen I'm an app user not a Bujo user - (this thread turns up on the threads I'm on and I lurk for organisation ideas) but I completely know what you mean about the panic. When you have everything written down in one place it does highlight to you what you need to get through.
I have things I have to do every year which won't be due for months and some weekly things (but they only appear as 'one' in the number of tasks) and both work and home things but I have nearly 500 tasks on my list...that is scary.
And I also find it makes me constantly feel 'behind' if I don't get through every tasks I was supposed to...you constantly have something you could/should be doing....
I have a routine (do certain household jobs on certain days -usually in the morning) and I rota in a 'day off' - a morning with no extra household tasks to do (so no cleaning just the daily usuals like dishwasher/cooking). A morning when I should be able to have 'me' time whilst the DCs are at school. But I often use that time to catch up or something comes up - so sometimes (like this morning) I don't look at the list, I just go and read a book/watch a film for a couple of hours ...ignore everything, it can (will have to ) wait. Especially because I have a lot on at the moment and it is coming up to the end of the tax year (busy time of year for me) .
It restores my sanity...which is good for everyone. (Actually DD2 after school asked me why I was in such a good mood today )

Frozen - definitely therapeutic, yes! To be honest I'm still pretty astonished that this is working for me. I have been a procrastinator for so long and genuinely thought I was a hopeless case and would never be able to appreciate my nice home because it was almost never in a state to be appreciated!

And yet, here I sit on a Thursday evening looking at a tidy, clean living room, knowing that my lesson for tomorrow afternoon is planned, and I can enjoy sitting here (with a beer), safe in the knowledge that there will always be more jobs to do, but they can and will be done.

Hello BuJo friends!

I suddenly thought this thread had been awfully quiet for a while, then I realised it had dropped off my 'Threads I'm On' page - obviously been posting too much these days!!

The novelty and excitement of the BuJo has worn off these past couple of weeks, the 'collections' and prettification have waned and it's really started to become a part of my day, very functional and well worn already! I did lose my motivation with my habit tracker - I keep adding more habits to it so maybe it's become overwhelming - and at the same time I've lost motivation with Slimming World, so maybe I'm just in a funk at the mo. But am finding the bullet journal very necessary!

So just saying hi really :)

Oh and I've already ticked off 6 of my 8 March Must-Dos :)

mercifulTehlu your post is pretty inspiring actually. I am an appalling procrastinator - I even procrastinated about starting my BuJo when it arrived. I also have a very untidy house, largely due to hoarding things that may come in handy someday/never. The thought that BuJo has helped a fellow procrastinator gives me.renewed enthusiasm. I would love to relax with a glass of wine and look round a room I was reasonably happy with. Bring it on!

Bugger, I was just waking up from a dream this morning and my first thought was I definately need to write xxxxx in my BuJo to do list...I forgot it !

Hope it was a stupid dream thing and not something I really needed to remember !

That's the spirit, Frozen ! Are you on the Kondo threads for decluttering? I found the book really helpful (albeit a bit bonkers). I'm not a hoarder at all. I'm just naturally untidy and lazy disorganised!

I have just hoovered behind (and cleared out under) the huge American fridge freezer.

And added it to my draft list of household jobs as a monthly task.

Rather than an "every 5 years or if somethings got lost behind it" job.

Just wondering, I'm guessing most people aren't at that stages yet, but what will you do when you fill one notebook and go onto another? Copy out any collections you want to keep then bin the first one, keep it in perpetuity, or something in between?

I've been using this method for several years now. I start a new one each year/significant period [so might start one if I start a new job for example and am 3/4 of the way through the old one], and I keep all my old diaries anyway so these just get filed for future reference.

Bin the first one? No way! I'm keeping mine. All of them . After my current one I'm going for Leuchtturms. I reckon I'll get a different colour each time and end up with a lovely Leuchtturm rainbow on my bookshelf....