Saturday on the Couch: How pen and paper changed my life

I have always loved to journal and kept my thoughts in notebooks through my teens. When I started work I used various formats to keep track of things, to do lists, note pads, post-it notes etc. I have tried numerous electronic devices over the years and layouts of diaries and journal systems, but nothing stuck.

About 18 months ago a friend introduced me to a Bullet Journaling and I discovered a whole new world.

There are multitude of examples on Facebook, Etsy, Pinterest and YouTube but essentially a Bullet Journal is a journal you make yourself. It was created by Ryder Carroll and while there are specialist Bullet Journals you can achieve the same outcome in a $2 notebook.

It begins with an Index, weekly and daily spreads. In its basic form it is a To Do List that allows you to check things off as you achieve them (or write them down after you do them and check them off if you like). The simplicity is that you never run out of room. You simply start the next item on the next page, and use your index to find things. You can use part of a day for a page, the whole day or multiple pages if you wish, the decision is all yours.

The Bullet Journal also uses ‘collections’ which are essentially is just a group of things you want to keep track of; episodes in a series you are watching, books you have read (or need to write reviews for), birthdays, appointments etc. Each week you prepare a Weekly Spread bringing forward your ‘To Do’s you did not achieve from the previous week, and appointments, birthdays, etc. Then each day you bring over from the weekly spread, the things you need to achieve for the day.

There are suggestions for Key’s to use to highlight different things, Tasks, Events, and Notes etc. For me I don’t bother with the weekly spread. Instead, I use a To Do List Collection at the beginning of the month, where I list everything I need to do for that month. That’s the beauty of this system, you make it what you want.  

Many of the posts online are full of beautiful layouts, but over time I have worked out that I just want the functionality of the journal without spending time on pretty stickers, tape and drawings, but again this is up to you –  it is what you make it. I also use mine as an old fashioned journal of things that have happened for the day, memories, events etc.

The most astonishing thing for me, is that this year I actually gave up my calendar, both at work on my computer and on my phone. I know I can’t believe it myself! My Bullet Journal has become the keeper of all reminders, lists, things to do, birthdays, appointment, meetings, I could go on and on. My husband and children even contact me to put things in for them. How thrilling to discover that pen and paper can still do a wonderful job with all the gadgets we have in our lives.

My Bullet Journal has become the keeper of all reminders, lists, things to do, birthdays, appointments, meetings, I could go on and on. My husband and children even contact me to put things in for them. How thrilling to discover that pen and paper can still do a wonderful job with all the gadgets we have in our lives.

Interested? Here’s a link to get you started. Happy Bullet Journalling!