Bullet Reboot

You don’t need a resolution, you need a review process.

A new year is always a time for starting something new. Traditionally, this would be New Years Resolutions, and in my case, a new theme for my blog. But this year I’m not setting any resolutions, because I know they aren’t goals, they are merely dreams without a plan. And I still like my blog theme so I’m leaving that alone too. But I do still have some newness.

Firstly, I moved house! Hubby and I have moved to a new town, which means I don’t have to commute by car anymore! I’m thrilled to bits that I get to be a train commuter again, starting and ending the day with a little walk, and using my commuting time to read, write, daydream (or nap)! I can’t wait!

But the next new thing is a combination of newness and refreshing something I already had. Bullet Journalling.

The truth is, this is the third or fourth time I’ve tried getting into Bullet Journalling and this is the first time that it’s really stuck with me. Honestly, I don’t know how I would have survived the pandemonium of working through the pandemic without this process to help me.

If you haven’t heard of Bullet Journalling (or BuJo), that’s understandable. It’s was all the rage a few years ago, and then it faded away. Probably because a lot of the imagery around it was of extraordinarily intricate drawings and immaculate handwriting, and it all looked like too much of a commitment. That’s a shame, because it’s a very simple process. You don’t have to make it elaborate unless that helps you.

The creator Ryder Carroll describes it as a “mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system”. He created it as a method of staying organised and calming the mind. It keeps your thoughts and appointments organised with minimal effort and helps you to establish new routines and habits.But as it can be minimalistic or creatively detailed, it can be in any style you like.

So far it prevents me from feeling overwhelmed. Work has been chaotic since the first lockdown, and despite the country opening up, the workload continues to be relentless. While that is a separate issue that I’m working on, at least I’m aware of what the situation is and I can approach it methodically.

If it’s something that might help you, I highly recommend reading bulletjournal.com (the original source), and speaking of, here are links to good summaries of what Bullet Journalling is:

• Bulletjournal.com – the original source by Ryder Carroll (overview video)
• This page on the bulletjournal website was by a BuJo blogger I’ve found useful (Boho Berry), as her planning style was a bit more relaxed than the original. Ryder Carroll does month logs/calendars and other pages that I find excessive and distracting for my purposes, it works better for me to have a monthly to-do list and a weekly planner, rather than have a monthly planner, and a weekly planner, and a daily log….
• Example of how creative-types use bullet journals – bullet journal images on Instagram put some people off because they can be very elaborate, like these!