The wonder of Bullet Journaling and why it could change your life.

I’m a sucker for a to do list. I write a list, then another, then one on my hand. Until everything is done, then I bin my lists and start again. I think it may be related in a way to my anxiety disorder, when sometimes the easiest thing to remember gets lost in the abyss of ever ruminating thoughts. But that's OK, lists never hurt anyone.

It would be good to keep everything in one book, right? In the same place? Including future, monthly plans, projects, EVERYTHING.

I think a lot of people are the same. Since starting Worry Knot this is even more obvious to me, I think I have filled one notebook already with to do lists, designs, quotes and ideas. But I need a simple easier way to work so lots of notebooks don’t go missing.

About a year ago, I heard about bullet journaling and how good it is. So I thought I would give it a go.

Bullet Journal or BuJo for short, was started by a chap called Ryder Carrol, who suffers from ADD and needed something to declutter his mind. You can watch his Ted Talk here about why he founded it.

He has a similar story to mine with Worry Knot, finding and making something to help with a disorder and then trying to get it into the hands of others like him to then help them too. It’s not just a pretty thing or something to do, its functional, helpful, mindful.

At first glance, Bullet Journaling seems a little bit complex, but it’s really not. It’s an inventory of things, broken down into smaller, more manageable projects that then lead to a more mindful, intentional life where you get rid of the things that matter least, and some empty thoughts too.

This article really clarifies ‘the system’ for you, and once you get the hang of it, it’s amazing.

It’s basically organising not only your life, but your mind.

And it really doesn't matter how nice it looks either, some people turn their bullet journals into an art form, and to make things look pretty takes a lot of time. Don’t let these examples miss the point of it’s functionality and why it started in the first place. To get rid of things that don’t really matter. But each to their own, if art comes naturally to you, why not, so long as it remains a helpful tool and you enjoy the process.

You can also use it as a daily diary too which is amazing as I have always wanted somewhere nice to keep a daily dairy of things I have done that day. My notes section at the bottom of every page should cover this.

Here is an example of my rapid daily log from a week or so ago, I use the amazing 365 Journal by Kikki.K that I picked up from John Lewis about a year ago now. Tasks, Notes, Events, and using different signifiers too, I am working on curating my collections and my future logs, (although there isn't a lot in there at the moment due to the coronavirus).

Overall, I strongly recommend giving bullet journaling a go, I can see why people think its amazing  and I would like to get into the habit of doing it more.

For those who love to do lists, have definite goals, struggle to focus or want somewhere to write down a diary, this could be for you.

Emma

www,.worryknot.co.uk