Since I started my bullet journal at the end of last year I've been really enjoying a more analogue approach to planning. I have shared a few things that don't go in my bullet journal, but the majority of my planning can be found in there and it has now replaced the digital planning system on Trello which I used for a long time.
I find that when I write things down with a pen and paper they are far more likely to stick in my brain. It's also much more satisfying to scribble out a completed task that to simply drag and drop it to the next day! Not to mention that it helps to keep me away from my phone screen. Like many people I am quite capable of picking up my phone to quickly check something and then find myself emerging in a daze after half an hour of aimless scrolling.
I've also started keeping a small notebook in my handbag which I can use to make notes while I'm out and about, mainly while I'm parked up at school waiting for the children. I have a few ongoing lists there that I add to, for example books that I want to read or buy and songs that I want to add to my running playlist.
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| Photo credit Kenny Eliason via Unsplash |
Since I started my bullet journal I've noticed a real shift in my approach to regular tasks which I can only explain by the fact that when I have everything physically written down it makes me more likely to get things done. For example last week I had scheduled to defrost the freezer, a job which I normally do every few years and I hate it because it takes hours. But because I last did it only a few months ago it took half an hour and was so easy! It was a real lesson in keeping on top of things rather than letting them get out of control, and my bullet journal is making it really easy for me to track those types of tasks.
I've also enjoyed using my planner to schedule in things that aren't tasks as such but things that I want to do. For example to do exercise, watch a television programme that I'm interested in or to spend time working on a particular craft project. This makes sure that I actually get on and do it because I've committed to it by writing it down, rather than having it float around as a vague idea.
I'm really enjoying using a pen and paper regularly again after going a long time hardly writing anything at all. I'm feeling pretty much on top of things at the moment and enjoying making plans and putting them into action!
This might sound odd but I've found if I write something down I'm more likely to do it because it feels like someone else has told me to do it? If that makes sense. It's just what's on the schedule for today, as if someone else has given me the schedule, even though I know full well I wrote it. I mainly use an A5 week-to-view desk diary as then I can put in all the appointments/regular things, then make my to-do lists around that.
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