EASY-PEASY BULLET JOURNAL JOY

Have you jumped on the Bullet Journal bandwagon yet? Does the thought of all things organizational give you a rush or a rash? Maybe you’ve been using a bullet journal for the past 4 years or maybe you’ve been living under a rock and are clueless. I was under that very rock until last summer, when I finally gave in to my curiosity and Googled “Bullet Journal”. Wow. For a list queen like myself it was like opening one giant Pandora’s journal…

If you’re a Bullet Journal pro, forgive the basics here but I’d like to share my experience and I would actually LOVE to hear from you in the comments below with any tips/ tricks you may have up your sleeve! If you’re a newbie under the rock, I’ll keep it simple (because it can get incredibly overwhelming when you first dip your toes into the organizational waters) and tell you what has worked for me and could possibly work for you, too.

Why even bother with a Bullet Journal? Oh my word— if only I had this system in place when I emigrated from the UK to Canada and had a gazillion important items on random scraps of paper, when I was a young mom trying to keep tabs on frantic everyday life, while I homeschooled my kids, or when my daughter got married. If only. The best thing for me about using a Bullet Journal is that everything is in one place and so I don’t forget stuff! Basic and brilliant.

For starters, it’s got its very own cool abbreviation, “BuJo”. Therefore, we will be utterly cool and speak only of the BuJo from here on in. If you want to know how the BuJo was born and all things “proper” in its world, the official website is http://bulletjournal.com/ In a nutshell, we have one beautiful journal— some like the dotty square grid type, but I’m happy with regular lines— and we write down ALL THE THINGS in a specific order. Stuff gets checked off, nothing gets left undone, and no one is left behind!

“Lists are the butterfly nets that catch my fleeting thoughts…” Betsy Cañas Garmon

As a writer and wife and mom, I like to use my BuJo to: keep track of blog post ideas and scheduling, list writing goals for the year, have a weekly check-off list of to-do writing pages/ projects, have a books page, gratitude page, a weekly meal plan, appointments, Christmas gifts, prayer list, life goals, year at a glance, month at a glance, week at a glance (I like to glance!) Basically my entire life in one notebook. You get the idea. Super customizable.

“Organize, don’t agonize.” Nancy Pelosi

Rather than attempt to explain, here are a few shots from my BuJo featuring: index, year at a glance, monthly, and weekly pages:

“It may seem like a lot of effort to have to rewrite items over and over, but that’s intentional. This process makes you pause and consider each item.” (Bulletjournal.com) Basically, each itemized point has to be marked off as done, ditched, or put off. It really helps to evaluate what you spend time doing, and what can be eliminated from your day-to-day life. It’s remarkably freeing and informative!

Now there are hundreds of gorgeous posts and websites you can peruse (warning: there are some exquisite artists out there who rule the roost and go all the way with these beauties— do not be intimidated!) but the easy-peasy basics for newbies can be found on this helpful little post: https://www.fix.com/blog/start-a-bullet-journal/

Once you’re feeling comfortable, here’s a post with some really beautiful sites to inspire you from: BUZZFEED

If you like my super-simple approach, you can use the gorgeous Kate Spade journal (has multiple ribbon bookmarks and it lies flat and it’s PINK) and the Cross ballpoint pen I love the best. These are my Amazon affiliate links (full disclosure here) which means I get a tiny commission while you pay the regular price:

KATE SPADE “EAT CAKE FOR BREAKFAST” JOURNAL

CROSS BALLPOINT PEN

Friend, whether you go all BuJo on me or not, it’s about what works for you. I like to be somewhat organized and lists are my jam. I choose to keep mine super simple and easy-peasy, no pressure on the artwork or worrying if I’ll achieve my goals. It’s not about PERFECTION, because we all know that’s a scary place. If this kind of thing steals your joy and stresses you out, leave it be.

“Perfectionism isn’t a fruit of the Spirit. Joy is.” Ann Voskamp

Definitely choose joy! I hope this has been helpful or at least encouraging— let me know how your BuJo journey goes? I’m starting a brand new one (another EAT CAKE FOR BREAKFAST Kate Spade because I love it so much!) learning from the past year and striving to run the race ahead with all the joy and grace…