Bullet Journaling
Want a low-tech organizer that is 100% customizable and includes calendars, to-do lists, notes, musings and reminders? And never needs any batteries or Internet? Try a bullet journal.
All you need is a little notebook and a pen. Start by making the first few pages the Index, and by numbering every page. The key to the bullet journal is to be able to find entries later by date.
You can make monthly or yearly calendars, if you want to, on your early journal pages. I used to do this all the time in my bullet journal but over time I’ve become more focused on daily entries.
You can use any system you invent that works for you, but I’ve found there are three basic types of entries or “bullets”: Tasks, Events, and Notes. For me, Tasks are always symbolized by a dot or “true bullet point”, which I make an X thru when I complete it (I don’t strike out the words; this is important as I’ll explain below). Notes are always symbolized with a dash. Events have a variety of symbols depending on the type—I have one symbol for phone call, another for video chat, another for in-person meeting, another for web conference, etc.
One thing I’ve learned is to strike through words only when they become no longer relevant. A completed task is relevant as a success; don’t dismiss a success. That’s why I simply put an X over the task’s bullet point when I complete it. If a task is urgent I put a “!” next to it, if it gets extended I put a “>” next to it, and I have other profession-specific symbols. The important thing is to play around with symbols and systems so the bullet journal works for you. You are the one and only person the journal is for. If you find it too much of a chore and/or you literally never refer back to what you’ve written, then you are probably wasting more of your time than the journal is worth. For me, I’ve been bullet journaling for three years, and while I obviously still use electronics my bullet journal is like my second brain that focuses and organizes all the ephemera of my first brain.
Here endeth the lesson on the bullet journal.
Bike Newbie 