Two years of Bullet Journaling

It was two years ago that I learned about a system of keeping an agenda/journal that really made sense to me.  Bullet Journal is a flexible way to organize a plain physical journal so that you get exactly what you want out of the practice without the rigid space limitation and structure of pre-printed agendas or digital note taking apps.

I have tried various attempts to use things like Evernote, Google Docs, Apple Notes, and a few smaller todo list apps.  All of them suffered from a lack of physicality. Apps disappear into the background or get forgotten about when the browser tab is closed. It is easy to copy/paste huge amounts of content into an app that you will never read and won’t remember. 

A journal that sits on my desk has a permanent presence. Looking at it is a reminder to continue with the ritual and to revisit my goals on occasion. Everything in it has to come from my own written hand which makes it easier to remember. Hand writing takes more time to do, and that is kind of the point. By taking up physical space as a book with a single purpose, and by requiring time each to consciously think about it and write in it adds to the importance and effectiveness.

By asking simple questions every morning: “what is the date?”, “what do I want to accomplish today?” “What events do I have today?” and then taking time to flip back though pages occasionally to answer these questions, each day is given more intentionality. It makes me feel like I’m writing my own life instead of having Google Calendar dictate it to me. Some things in life are better left not automated.