LIFESTYLE // The Bullet Journal

Hello!

Like I mentioned last week in my university organization post, I have been using a bullet journal as my go-to planner this academic year. I have tried traditional planners in the post and always forget to use them. Even when I do, I either have to write the bare minimum in them or pay extortionate amounts of diaries with a whole day per page (which doesn't particularly make it easy to see the week as a whole - it's a nightmare!). Anyway, after my summer Pinterest obsession, I decided to work with the bullet journal. All you need is a notebook - any notebook - and a pen. It's a much simpler way to plan and, for me, I have found it works wonders.

I got my notebook from TK Maxx and cannot get over how lucky I was that it was in my tiny local store. It's one of the Liberty organizers from 2011 with a range of lined, plain and grid pages. It's seriously easy tseparate out notes, to-do lists and random maths I may need to do. I'm very tempted to invest in a squared pad next time around, purely from ease of drawing squares but lines work just as well.

Whilst there are lots of variations, I've chosen a very basic approach as follows:

• 1 blank page for unorganized notes and information for following weeks
• 2 pages per week
• Date of week beginning followed by XX/XX configuration for each day. 
• All squares should have room next to them for the addition of another date if needed.
• Blank square: to-do
• Filled square: done
• Half filled square: in progress
• Cross in square: no-longer needed
• Arrow and date: moved to new date

It's relatively simple, but there are a lot more shortcuts to learn if you wanted to do so. I like the flexibility that you have with this style of planner. If I have a really busy day, I have the room for it. If I want to do nothing that day, it doesn't really matter either. 

I separate each bullet into various sections e.g. CHEM, LIFE, BALLET, HEADLIGHTS so I can quickly glance and see what needs my attention urgently. I do think the important point to grasp with this style of planner is to give yourself easily achievable goals. If you know that you won't get 50 pages read in an evening, plan to do it over 2-3. Even ticking off reading 10 pages makes you feel more accomplished and more likely to keep motivated. It's your planner - if you have 15 things to do in one day, that's okay. As you can see, the length of my to-do lists changes every day and no day is identical. 

I find this way of planning my week is easier to see at a glance. I have seen that my productivity has improved since using this simple to-do list method. It's nice to look at your planner in the evening and see that everything you set out to do is done. As a result I feel like I have so much more free time, which as a Masters student, I very much doubted I'd have.

Have you tried a bullet journal? What are your tips and tricks to staying organized? Let me know!