This began as a #fiveminutefreewrite with the prompt, LIST

I have had a fraught relationship with managing my to-do list, and basically my entire life, for as long as I can remember. I have a friend, K, who kept what she called “list books,” and everything went in these books. I was so envious of those meticulous notebooks of hers, but for some reason I could not replicate them or even fathom how they were done. They involved writing out lists at bedtime, for the next day, and anything that hadn’t been completed had to be re-written. I think I was terrified of that part, of having to come to terms with what I hadn’t gotten done.

I tried a ton of electronic, on-line, on-computer and on-phone apps, including Reminders, Notes, Evernote etc. None of them lasted for longer than a few weeks, although I still like Evernote for clipping and saving things that I read online.

I tried paper things: literally, stacks of Post-It notes (the premise being, every task was represented on a note and I had to stick them on the wall in front of my face, and taking them down/smushing them up was satisfying when they were done, BUT I had no record of having done anything, and eventually it just became a big mess). I also tried, for almost a year, a plain composition notebook, and that was the closest thing I ever came to sticking with something, but it was also incredibly chaotic, unsatisfying and ultimately did not help me with getting anything done. Oh, I also tried David Allen’s GTD (Getting Things Done) method, and almost spent a boatload of $$ on one of his seminars, because I was so desperate. But somehow, I couldn’t sustain that either.

I began to despair that there was no way that my life was ever going to be organized, and that I would be flailing about and writing notes to myself hither and thither and maybe getting some of it done but also falling into a pit of self-loathing because I could never get ALL of my shit together. I’m a person who has a finger or two in about a hundred different things at once, and without a good organizing system, there are bound to be regular, embarrassing, upsetting screw-ups.

Then, last summer, I read this article, “The Bullet Journal Works Because It Soothes Your Panicky Mind.” I felt like it read my panicky mind! Yes! My mind was panicking all the time!

I was desperate. I ran out that very day, and bought a notebook with dots. I followed the five-minute instructional video on how to set it up. I started laughing out loud within the first few seconds of the video, because it showed the journal open up and begin devouring, like a Pac-Man, a bunch of Post-It notes and scraps of paper. I thought of all the little bits of paper in my life.

And just like that, my panicky mind began feeling… soothed. Like, right away. I started searching hashtags #bulletjournal and #bujo (short nickname) on Instagram. Which led me to Pinterest.  I started figuring out that there is no one right way to keep a bullet journal. That it can range from “minimalist,” (as Bullet Journal site founder Ryder Carroll uses and demonstrates in the video) to super-way-artsy like THIS. (don’t panic)

I started on August 26th. And day by day, week by week, I began figuring things out. I’m still figuring things out, but at this point, five months in, I am so in love with my bullet journal that there’s no looking back. These are some of the reasons why I love it so.

• <– haha, using a bullet to describe my bullet journal!
• It’s infinitely customizable, flexible and forgiving. This is, for me, one of the best aspects of the BuJo. I was recently in a stationery store where there were all kinds of pre-loaded planners. They gave me a tense, queasy feeling. But what if I didn’t WANT to write my “reasons for joy” (ugh) or my goals of the week? What if I had nothing to fill in those many blanks? Where would I put my random #5minutefreewrites? I just realized that I love the BuJo because you are constantly adding, revising, abandoning things that don’t work or don’t make sense, and making it exactly what you need it to be.
• It’s not just a to-do list. It’s a combination planner (looking forward), journal (looking back), analyzer, note-taking place, art journal (if you want) and so much more (or less). I use it for free-writing (using my Post-it one word prompts). I’m currently doing a bunch of research about how I can truly optimize my BuJo to work for my writing and teaching projects. It takes the very best of your phone/laptop calendar, your journal, your random notebook and puts it all together in one place. It really is the Everything Book!
• The analog aspect of the BuJo makes it physically soothing. It calms me to put pen to paper. Writing the words down, sometimes highlighting it with another colored pen, cements it and makes it real in a way that typing (or dictating) it into my phone just doesn’t do. Also, I have a place to look back on what I’ve accomplished (or not), and that’s just a good reality check. Oh, I do use it in conjunction with (not as a replacement for) my digital calendar.
• For me, it’s a place to do a little bit of art every day. It’s not a big deal. It might just be a doodle of a vine (my favorite), or if I have more time I might make a little collage, or use some rubber stamps or practice calligraphy. Making a little bit of no-pressure art makes me happy. (but if art makes you cringe and run away, it’s OK, you can have your BuJo be an art-free zone)
• It has an index, so I can find stuff. One problem with my composition notebook is that it was totally haphazard. Like a BuJo, I kept everything in it, but I could never find it again, or I’d forget I wrote it down. This is one of the key elements – being able to find your stuff once it’s in there. Very helpful (and calming).
• It’s a place to re-evaluate and be mindful about what you’re doing (or have done). I have learned so many lessons from my bullet journal — valuable lessons about myself and how I operate, what I need, what I can realistically do and can’t do. It’s been like a gentle but firm teacher to me.
• I’ve actually been able to incorporate the best aspects of GTD (Getting Things Done) AND my Post-its INTO the bullet journal. So it all works together in a coherent way.
• It has soothed my panicky mind. Whenever I think of something, ANYthing, there is a “right spot” for it to go in my Bullet Journal. It will get taken care of/recorded/tracked.

There are probably other reasons why I love my bullet journal so, but I’ll leave it at that for now. If you’re intrigued, I recommend that you go to Bulletjournal.com as a starting place. Watch the video (it will only take a few minutes). See if it works for you.

I love, love, LOVE looking at other people’s bullet journals. A few months ago I met up with another BuJo-using buddy, and we geeked out at a bar for an hour, oohing and ahhing over each others’ pages. I am constantly getting inspiration from people in real life, as well as posts on blogs, YouTube (there are a ton of YouTube #bulletjournal videos), Instagram and Pinterest. But don’t get overwhelmed. Go at your own pace. The absolute beauty of the bullet journal is that if something doesn’t work or doesn’t feel right, you can start again/change it up on the next page/day/week/month.

If you live locally and want to see my bullet journal in person, let me know and I’d be happy to share it over coffee. If you live far away, I’d be glad to Google Hangout or Skype. I’m co-teaching a small private Bullet Journal class at the Writers’ Grotto in a few weeks  (sorry, it’s SOLD OUT) – but if there’s interest I’d consider scheduling more.

So that’s my love letter to Bullet Journaling. At this point, I don’t know what I’d do without it. (oh! that brings me to – LOSING a BuJo is a serious bummer. Which is why I’ve ordered a Tile for mine. I do know some BuJo users who take photos of important pages. I lost my first one -left it at the lab at Kaiser. I was BESIDE MYSELF. When I finally retraced my steps and found it the next day, all the staff people were like, “Oh yeah, we KNEW you’d be back for that thing! That’s amazing! It’s your whole life!”

Exactly.