People, Culture and Inclusion
Juliet Flynn
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Our guest blog today is from Helen Davies in the Timetabling team, who shares insight into her practice of bullet journaling, as well as letting us peek inside the covers of her own journal.
The Bullet Journal is the most customisable productivity and wellbeing tool I’ve found. I started bullet-journaling about two years ago, after I came across the idea online and was immediately inspired. There’s nothing I find quite as satisfying as making lists and ticking things off when they’re done, and this method really plays into that.
The basic Bullet Journal Method starts with “rapid logging.” All you need for this is a notebook and one pen. Rapid logging involves listing each of your tasks, events, notes and ideas in a bullet list, with each type of entry having a different bullet to identify it:
⚈ Task
o Events
— Notes
! Ideas
However, you don’t have to stick to the basic layout. Because you’re working in a blank notebook, you’re never limited to a day-per-page, or a week-per-page view: you can organise it how you like!
I mentioned at the beginning of this post that my Bullet Journal both a productivity and a wellbeing tool. Obviously, it helps me keep track of everything that’s going on in my life and keeps me on top of all my tasks. However, it does more than that. Mood tracking is so valuable for self-reflection and allows you to properly explore why you’re feeling a certain way. I’ve also incorporated gratitude logging (making a note of one thing I’m grateful for/made me happy each day). This practice can completely change your perspective on a bad day and always improves my mood.
Routine and keeping healthy habits are vital to mental health and wellbeing, whilst we navigate these strange waters. I know I’m not the best at sticking to my healthy habits at the best of time, which is why I keep a habit tracker! Each month I can look at how many boxes I filled in for each habit, and it triggers something in my brain that keeps me accountable to my goals.
It’s not just for the day-to-day though; I find my Bullet Journal to be invaluable in planning big events or trips; my very favourite spread is my Itinerary for my trip to Berlin. I added each day’s activities to a post-it, so that we could rearrange them depending on how we were feeling and on what the weather forecast was. It took all of the stress out of planning our activities; as an added bonus, it’s a gorgeous spread!
I love to spend time decorating my Bullet Journal – drawing, handlettering and colouring are such mindful activities for me. It also gives me such a boost to create something I’m proud of, and I love showing off my creations (the March header at the top of this blog is an example). It doesn’t have to be highly decorative though; the beauty of the Bullet Journal is its customisable nature.
Whatever you need to keep track of in your life, a Bullet Journal will keep you organised, mindful and motivated. I highly recommend you give it a go! If you need more information, check out this Bullet Journal website or search on Pinterest for “Bullet Journal Ideas” for inspiration!
Helen Davies, Timetabling and Attendance team
