Those who know me personally know I am probably among the most scatter brained, disorganized people they've ever met. At least until this past year.
This past spring a friend of mine invited me to come to a house party she was hosting to talk about a concept she had recently found - the Bullet Journal. For a while before the event she posted pictures of hers and others for ideas of what we where all walking into, and my skepticism sprouted and flourished! Before me where images of stunning works of art done by the most organized women on the planet! I had two big concerns, is this really something I could do (It looked intimidating!) and if I DID do it would it even work for me, or would I spend all my time making it pretty and none of my times on my actual tasks?
But I went, and my whole world changed for the better. I first saw that it didn't have to be intimidating, so long as it was functional for each individual person. A planner with personality! Something that I could form myself and thus keep interest in rather my series of failed day-planners and calendar apps on my phone. There's only one that I stuck with, Cozi, as it links my phone to mys husbands and keeps us on the same page; but I never used the full function of tasks lists and shopping lists and the like. I just couldn't stick to it! Suddenly I was seeing a way to track everything I needed, and have it keep my interest and be fun by being creative and well, Me.
I started with a binder, because while I loved the look and portability of the notebooks I couldn't handle the idea of 'messy pages' What if I screw up? I can't LEAVE that there! This looks out of place. I don't like how that turned out. All thoughts that would plague me! I needed to be able to move pages around, add and remove them, change page types and play with it until I had my own style down pat. And I'm glad I did start with the binder because it allowed so much personalization when I was playing it I really managed to get my style just right. But I found I didn't use it as much as I should because of the lack of portability. I wasn't about to tote a binder everywhere so when it came to random notes, adding to a shopping list when uptown and the like it was a failure. I began to price out mini binders, or A5 binders, and they where So Expensive! I just couldn't justify this mass cost on the binder alone never mind the paper, hole punch etc. But I kept looking and didn't give up hope that some day I would find what I was looking for.
Hope payed out! Staples, that glorious store that sucks in any bujoer or homeschool parent, that haven of stationary, had a line called the Arc. A disc-bound system that came in various styles, and was affordable! For the price of an A5 binder alone I was completely set up with a journal, hole punch and accessories. From there I went on to personalize what has since become known as my Brain. Because without it I don't have it head, and suddenly with it I am organized and can keep my active life sorted!
I have sections that organize my whole week, giving it an at a glance appearance while still giving each day ample space for to-dos, events, and a daily bible verse. Using the dutch door system I can flip through daily pages while still seeing the weekly section that shows events, my blood glucose tracker, and such. I can also use trackers like making sure my daily chores are done, and habits that I want to form. I can keep my grocery list, and because I can add special pages I even have some coloring pages and word searches for those times I'm sitting in a doctors office or waiting for something. Since I now have a bujo that fits in my purse it is never very far away from me!
The only down side, some of what I do needs even more space! Some of what I do... needed it's own bujo! And so began a (minor) addiction of sorts. I now have a bullet journal specifically for Homeschooling, back to a binder. Keeping track of my school spending, notes from conferences, my own notes on how the kids are doing, and a schedule and tracker with a similar lay out to my weeklies from my Brain! I also do medieval re-enactment, and am stepping up soon to be the local Seneschel for my Shire (President of the local chapter), and so now have a smaller more professional bullet journal specially for my work with the Society of Creative Anachronism, or SCA. Things like meeting notes, or planning future events are all included in that one.
Since starting I really have realized how lost I was before, and have begun to rely heavily on my Brain; I can't leave home without it or I am totally lost! It has helped me so much with things like remembering to actually check my glucose levels, what times I need to be where for things, and keep track of the busy mama schedule. My husband has even noticed a drastic improvement when I keep up with it in getting the chores done and time management! He's begun to love it almost as much as me.
