Lists on Lists

I feel like I’m always looking for ways to better manage everything I have going on … work, family, friends, volunteering, big projects (like the wedding and now the new house), health and wellness … all the things I love!

I’m very organized and like having a plan, yet lately, I haven’t been able to get my to-do list created until the week is basically over or not at all (yikes!). It feels like I have sticky notes, notebooks, apps, calendars, etc., all over the place; nothing seems to work just right.

In search for a solution to work smarter not harder, I read this article on bullet journaling and thought I’d give it a try. Essentially, any blank notebook can turn into your best planner, to-do list, place for notes, etc.

I decided to make my bullet journal pretty simple. Here’s how:

Number the pages of your book (or pick a numbered notebook)
Create a calendar page
After the calendar page, designate one page for each week in the month to house key lists (add one extra page at the end of the month for any additional notes)
Repeat for all 12 months
With the remainder pages, you can divide them up into sections for key projects, or just use for note taking, other lists, etc. to refer to these specific notes in your “each week” or “calendar” pages as needed. Example – say you wrote your meal plan for the week, but on page 102 wrote your shopping list. You’d note page 102 in your weekly page for a quick reference.
You can also designate symbols for “to do” lists, long-term goals, quick action items, etc. The actual Bullet Journal notebook goes into way more detail, but any notebook will do. And, it’s important to find a system that works for your own needs.

Check out how I created my notebook: