Bullet Journal Of A Different Stripe
A pencil alongside blank pages bound into a book are necessary instruments in keeping my world in order. When all the thoughts, ideas, plans, notes, and schedules are kept in a place other than my mind, I feel much more productive and at peace. Over the years, I've used a variety of planners to assist me, but none of them seemed to fit quite right. Unnecessary sections, wasted pages, bulky design, etc.
You may remember a year ago fall, when I discovered the bullet journal, I described it as the heavens opening. It was true. So many things about the bullet journal struck the right notes for me. I got right to work learning the system, implementing it, living it.
After a few months, however, I found that the best part about discovering the bullet journal was that it became the catalyst that lead me to develop an intuitive system that works for me. What I do now may not be close enough to the tenets of the original bullet journal to be called as such, but that's okay, because the important thing is, I've found what fits my aesthetic, my priorities, and my time.
What I liked about the bullet journal was its simplicity (no pre-printed months and dates, or anything, really), its index (a fabulous way to catalog pages without keeping them in chronological order), and that it lent itself to being started at any time of the year. What I didn't like was having to draw out a new month's grid every time the next month came around. Laying out a new week each Sunday wasn't what I wanted to spend my time doing either. Though I understood the meaning and usage of the signifiers, they never became intuitive for me. Also, the sheer amount of information and ideas that pop up when you search the internet for 'bullet journal' can be overwhelming. I didn't want my daily planner to overwhelm.
So, I dug a little deeper, and found my way. Maybe a slim book with beautiful, creamy pages divided into three sections: two that had the month and week grids already printed, with blanks for you to fill in the months, days, and dates (yay for no wasted pages! yay for starting whenever you want!), and the third section completely blank for you to use as you wish? This basic planner by Ardium was just what I was hoping for.
Come back tomorrow, and I'll show you more.