Do you write a journal? A daily planner to get things done? Do you have things you'd like to achieve but never seem to find the time? I recently came across two new methods Self Journal and Bullet Journal to see if they could organise my time, achieve my goals and an excuse to buy a new notebook.
Here are my findings...
Self Journal
Self Journal a 'powerful yet simple daily planner to help you optimise your day, tackle your goals, and be happier' An advert popped up on my social media, sounded good so I bought the book, navy cloth hardback A5, arrived in a nice presentation box and a wall chart. Best Self Co. Cathryn and Allen who interviewed hundreds of successful people to find out how they achieved their success and came up with this method of organising your life.
Self Journal's 6 principles:
1. 'Craft a roadmap to your life' 'Goals are meaningless without a plan'
2. 'Zero Based Calendar' 'Planning is crucial for time management' There a time line 6am-11pm with 30 minute segments, every minute of your day has to be accounted for, 'ZERO white space' every moment planned.
3.' Prioritzed, Proactive, Productive' 'Planning your day and priotizing your tasks, is the difference between having a reactive day and proactive day'
4. Flexibility and Freedom' All pages are undated so you can dip in and out.
5. 'Tracking and Reflection' 'Your success in life is the sum of the habits you create.'
6. 'Bookend your day with positive psychology' 'Starting your day with gratitude each morning and evening, will boost your happiness before any negative worry thoughts can take hold'
Wow! That's a lot to take in and think about and reflect on. No white space! Now I am a thinker and day dreamer, there's lots of white space in my day. I look after my 2 year old for 9 hours a day, I have about 2 hours a day to work on cazza.com. I've never broken down the goals I'd like to achieve so I find this area interesting. Today's target's, wins, lessoned learnt, grateful sections are lots of thinking and writing, I don't seem to have the time to keep up Self Journal, to time manage your whole day and think of what you want in your life, I find the structure of the book too limiting for me, I do like the daily motivation quotes 'It's never too late to redefine self control, to change long ingrained habits, and to do the work you are capable of.' Seth Godin.
Bullet Journal
Bullet Journal 'the analogue system for the digital age' Much more up my street, you can create a bullet journal in any notebook, my number 1 Clairefontaine Agebag A5 squared is my preferred daily notebook. I've had a daily note book for years but this system has helped me organise my day, goals and ideas. It's a simple method, let me explain or watch a ton of youtube films about the subject.
-Index - 4 pages that will be your index to your book, you number every page, example Index 1-4
-6 month view - divide your page in 6 with the months with things that need to be done or goals you'd like to achieve.
-Monthly page - each line is a new day, a little diary to see what's happening in that month.
-Daily page - a list of tasks, events, practise, etc, you could timeline and priorise. There a system of Bullet Journal symbols that I don't use. I like ticks and move any uncompleted tasks to the next day.
-List pages - Ideas, blog posts, books to read, favourite tunes, etc.
I'm onto my second Bullet Journal, I started the first, muji lined book, in July. It's perfect for me, one book to see your daily planner with areas for ideas and writings. A lot like my old system but more organised, the numbered pages and index make it easy to find each topic or date. Post ideas flow, it's a great to grab my book and jot them down. The monthly outlook and goals help me stay on top of posts, sometimes left to the last minute then rushed, but now I can see what's coming up and plan. There's space in the book to write and list. One has to be careful not to spend too much time making lists and not enough ticks.
How do you organise your day? One friend, 'micro manages' his day with a list of things to do, written before bed then reviewed and prioritised in the morning, says it's working wonders and get's loads done.
It's so easy to let ideas and projects, wants and needs slip by. Never getting round to the great ideas you have, why not try and organise yourself with a book and really think, what would make me happy in my life? How can I get there? Be pro active, make your dreams come true.
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Love love,
Cxxx
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