Guys. Guys. I am seriously taking a deep breath because I am so excited to talk about how to use BULLET JOURNAL.

Have you heard of Bullet Journal? It's a system of keeping a notebook or journal (the kind you write tasks, ideas, and meeting notes in) and there's a fabulous website with a video where you can learn all about it. You should watch the video right now. I'll wait….

….I know, right?!

For so long I have been struggling with my need to write things down even as everything is going digital. Writing something down in pen on paper makes the idea feel permanent, much more so than typing it on my computer or phone. And checking something off my to-do list? I will never grow tired of that.

I've tried keeping a notebook for to-do lists and ideas but it was always ineffective because one page would be a to-do list, the next would be notes from a work meeting, the next page would be a grocery list, etc. and it felt hectic and disorganized (because it was) and so it would be quickly abandoned. I considered keeping separate notebooks for each topic but then I'd need about 10 notebooks and that didn't feel very organized either. 

Enter BULLET JOURNAL, which I capitalize to show my adoration. Seriously, it is changing my life. The key elements of Bullet Journal that make it so effective include:

+ You can make a Bullet Journal from any type of notebook.

+ You number every page in Bullet Journal. 

+ The first page is an index of all pages in Bullet Journal. As you use a page you add what is on that page to the index. Translation = you can find everything in your notebook at a glace!

The last point is the true genius of Bullet Journal. For example, in my Bullet Journal I have Blog Post Ideas on pages 3, 24 and 37. In previous notebooks it would have really stressed me out if I filled page 3 but couldn't continue the topic on page 4 since I started a completely different topic on page 4. Having an index eliminates this stress! With an index it doesn't matter if a topic is scattered across several pages, I always know where to find them.

A couple of Bullet Journal "personalizations" that are working well for me are:

+ Keeping one Bullet Journal for everything related to my day job and one for everything outside of my day job. Everything outside my day job includes my blog, podcast, e-course and LIFE. I like being able to open my job notebook at meetings and not worry that someone will see my page on podcast cocktail ideas or my Target shopping list. 

+ For each new month I print out a calendar and tape it in my Bullet Journal. This is opposed to listing out the days of the month as the website recommends. I like being able to quickly see the dates and weeks and note events or big deadlines.

My first two Bullet Journals are in Apica notebooks purchased at Book People in Austin. I love the flexible covers, size and paper. But unfortunately they're filling up much more quickly than I anticipated! So I'm considering two soft cover Moleskin notebooks when I need replacements.

I'd love to know if you're using Bullet Journal or if you think you'll try it. Is anyone else as excited about it as I am?! If so, can I get a high-five for organization? BAM.