Friday, August 04, 2017

New Obsession -- Bullet Journal!

I have approximately 782 jobs in the quilt world.
Managing all of these different tasks while I am on the road approximately 50% of the time is a huge undertaking.  I will never be as organized as I want to be, but I always try.  I love planners and file folders and label makers and anything that even hints at helping me to become more organized.

I'm heading into a particularly brutal  time of the year.  I will be traveling to teach quilting often and I have several new top-secret projects that I'm trying to complete.  I needed some fun new organization in my life.

Enter, my new planner:


The fabulous Teri Lucas bought this blank notebook for me as a gift.  Inside, I start each day fresh with a two-page spread:


I draw boxes to keep track of various projects on the left page and on the right page I note birthdays, calendar items, and leave room for items left from the day before.  There is enough room to write down memories, new ideas, to-do items, etc.  But it's all a little plain.

So I add some color (affiliate link*):


I have pages for my monthly calendar:


I don't want to shock you, but sometimes I write blog posts and InstaGram posts before I go on a teaching trip.  I've had too many hotel rooms with bad wi-fi and have learned to prepare ahead of time:


 I also have spreads to help me keep big trips organized:


 Yes, I'm on my way to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham!  WooHoo!!

I am a TERRIBLE artist and have absolutely no confidence in my drawing ability, but in my journal I can play around with the lettering and the coloring without worrying about perfection.

I recently read this book (affiliate link*) about Dot Journaling.  It was short and informational and inspirational but if you are looking for some free information, start HERE.  If you have several years to kill, type Bullet Journal into Pinterest and be prepared to be amazed at the artistry and organization you will find.

Are you a journaler?  A planner-type person?  Someone who keeps their life on Post-It notes?  Has anyone tried Bullet Journaling?

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*If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase I may, at no additional cost to you, earn a small commission to help keep this blog running.

4 comments:

Quiltermary said...

I've been a planner/journal for about 4 years. Frixion pens are my friend - they erase! And I do love Twistables.

Pamela Arbour said...

I am fairly new to bullet journaling but I am totally hooked. I used this method to get my house ready to put on the market in 2016 and now I am using it in my new house in 2017. I just preordered the 2018 Quilter's Planner because I saw that is has room for bullet journaling in addition to everything else it offers. These journals can be lifesavers! I did not order the mini one. I may regret that.

Kerry said...

Yayyy! The Festival of Quilts! I'm going on the Saturday and with a bit of luck my quilting friend will join me next year. Hope you get to see some of the nice parts of the UK while you are here.

Rose Prairie Quilts and Farm said...

I too am a Bullet Journal person and love it. Came across this way almost 2 years ago and haven't gone back to the old way I kept my to do lists. Now everything is in one book. Almost done with book #2 and will be setting up #3