I Discovered Bullet Journalling!!

 A Belated Happy New Year xx

 So March 2017 I discovered a new way to plan my days, which tbh, really has changed my life!

The Bullet Journal!!

My Journals!
Filofax Notebook for Business Planning
and
Scribbles That Matter for Bullet Journalling

So what is a Bullet Journal?

Well it's basically a notebook that you use to plan your days in!

Isn't that a Diary?

Well, yes, but how often have you bought a diary, that you haven't had enough room to plan your day in the allocated space, so you end up using bits of paper, and before you knew it, you had lost your bit of paper, and therefore your To-do list or notes that needed to be re-written?

Yeah, me too!
Or, how often have you bought a diary and something didn't happen that day, so you left that page blank - therefore wasting valuable paper?
Yeah, me too!

So grab your cuppa and I'll talk you through my experience...

So, I used to use a Diary constantly, back when I was a Freelance Hairstylist and Lecturer, for my appointments and scheduling.  I've always also liked a good To-do list, but never found I had enough room for notes in my diary, so bits of paper were constanly added to my diary.
Then, when I started Michelle Corbin Design, I kept the diary system, but I found the opposite, I never really used it to it's full.  Many pages went unused, I found it a waste of money, it just didn't really work for me, so I began to use my phone calendar.  And, OMG that I found was a nightmare, I would forget what I had typed in, couldn't find anything, didn't have enough space to put all of the details in, kept forgetting how to use it, and it just took me so long to figure out what where and how!!  So I just continued with pen and paper notebook and referred to the phone calendar for dates, because, well, digital just didn't suit me, I remember things better when I write them, this appeared to be working, but I wasn't consistant as to how I jotted my to-lists down and I struggled with an appointment system - que the revelation!!

I flicking through good old Pinterest one day, when I discovered a few pins regarding the Bullet Journal, I dismissed them at first, but they kept popping up, so curiosity then struck and I took a look.  The first I saw, was an article from Bohoberry and in her article she advised you to go to the original source, the creator of the system bulletjournal.com. to find out how and where to start, so that's what I did - this was it!!

And that's what you should too, if you too, would like to try.  On the website bulletjournal.com everything is detailed to get you started, but the important thing to remember, is it is flexible, and you can use your notebook how you like, in order to do what you want or need to do.  Use it as a base to get you started and then adapt it to help you plan your life more efficiently.

Ryder Carroll, the creator, takes you through the system step by step and advises you that all you'll need is a notebook and pen (but you can purchase special Bullet Journal Notebooks on their site too).  

My first notebook, was just an old plain papered book I had on my shelf.  I began planning out my days in Bullet Journal format and I followed a few You Tube videos to get inspiration, and became hooked.
Boho Berry is one of my favourites

My first books aren't too pretty like hers tbh, as my main focus was to just get jobs done, which really is the main purpose of The Bullet Journal and boy does it work, if you apply it correctly, stay focused and get into a rhythm.  That's my advice.  

And Breathe....

An Affirmation I heard from Denise Duffield Thomas

My life since having children and setting up my small business has been quite scatty and busy and I needed to take back control.  Now I have found a system that works for me, I have found my days are running far more efficiently.  I can look ahead to my future now and plan ahead where I need to.  Schedule my orders and commissions in more effectively.  

And if I feel like it, I can do a little doodle in my Journal, track my excercise schedule, or even just focus on a little tlc.

Since discovering this system it has also inspired a new creation too for Michelle Corbin Design, take a look here at my Travellers Style Notebook Covers, they proved popular at Christmas time and I have more designs to be launched soon, so watch this space.

Have you tried Bullet Journalling? 
 I'd love to hear, pop a comment below, or tell me what form of planning do you prefer?

That's My Life In a Stitch for this month