How to Use a Bullet Journal to Be More Productive

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When I figured out how to use a bullet journal to be more productive, it was a game changer. After years of searching for the one – the planner that really worked for me, I finally found it in a bullet journal. I’m now in charge of my schedule and my tasks rather than simply playing whack a mole.

I’m a busy mom of three, a small business owner and just as busy as you are. I’ve tried almost every calendar, planner, app and used many different combinations of different scheduling and productivity tools.

Don’t be intimidated by the idea of a bullet journal. There are many different ways to design your bullet journal so it works best for you – your personality, your unique needs and available time. There’s no right way to bullet journal. Think of it as a bullet journal buffet and simply take what will work for you and improve your productivity. You don’t have to take everything.

Using A Bullet Journal To Boost Your Productivity

A bullet journal is a great way to stay productive at work, at home or in school. Anyone can benefit from bullet journaling:

• Middle School Students
• High School Students
• College Students
• Busy Moms
• Small Business Owners
• Corporate CEOs

If you feel like you don’t have enough hours in the day to get everything done, a bullet journal can help you plan and prioritize your time, appointments and tasks – everything that contributes to your productivity.

The Bullet Journal Makes You Plan Ahead

As you make out your daily tasks lists, you consider what you should be working on and your priorities. This forces you to plan ahead and think things through instead of sitting at your desk doing busy work. Every little bit of planning can help you make progress that much faster and boost your overall productivity. If you find daily to-do lists helpful, you’ll bullet journaling an effective way to become even more productive faster.

Some people find it helpful to make out their next day’s task list at the end of the day. Others prefer to make out their list first thing in the morning, while getting ready for the day. Both are valid approaches. Give both a try and see what works for you. There is no right and wrong with bullet journaling. There are simply many different options for you to choose what works best for you. The smorgasbord of bullet journaling. 

The Bullet Journal Motivates You To Get Stuff Done

With your daily tasks recorded and prioritized, you’ll be motivated to work on checking them off. This will greatly increase your productivity in several different ways:

• You know exactly what you should be working on.
• You’ll clearly know the priority of tasks and which tasks to start with.
• You won’t waste time figuring out what your next step is.
• You won’t waste time watching cat videos because you don’t know what needs to be done.
• A clear list of tasks will push just a little harder to make sure everything gets done before you call it a day.
• Never underestimate the motivating power of checking items off your To Do List.
• You won’t lose track of tasks that you don’t complete since you will simply move them to the next day’s To Do List. No more, “Oops, I forgot that.”

The Bullet Journal Is A Great Record To Help You Reflect

A bullet journal is also a great record of what you’ve been doing on a daily basis.

• If there’s a question about when a conversation or task occurred, simply flip back through your bullet journal and you’ll have a record of it.
• If you’re diligent about keeping notes, then you’ll have that information for reference, too.
• Use the record your bullet journal provides to improve your processes, tasks and time management.
• Set aside time to look through your notes at the end of the week or the month. Reflect on what’s working and what isn’t. Where do you need to work harder? What do you need change how you’re doing?

Consistently using your bullet journal to reflect will make you better at your job, in school, and at home. Take full advantage of your bullet journal to use it as a personal and professional improvement tool.

More tips on how to use a bullet journal to be more productive:

• Bullet Journal – How to Make It Work for You
• Bullet Journal – How to Make a Cheap Journal Work
• Benefits of Using a Bullet Journal
• Bullet Journal Essentials for the Beginner
• Bullet Journal – Is It for Me?
• How to Start a Bullet Journal – 3 Types
• Start Bullet Journaling for $1
• Bullet Journal – What Is It?
• Bullet Journal Ideas for the Minimalist
• How to Bullet Journal When You Have No Time

Find all my bullet journal tips and ideas here in one spot at Bullet Journal – What You Need to Know.

For more simple and powerful productivity tips, hacks and printables, see the table below. You can scroll though the table and look for ideas or search for specific ideas with the magnifying glass in the upper right-hand corner (on desktop). Click on the topic and then click through the specific article.