I’m not much for New Years Resolutions. I’ve only made, much less kept, one resolution in my entire life. I resolved to become a mom, but I didn’t know I was already pregnant, so it was pretty much cheating. You shouldn’t take any life-changing, new-year-starting advice from me. Besides, I think you’re already pretty great. Another year is just another year. You don’t need to be your best self or whatever. Look at you! You’re already raising tiny humans into semi-productive members of society! You’re already the best!
Please do not read this as an “organize your life for maximum awesomeness in the new year!” kind of story. Read this as an “I stumbled into something helpful and humbly present it to you for consideration if resolutions are your thing or not whatever is cool with you” kind of thing.
For me, it wasn’t a new year that sparked a need to try something new. It was a new job. Back in August, I took on an additional work responsibility: when a trusted colleague and mentor needed someone to teach a university class, I stepped in. I’d never taught at a college level before – or really, taught at any level ever – and I was keeping my demanding day job, plus I was going to keep raising the preschoolers I birthed a few years back, and also maybe maintain a home life, so yeah, I was suddenly in way over my head.
Daily planners, calendars, and to-do lists have always been a hot mess for me. I loved my Palm Pilot back in the day, but once those fell out of vogue I was left with a mash-up of post-it notes, shared Google calendars, and a work task list that sat on my desk at work and did me no good at midnight when I freaked out about a job I’d forgotten to do. I’ve tried and failed to maintain any kind of written planner and shrugged when friends geeked out about their cool new layouts. A fellow busy mom kept mentioning her “bullet journal” and I figured it was, like, speed dating but for diarists. Then I happened to see local mom, writer, and general rock star Nora McInerny talk about her dot journal on Instagram, touting it as one way she manages her anxiety and keeps tabs on her enormously busy schedule.
Well, if it can keep someone I admire from a distance who does, like, eleventy billion times more stuff than me on track, maybe this is a thing. I figured I’d Google it.
Beloved moms: do not Google it. Okay, fine, do it if you want. People call it bullet journaling because you make bullet points before list items, and also probably because it is indeed meant to be fast. Some also call it a “bujo” which is shorthand for bullet journal. I prefer “dot journal” because I’m one of those weirdos who doesn’t love weaponized language, but mostly because it does indeed involve a bunch of dots both for your list items and, ideally, for the kind of journal you use. So go ahead and do a Pinterest search for bullet journal tips or bujo inspiration or dot journal layouts. When you get over the shock and horror of intricate calligraphy, expensive brush pens, and mood trackers (mine would just say “tired” all month, I think), you come right on back to this post.
Honestly, it was scouring blog after blog about perfect equipment and creative handwriting that made me give up on the whole idea. Friends, I’m not that creative. I thought maybe I wasn’t cut out for this trendy life-management thing. But then I did two things that I can also recommend to you. First, I read Rachel Wilkerson Miller‘s Dot Journaling: A Practical Guide. She’s a writer for Buzzfeed and popularized dot journaling on that site. She keeps her book simple, accessible, and actually kind of funny. Secondly, at the suggestion of a friend, I Googled things like “minimalist bujo” and “dot journaling for men” which, as awful and sexist as it sounds, set aside the frills and focused on the function.
It is from there that I learned all you really need for this life hack: a pen, a journal, and a ruler.
Seriously. I know I said that the journal is supposed to have dots instead of lines, and you probably noticed that mine is a regular old lined journal. That’s because I had a Moleskine journal bouncing around, and rather than buy a new journal, I decided to use the one I have. Basically, use what you have. Hardcover is great, since it’s going to be kicking around with you a while, and you want it big enough to be functional but small enough to fit in your diaper bag without adding 17 pounds. And since you might not be using a sweet dot journal for its intended purpose, I strongly suggest you add a small ruler to your starter kit. I use it a lot to measure out grids and draw straight lines. And then finally, a pen. Aficionados will wax eloquently about ballpoint or gel ink or bleed through and just stop right there. Just get a pen. I got one that wrote clearly and felt nice. Problem: solved.
Now, that’s not saying you can’t get lots of other great stuff. Here’s my current stash, thanks to a sweet birthday gift haul:
You’ll see that I have:
- My old grey journal, sassed up with a unicorn sticker, which I’m gladly still using.
- A new, fancy Leuchtturm 1917 dot journal that I’ll use eventually.
- A few different brands of colored markers and black pens.
- Two rulers: one that’s just as long as my pages, and one with extra length and grids.
- Metal book darts to mark pages.
- Lots of fun washi tape.
- And barely pictured: the desk in my house where I sit and keep it all. This is where I camp out before the end of the day, at the start of a week, or whenever I need some organization time. It’s nice to have a designated spot, even if you have to clean it up at the end of every session.
But be cool: all you really need is a journal, a pen, and a ruler. And maybe a teensy, brief Google search. And a desire to get all the moving parts of your life together.
I know you’re saying, but what even is this sorcery? Basically, a dot journal is a single, blank book where you can add all your to-do lists, calendar items, future plans, and just random stuff that you can’t trust your brain to keep track of. It’s a diary, a calendar, a project list, and your new best friend. It is a low-tech second brain. Ready to learn more? Catch me next time with part two of my guide. And trust me, you’ll make it until then. Remember, you’re doing great already.
