I once had my bag stolen when travelling. It contained nothing much of value, and nothing that was a disaster to lose, just some clothes, perfume and of course some sentimental, irreplaceable objects I will always be a bit sad not to have such as my mother’s wide, black belt.
The reason I am telling you this is that I was very relieved that it was my travel bag which was stolen, which I always pack with utmost care to make sure there is nothing in it that might land me in trouble if other people get hold of it.
That event in my life got me to think about my bullet journal. At that time everything went into one notebook, and that notebook went with me everywhere. First drafts, weekly plans, journaling…it was all in that one notebook.
I started leaving my bullet journal at home because I was afraid to have it stolen. Now, my bullet journal never contains anything but personal reflections, daydreams, to-do lists. It would be worth little to anyone except perhaps some insane person wanting to pose as me convincingly. Still, it stayed at home.
It soon became apparent I needed my bullet journal with me. Not to be in actual control of the flow of information, but to feel as if I was. There is a difference between the two. No information was lost due to me not having my bullet journal with me. I wrote things down in the margin of the notebook I happened to carry, on my phone. Appointments went into my electronic planner. Nothing was lost, and yet…
I started wondering, which I hadn’t for some time, about where certain information should be put. Was it things I should wait to write down until I got home so I could add them to my bullet journal? Was it information that should be o my calendar, for easy referencing when out and about? Was it something even worth noting down?
Bullet journaling solves a big problem for me: my perfectionism. It is a constant flow of information. It is simple, it is straightforward, and there is no real sorting needed to be done, not really, not once you have some kind of referencing system in place. In my case I use edge colour coding, which works perfectly for me.
Information was not flowing like that when I did not use my bullet journal.
I solved the issue by getting a sidekick. A small pocket sized notebook which holds only the most essential things that I need when out and about. A monthly overview, a spread for any upcoming things I already know about, and then any information I need to have with me when out and about. It might be a shopping list, travel directions (I always write travel directions down since it helps me memorise them which makes travelling easier). Sometimes it is something else.
The point is that my sidekick is exactly that, a sidekick to be used when out and about. I very rarely do any journaling in it. I might note down a bullet point about something interesting to write about at length in my bullet journal later, but generally, what goes in it is things I can throw out at any time without regretting it.
I feel much more comfortable now, when out and about. I have all the benefits of having a bullet journal with me, a simple, straightforward system to keep me on track, without the worries of losing my personal reflections, journaling etc.
How about you, have you ever considered the issue of losing your bullet journal before? And if you have, how have you solved it?
findingmyowntwofeet 