“Good order is the foundation of all things.” – Edmund Burke
I remember vividly the first day I started using a planner, not a calendar, but a planner. It was my first day in my first official career related job. The owner walked me through the house rules of this small, niche public relations firm in downtown Detroit. And then it happened.
He handed me two Franklin Planners – a desk version and a pocket version. He offered three simple rules: keep the calendars synchronized, leave the desk version in the office and carry the pocket version with me at all times. He also suggested that the instructions in the planner would help me maximize the entire system.
I was hooked.
My contacts, projects, priorities, appointments and special occasions all in one place. I mean this was novel. A true epiphany for me. I would use a Franklin Planner for another 20 years. Until I decided to go digital. I started with a Trio and evolved to an iPhone which remains my go to digital device for organization, productivity, and well – fun stuff.
For several years, I attempted to work with the iPhone only for organization. I was very successful in maintaining my calendar and contacts. The weak spot for me was managing notes and projects plans. I looked up several apps. Downloaded them. Even started entering data.
Yet, I lacked the discipline to stick with the digital tools. So my desk would be a wrought with sticky notes, to-do lists and random pieces of paper holding vital project information. I was far from organized.
I was losing out:
On time. I’d waste minutes every day looking for sticky notes and random pieces of paper related to the task at hand.
On clarity. I was working in the moment, doing what was necessary but not necessarily what was important. Every day was a scramble to figure out what was the next step.
On the big picture. My foresight was shortsighted. I was mastering tasks with little to no consideration to other projects and priorities.
On mental capacity. My brain was on overload. It was constantly churning thinking about projects … Did I do this? Did I do that?
On peace. Simply put, this lack of organization was stressful.
That’s when I made a new decision. I would eradicate these wasteful practices and apply proven strategies for organizational success. Enter the bullet journal. It’s the new black. And I would be lost without it.
