The Cult of BuJo, Part 1
I have joined a cult. Like most cult members, I didn't mean to. When it started I was just attracted to the ideas put forth by its leader, Ryder Carroll. To be fair, Mr. Carroll probably did not intend to start a cult, and there is no evidence that he wants to be a cult leader. But still, he started it.
BuJo is the cult's object of worship. BuJo is a very benevolent guide, despite its ridiculous nickname, which is short for Bullet Journal.
How did I get sucked in? I was recently advised to start carrying a paper planner, to replace or supplement my digital attempts to organize my life: Todoist, Trello, IFTTT, OneNote, Evernote...I'm sure there are others. I was hesitant to do this because I have tried the paper route: DayRunners, Franklin Covey...I'm sure there are others. But, I figured, maybe I should try again. (Such a dumb optimist I be sometimes.) So I asked my good friend Google if it had any ideas for me. Lo, and behold! Google led me to the Bullet Journal website, bulletjournal.com.
An organizational system that claimed to require only a pen and notebook, any old notebook. (Note: this is correct. Technically.) Well, I thought, I have pens, I have notebooks. Let’s explore further. I wasn’t interested in any tutorials that took more than three minutes, so I followed links to a one-page Quick Reference Guide, courtesy of tinyrayofsunshine.com. I got excited: a new thing to try! (This happens approximately every two weeks with me. Even in my jaded internet state, I can still run across an idea, a system, a product that gets my ambitious little heart pounding.) I told myself, KS, take it slow. You know how these internet flings can burn hot and then fizzle out. I sobered up and decided to approach the process like a grownup. I did an atom of research and learned that 99.9% of bullet journalists (I really hope that term is tongue-in-cheek) use a bound notebook, like a Moleskine. I knew I didn’t have any empty Moleskines at home so I bounded across the street to the big office supply store. I found a notebook that would meet my needs, and I got started, having no clue that I was entering a cult.
