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Maybe you’re familiar with bullet journaling, maybe not, but either way, you’ve heard that it can be absolute magic for increasing your productivity and getting yourself organized. Of course, you’d want to apply that to your work life! But when it’s come to starting a bullet journal for work where do we begin? By reading this post of course!
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Bullet Journaling 101
Just in case you’re not too familiar with bullet journaling here is the quick down low. Or you read the full breakdown here.
The bullet journal method has four basic components with endless ways to adapt them to your needs.
- The first is a “future log” which is an overview of a specific time frame, typically six or twelve months.
- Next is a “monthly log“, the overview of your month consisting of a calendar and a task list.
- The “daily log“, where you plan your day, drop-in tasks from your monthly task list, add notes, reminders, and anything else you want (check out rapid logging)
- And lastly, “collections“. Collections are typically trackers of specific things like habits or project progress. They can also be sets of related content, like a running list that you add to over time.
The way that you modify each of these elements is what makes your bullet journal unique. There are hundreds of possibilities for collections that you can add annually, like books to read or long-term goals, then there are collections you can add monthly ex. expense trackers and progress reports.
Or you can sign up for our 5 day mini-course which will take you from knowing nothing about bullet journals to being confident in starting your own!
- Related: How to Start a Bullet Journal For Beginners
- Related: Bullet Journal Supplies
Starting a bullet journal for work
Things to consider
When you’re starting your bullet journal for work there are a few things that you might want to consider before you start putting that pen to paper.
- Is this journal just for work or are you going to put personal content in it too? Are there any confidentiality concerns surrounding clients, patients, or projects that would cause you to want to keep personal and professional separate?
- What is going to be the main use of your journal? Do you need something that is predominantly a schedule? A task list? A breakdown of major goals and projects and all the moving parts they entail?
- Are you starting your own business? Whether you work in a company or for yourself might dictate what you need to include.
- How much space do you need for each element? Once again, depending on what your job is, you might have different needs as far as space goes for each element of your bullet journal.
Collections to Include
In a bullet journal for work, the collections will probably be a different variety than the ones you might include in a personal journal. If you’re using your journal for both, then you might want to include personal collections too.
It’s really up to you!
Here is a list to get the ideas flowing:
- Annual goals
- Quarterly goals and Action Plan (see 30-60-90)
- Project Overviews and timelines
- Contact information for partners or resources
- Trip Planner
- Mileage Tracker
- Conference Takeaways
- Work Expense Tracker
- Billable hours
- Self Development Plan
- Budget Allocation
- Social Media trackers (if you’re working as an influencer of some sort)
Setting it up
Future Log
In your journal, start by creating your future log. Depending on your set of responsibilities, you may be able to fit 3 months to a page but if you’re including personal dates and reminders, you might want to give yourself a half-page or even a whole one.
In your future log include important dates, milestones, and goals. This way they’re all here so that when you set up your monthly spread at the beginning of each month you can easily find all the information you will want in those layouts.
Learn more about setting up a future log here.
Recommendation: I have a “year at a glance” page in my journal and I find it really helpful for seeing what’s going on throughout the year. It’s helpful when assessing big projects to be able to easily see when your busiest months are. This can also make it easy to know when you’re available to book projects or take on more clients.
Annual Collections
Right after your future log is where you should put the collections you decided on that will be relevant throughout the year.
Things like your reading or self-development list, your annual goals, master projects list, Account and/or passwords, the contact information of important or frequently contacted people, and any year-long trackers that you might want to include.
These trackers could be budgets or watching how investments or strategies pay off month over month.
I would also put your first quarterly goals page here. Feel free to let this last one take up a few pages as having an action plan overview on how you’re planning to achieve those goals is just as important.
Check out my 30-60-90 Post for building your quarterly plan. There’s a free printable too!
- Related: Bullet Journal Collections: Where anything goes
- Related: 7 Trackers you’ll actually use in your bullet journal
Monthly Log
Every month you’ll set up a monthly log. Include a calendar, a task list, specific monthly goals, and major milestones. In your monthly set up you can also include any other trackers that you feel are relevant and these can change on a month-to-month basis.
Maybe you started a freelance project and you want to track your billable hours and your expenses incurred, make a tracker for that. Maybe you want to have a “two lines a day” spread where you write in what wins you had and why or what wasn’t working so you don’t do it again.
Try out any collection that you think will give you information to learn from or help your work.
- Related: Bullet Journal Supplies
- Related: 7 Monthly Trackers You’ll Actually Use
Daily or Weekly Logs
Depending on your work you might want to start your week with a few major tasks from your monthly list. Just write them at the top of your first page then on Monday, you can start jotting down your outline for the day while including any events or reminders from your monthly log.
Most of the logs that I see, and what I do myself is a weekly spread. Once again adjust your spread for how much space you need but make a section for Monday through Sunday all at the same time.
It might take a few weeks to work out how much space you need but that’s just fine. Be flexible and find out what works best.
First, in each daily section write out your major obligations, events, appointments.
After you’ve written in all the times you’re occupied take a look at the goal you have for the week.
Break that goal down into smaller tasks if necessary and write them into the day you intend to do it. All your tasks should add up to your goal being accomplished at the end of the week.
There should still be space in each section left so on that day you can add to your log with smaller reminders. These will be things that come up or you can fill it with a motivational quote or whatever else you like.
This part of your bullet journal is supposed to be fluid so give yourself space to see what’s helpful for you.
As an idea, maybe you want to have a schedule written down one side of your page and a task list on the other and you can move tasks into your schedule as you have time to do them.
More Collections
Throughout the year more ideas and projects will come up. It’s inevitable.
Simply make a new collection for it at that point and include it in the index of your journal so you can find it when needed.
You can also make a continuation of a collection page that’s full. Do this by adding the new extension’s page number at the bottom of your full original collection and adding it after a comma in the index.
To mark important collections I add a strip of washi tape down the side of the page so it’s easy to find and flip to. For example, if I have a trip coming up I would put a plan or packing list collection in that month.
Add new quarterly goals collections as the year goes on and make sure to reference your previous one for what got done and what still needs doing.
Try adding reflection collections to months that you want to review what worked well for your business and what didn’t. Reflecting will allow you to learn from mistakes and keep you from repeating them.
An endless learning and productivity tool
Remember to be creative when starting a bullet journal for work. There will be things that work and things that don’t but just add and subtract as they make themselves known.
Grow with your journal and develop a strategy that holds you accountable to your goals and you’ll see your business and/or career grow with you.
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