Bujo method: Living with more intention
Bujo stands for Bullet Journal which is a method for bringing more intentionality into ones life by Ryder Carroll. Theare are alternatives such as more sophisticated personal productivity system called GTD (Gettings Things Done) created by David Allen. In this article, I state reasons why I am staying with Bujo for now although I think the two could be used in parallel.
There is simply a lot happening at once. That's why I used to manage my life through various digital services. In the beginning of 2023, I gave up on my digital productivity tools Notes, Reminders and Calendar as I had beem failing to achieve what I wanted despite having everything noted down with alarms set. In January, I read a book called The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future by Bujo author Ryder Carroll that inspired me to make this move and I am very happy I did it.
Intentionality
Digital tools failed me and so I gave up on them in January. I have been using them for years during my high school and college years. Writing something down digitally, having it accessible from any device and anywhere at any time has a downside which is not apparent from the first moment. I have realized that this comfort is a disability that stands in a way before an actual execution.
As with everything, there should be a compromise. I am still using my Calendar with Cal so that it is easy to keep track of meetings with others. But I do not think I am going to use a digital to-do list in the near future. Taking that extra step of writing something down with a physical pen makes you think twice if you really want to put that item in there. This additional step is a fundamental element to intentional living, also described by Ryder in his book.
Reflections
Ryder recommends to make daily, weekly and monthly reflections during which you allocate time to re-evaluate items that are on your lists (Monthly log, Daily log, Collections). During the 3 months trial (time period recommended by Ryder) that is currently ending for me, I found myself forgetting to do daily reflections. As a side effect of that, I started losing track of my priorities in life. Bullet Journal serves as a place where you offload your thoughts so you can stay in the moment.
Migrations
Migration is a process during which you analyze tasks that weren't completed during last month and decide whether it makes sense to move them somewhere else or delete them completely. In addition to this, I started writing down my thoughts in regards to progress I have made during last month relative to my personal goals and projects. Migration is a great filter and a perspective shift from day-to-day life to month-to-month birds eye view.
Bujo is enough for me, at least right now
There are more sophisticated systems than Bujo such as GTD. While Bujo provides lots of flexibility and allows to live with more intention, I think it may not be sufficient at some point. Bujo provides everything I need right now. Thanks to the method, I am able to have a better understanding of a direction I am heading. At the same time, I am able to choose the direction more clearly and with more authenticity as I am no longer working in my mind alone, but also a sheet of paper that keeps track of the mess I used to carry with me.
With Bujo, I make sense of my mess and take meaningful action.