J- Journaling

I posted an article on Bullet Journaling aka Exhausting Inspiration years ago, regarding my qualms with the bullet journaling fad.  I still agree with many of the points I made in that article.  I want lists to be efficient more than I want them to be pretty.  I have to make sure making lists doesn't keep me from getting my priorities accomplished.  

So, around October of 2018 I decided I was going to create my own calendar.  I wasn't thrilled with any setups currently available and some ideas of lists that I'd pinned to Pinterest were intriguing to me.  So, here's a general update on what's going well and what's not!  

I love how cute these balloons turned out for birthdays (and anniversaries) that I will probably create something similar for next year.  (Yes, it's going well enough that I'm pretty sure I will do this next year too).  I haven't forgotten any birthdays so far this year.  

I liked the idea of this next one...but have found it is not realistic to have pages where you are going to need to check off on something daily unless it's already a part of your daily/weekly calendar.  I do have a weekly calendar section.  I'm not sharing any of those layouts cuz they contain too much personal info. (I've been trying a different type each month to narrow down which one I like best for next year).  SO, unless I can figure out how to make this kind of health challenge a part of the weekly layout I probably won't do it next year.

Again, I love this idea of daily, weekly, bi-weekly, etc. cleaning schedules.  It was good for me to think through them...but it is not practical to check these things off.  I quickly got behind (so did my housecleaning) and I am pretty much not using this neat list I took so long to create and draw out.

This one is truly "bondage," as my dear friend Diana would say.  I have loved the idea of doing a temperature scarf/blanket forever.  I decided to do it this year.  And honestly, because I started it I'm stubbornly going to FINISH it!  I may go crazy but I'm going to finish it.  I'm definitely NOT doing anything like this next year, though. (NOTE I'm almost a month behind in recording temperatures and two months behind in knitting them).

I also have one that looks like bookshelves...with color coding for books read, re read, and to read.  Being a rather eclectic reader I'm not open to sharing all of those books with you but I will say it's not a very efficient way to keep a list.  I guess, annually, it does give me a good accounting of what I'm reading.  It has kept me more accountable to all the books I already own and haven't read....and all the books I want to read that I should probably get out of the library because...see list of all that I already own.

Do you use a bullet journal or have favorite lists you use for every day life?  I'd love to hear all about it.  Please let me know!