Are you a list maker?
Mapping out or writing down goals, items, reasons to be thankful and project steps helps us keep get a clear picture of the paces between point A and point B.
Not that we’re in control of time but when we picture time like a cake we get to portion out and assign to different areas of life, planning on paper comes in handy for outlining steps, while making room for sweet surprises and inevitable challenges.
It’s a helpful way of making note of what needs to be taken care of, and in what order – so we don’t forget.
Ever had a sweet melody, perfect pair of lines for a poem or an idea for a post you either forgot to record as a voice note, jot down or type out somewhere? It’s true, when they’re really good we tend to remember, but there are moments when you get more than one or two ideas at a time.
A memory is an amazing thing, but we can overload the brain when we give it a million different assignments and things to remember.
When you ‘get on a roll‘ as a blogger, ideas can rush in waves and it feels as if you’ll never run out of things (related to your blog) to write about…but there are moments along the road when ideas can trickle or eek their way into a post, depending on the season.
Sometimes, I toggle between using a bullet journal and a designated note in the Notes app on the phone, to jot down blog post ideas.
The posts that make it onto the editorial calendar and the project management app I use to map blog content are already published, and a lot more detailed with multimedia info and related links per post. But when it comes to quick scribbles to track flowing thoughts in between designing doodles, a pen and paper comes in handy.
Why would you use a physical notebook at all, instead of just using tech?
Sometimes, one or two ideas for upcoming posts come up and when you ride that wave, without interruptions, more can follow.
Writing by hand does something to our brain. It’s easier to commit things to memory, and since most bloggers can type fast as ever, slowing down to form each letter lets the brain breathe and ideas form.
Plus, writing gives our thumbs some strength-training after all that tapping-and-scrolling.
Ideally, you want something as clear as possible; nothing too distracting on the pages unless you’re adding your own splashes of colour to enhance or relate to your lists.
A bullet journal doesn’t have to be in a specific format; pages can be lined, graphed or not.
You can use a bullet journal to:
- map your weekly activities
- list blog post ideas in a central place
- log goals
- make a note of guests to invite to your podcast
- outline steps related to a project
Just like bullet points in a blog post ease readability, a bullet journal helps to keep content concise. A lot different from a regular journal or diary, where the writing’s more fluent and not necessarily related to a set theme.
Because a bullet journal can be sectioned into different categories, an index on front page (or immediately at the back of the cover) will be helpful for easily finding the page for the project you’re looking for.
Like: INDEX
Blog post ideas – pg. 3-50
Podcast topics – pg 51-70
Guest list- you get the idea
I’m not a fan of crossing out lines or slightly-messy pages, so mapping content with tech is something I like to do (a lot), but there are times when I purposely prefer to plan without a phone in hand or screen on.
And most times, I end up writing more than I’d thought and coming up with blog post ideas, song titles, font designs and a longer list of things to add to the day’s gratitude list.
Maybe you use a bullet journal already? Any advice you want to add – something I might have missed mentioning in this post that can help someone reading this?
Better yet, check out bluchickenninja for much more on bullet journaling; she’s a pro when it comes to them.
If it sounds like something you’d like to start, remember – it doesn’t need to be fancy. But it does come in handy when planning your upcoming posts.
Related post: 3 ways to Plan Your Blog Content
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A Tropical Lifestyle Blog with singer, songwriter Indra. KINGDOM CALL album is here 
I love looking a pretty journals , but realistically I dont do pretty as it takes away from foing and i cant do pretty. Lol
Lol. Know whatcha mean about pretty journals – love them too. So you use a bullet journal too? Hope to see you here soon again
Well I journal. I semi try to bullet journal. But, I had my way of getting stuff done way before the bullet journal and it still works. I bullet journal they are pretty. But too much time in planning not enuf in doing. Have a safe weekend
Thanks, you stay safe too
Thank you for visiting and following my blog. Nice to meet you. You have the same name as my aunt, so I was wondering how you got a name form India. Are you part Indian?
I like the name of your blog because I believe that we create JOY from WITHIN. I do that everyday 😃
Thanks so much for sharing that and i also believe that inner joy matters so much in life. Yes, my grandmother was an indigenous Kalinago woman and alot of relatives are from Trinidad & Tobago. I grew up on mostly East Indian food. Have a sweet rest of the day and I’ll be sure to try some of your recipes.
Thank you ☺
your hair is gorgeous! I’m an avid bullet journaller as I really enjoy the creative process and I find it’s such a helpful way to get all my ideas out xx
Thaaank youuuu. And yesss…they’re so helpful for making notes look way more clear and not jumbled-up. Do you have a favourite type of book/paper/pens to use? Thanks for sharing
thanks for sharing, I am a therapuetic writer and journaling has helped me immensely. Glad I ran across your blog.
Thanks for sharing, glad it’s helpful for you and welcome!
Sometimes my brain gets too clutter with ideas. I like using a blog dump page to sort out all the clutter. Like you I use my bujo as well as the notes app on my phone. I don’t carry my bujo everywhere I go so the notes app comes in handy. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you too for sharing, Cynthia. So right, sometimes ideas come in waves so it’s good to make a note (in Notes) in real-time. Hope to see you here again soon.