I Love My Bullet Journal

In the technology induced world we live in, there is something that could either make me super modern or a tad old fashioned. If you ask my spouse, he will say extremely old fashioned and behind the curve, this is something that he makes fun of me over.

You know… the modern real estate broker that has a presence in social media, including Instagram and Pinterest. I’m that person. I had a bunch of colleagues just yesterday asking me how on earth would one use Pinterest as a marketing channel, and I explained how I do it. My clients reach out to me through Facebook, LinkedIn or sometimes Instagram. I even have an Amazon Echo real estate broker account, if you would prefer to talk with me through Alexa in the comfort of your home. I have clients that prefer text messages as their only method of communication, and if that’s what you want, consider yourself heard. I will text you everything I possibly can…listings, negotiations, contract drafts. You tell me your preference is to text. I will text. Most clients operate through email, some through FB messenger, and it has become somewhat of a rarity to have a phone conversation.

Pretty cool? Or just the usual every day life? Hey, I chat with Alexa daily, and Alexa knows how to operate my lights and doors and pretty much everything.  I pay with my watch at the grocery store and order my coffee ahead of time through Starbucks app. I think it’s cool, but it’s also something that comes to me effortlessly, it doesn’t twist my brain, it just is.

But as you reach out to me through social media, text or email, to set up an appointment, or maybe we are going to go and tour homes, I will open my bag and pull out my planner. Yes, I admit. I don’t do electronic calendar. I don’t do it through my iPhone, iWatch or Outlook, I don’t sync. Yes, if you want a calendar reminder, I will send you one, but my planner is on paper.

I tried. I promise, I tried hard, but I was a lost case trying to coordinate myself, work, clients and a family of five, plus a dog. School stuff, therapies, veterinary appointments, dinners, lunches, meetings, doctor’s appointments… The thing is, they are no longer toddlers, so there’s stuff that I need to know about, and I need to remember, but I no longer have to be there. I could not have it set up so that I would know where to be and when. I tried, and I failed, repeatedly, and I went back to paper, bought a planner and tried to be happy. Well, ready made planners don’t have pages for client notes in convenient places. Neither do they have pages to track my daughter’s mood changes or son’s migraines. Instead they have extra pages for one thing or another that I never needed. Who on earth uses a phone book these days? Well, I’m sure someone does.

I had considered it before, but then put the thought aside as it seemed too time consuming. I had looked at bland notebooks at craft stores multiple times and then given up the thought again until I came across bullet journaling. I can hardly call mine a bullet journal. It truly is the simplest version, and lacks all the fancy colorful pages. I fail to reflect on my thoughts and emotions or roadmaps to important life events. It’s mostly black and white, but I love my journal. Truthfully, more than a journal it’s my DIY planner that I tweak it to fit my needs month by month. I leave empty pages for random notes, and I have pages for those migraines and moods. It has everything I want, in the order I want it. No empty pages for stuff that I don’t do like.

 The best thing though, once I write it down, I tend to remember it.