by Shameera Nair Lin

It has often been said that making a plan is the first step to getting you somewhere. Not everyone has the same approach to planning: organised chaos is a way of planning in itself. In the first part of our two-part series on ways to approach planning your work, we figured we could walk you through a few journaling and planning ideas.

1. Bullet Journaling

The bullet journal method (BuJo), created by Ryder Carroll in the 90s as he went through college, is an incredibly flexible way to get all your needs located in one place. To begin, you will require a notebook of any sort – though dotted grids are recommended for the most flexibility – a pen/pencil, and 20 minutes of your time to set it up. There are many instructive guides on how to get your version of the bullet journal going – here is one to get started with the basics.

A bullet journal allows you to have the following and more: a to-do list; tasks divided according to priority; random thoughts slotted between pages; sudden ideas that come to mind. It is what you want it to be, making it the lowest commitment to a journal or the highest.

2. A Work Notebook

This is as clear-cut as it sounds: dedicate a journal to all work-related thoughts. If you are the sort of person who does not have a precise goal at the start of the project, write down thoughts as they come and store them away in this particular journal, placing it on your work table. And if you enjoy a separation between thoughts and tasks, this is the perfect way to supplement a business planner. Be sure to add a date at the top of the page, just so you are able to track down your thought process when it comes time to pluck out ideas for development.

3. Passion Planner

Some of us might need a bit of motivation at the start of the day. If you find yourself looking for such motivation, start looking for a way to make passion your focus as you plan your work. The Passion Planner is an adjustable planner system where you can buy a pre-made planner by the folks at Passion Planner, or simply adopt the system in a pre-existing planner. Or if you wish to go digital, the planner and its add-ons are available for free here. Think dotted pages to map out inspirational thoughts, reflections, groceries, both personal and professional habit trackers and prioritised to-do lists. Apart from the BuJo, this is one of the most seamless and accessible forms of planning.