Entrepreneurs are constantly hit by a stream of tasks, emails, calls, information, and ideas that may be tough to systematize or keep track of.
Also, the pressure and responsibilities that come with entrepreneurship can be overwhelming.
Bullet journaling can help you track your business performance and organize critical data like goals, budgets, and expenses, thereby boosting your productivity and profit.
Writing notes helps you relate to daily tasks and objectives, helping you stay organized. As against the swanky smartphone apps, journaling is an analog tool for improving your time-management skills and reducing
It also helps you break down large goals into manageable bites and stay on top of your tasks, triggering actions that lead you towards your goals.
Who can better appreciate the importance of improved productivity than entrepreneurs? Read on to learn how this all-embracing business tool can help you work smarter, not harder.
The Elements of Bullet Journaling
An entrepreneur is
As a business owner, it is easy to feel bogged down with a plethora of information coming to you through various channels like emails, phone calls, social media, and messages.
A bullet journal can help you organize your thoughts, persuading you to reflect and act in a potent manner.
Here are a few important elements of a bullet journal to get you started.
1.Index
The index helps you organize the content so you don’t have to flip around pages looking for notes.
Leave the first three-to-four pages of your bullet journal for the index, mentioning the title of a section and the corresponding page number.
2. Future Log
The future log in bullet journaling allows you to jot down the campaigns, appointments, events, and project deadlines for the coming months.
3. Monthly Log
The monthly log allows you to glace at the complete month’s schedule in an instant.
You can write down the monthly goals, activities, tasks, and events, enabling you to plan your time effectively.
You can go a step further and include a weekly log to stay abreast with the week’s plan.
4. Daily Log
When the work load is high, it is easy to miss out on important appointments and tasks.
The daily log in bullet journaling is the most important section of the journal that helps you list your priorities for the day.
Every morning, assign 15 to 20 minutes to write down your day’s plan and review this section at the end of the day. In case you haven’t been able to accomplish a certain task, there’s always tomorrow.
5. Collections
Collections can include everything you want to document or track based on your business needs.
For instance, if you are starting a t-shirt business, you can have sections such as the year at a glance, business performance tracker, hashtag and keywords list, affiliate marketing strategies, mileage tracker, and customer reviews.
6. Know What The Symbols Imply
A standard bullet journal uses the bullet journal key that consists of the below-mentioned symbols.
However, once you start journaling, you can use your own set of symbols and colours to come up with a key that you can relate to.
- . (Dot) for Task
- X or √ for Completed Task
- * for Priority
- ! for New Idea or Inspiration
- — for Important Notes to Self
- O for An event
- $ for Expenditures
Make The Journal Work for You
The best part of bullet journaling is that it can be easily customized to your business requirements. Thus, when starting a bullet journal, you may choose to include and leave out a few collections.
In an interview with CNBC, Ryder Carroll, the inventor of bullet journal, shares that journals are meant to evolve alongside your business needs.
Thus, if you own a blog and do not desire to maintain the daily log, you can do away with this collection and add relevant sections like blog objectives, social media performance tracker, blog content plan, and the editorial calendar.
Similarly, a traditional bullet journal simply lists dates or months with a blank space for the user to fill in important notes. As an entrepreneur, however, you may need to add several sections to jot down your marketing plans, projects, new ideas, and market data.
For instance, if your business is data-centric, you may have to create a page for each month of the year. This
Bullet journaling also allows you to review your collections list at the end of each month, enabling you to keep the ones that are relevant, add new ones, or delete those that are irrelevant.
For instance, if you had included a collection for tracking
Before starting off, it is wise to research on a few creative bullet journaling ideas that can help you create a planning and organizing system tailored to your business needs.
Enjoy the Process
No one’s going to check your journal or scoff at you for making personal entries. Everyone has a fun side!
Get creative and add sections that help you connect to your personal interests, fitness goals, meal planners, and creative ideas that presently seem unreasonable.
If you love art, feel free to doodle or use brush calligraphy to decorate the sections.
A lot of blogs and videos offer cool and ambitious ideas on maintaining the “perfect” bullet journal. Don’t fall into the perfection trap!
Your bullet journal is supposed to work for you. Use the information available online as a guide, but remember to have fun through this journey and create a system that boosts your productivity.
An entrepreneur’s mind is forever flooded with urgent tasks, business data, customer expectations, and strategies. Amidst this endless list of priorities, it can be tough to stay organized and track business progress.
If you are looking for an all-inclusive business tool that can help you manage your time effectively and stay focused on your entrepreneurial goals, start bullet journaling.
The above pointers will guide you in your journey towards using this journal for achieving entrepreneurial success.
Author Bio:
Mansi Dhorda works at E2M Solutions Inc. – a Digital Marketing Agency. She is well-versed in all things Content Marketing and Branding. During her free time, she runs her Instagram page for handmade accessories. Feel free to hit her up anytime on her Twitter handle: @mansidhorda
Stock Photo from WAYHOME studio @ Shutterstock
