Career and Personal Development

The Ultimate Guide to your Commonplace Bullet Journal (CoBuJo): Part I

A common place book is a depository for ideas, goals, observations and other important information. The purpose of the book is to be a record of your life and to organize these important gems for later use in your life. It is more focused than an everyday journal. It is not a record of your daily life and habits. It is a more focused approach to journaling and allows for reflection without rumination. Because of this, it allows your brain to grow and make more meaningful connections between thoughts and ideas.

Bullet journals have been an appealing solution to those of us who think and process information artistically. Bullet journaling is a method of taking notes that uses bullet points as the main structure. They are usually a combination of to-do lists, daily planner, and journal. Bullet Journals contain the to-accomplish lists, appeal to those of us who prefer pen and paper to-do lists, allow for continuous goal-setting and progress reviews, and often appeal to those who love planners, or want to love planners.

My own journal is a combination of a commonplace journal and a bullet journal, I call it a CoBuJo. It does not contain any of the daily habit trackers or or even a daily planner, but instead focuses on goal setting and strategic life planning. But, it does so with all the beauty and grace of a bullet journal. This post is the first of a series of articles on setting up and inspiration for your own work CoBuJo journal.

Supplies

Journal Setup

  • Fill in Your Page Numbers:
    • Pages i through viii are index pages.
      • i: Name and Contact Information
      • ii: Permissions
      • iii: Index, Numbers i-viii, 1-24
      • iv: Index, Numbers 25-56
      • v: Index, Numbers 57-88
      • vi: Index, Numbers 89-120
      • vii: Icon Library
      • viii: (Bonus or Empty Page)
    • Pages 1 through 120 are journal pages.
      • Note: Consider marking every 5th page number in red pen instead of black to make scanning easier.

Journal Page Ideas and Inspiration

  • Personal Core Values
  • Personal Vision Statement and Vision Board
  • Personal Mission Statement
  • Roles (or Hats That You Wear)
  • Habits to Foster
  • Natural Talents
  • Professional Qualifications and Experiences
  • Accomplishments (Record for Yearly Review)
  • Professional Bucket List (Goals)
  • Hard and Soft Skills
  • Dream Life (Emphasis on Work Life)
  • The Perfect Day (Emphasis on Work Life)
  • The Perfect Realistic Day (Emphasis on Work Life)
  • 1912 Optimistic Creed
  • Things You Can Control
  • Ikigai Diagram
  • Weekly Review Check Routine
  • Social Media Strategy
  • Social Media Categories and Tags
  • Affirmations
  • CV Sections
  • Transcripts
  • Abbreviations
  • Dewey Decimal Classifications
  • Research Administration Classification System
  • Brainstorm: Papers to Publish
  • Brainstorm: Skills to Master
  • Brainstorm: Journals to Publish In
  • Brainstorm: Potential Mentors
  • Steps/Goals to Earn Faculty Appointment

Perseverance Tips

  • Use it or loose it, review weekly and aim for a new page entry each week
  • Learn from your mistakes as you go on, don’t give up when a page fails
  • Don’t use other people’s goals word for word, use them as inspiration and adapt
  • Don’t make it too complicated or elaborate, each page should take 15 minutes top

Over the next few months, I will share the pages of my own bullet journal to help you explore and expand the page inspirations listed here.

Article publié pour la première fois le 02/04/2018

Further Reading

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