It was very nearly a disaster. It was a Sunday. I’d done my weekly planning in the morning, organised my calendar for the week and made my lists. I’d been to a meeting at my studio and written down all the points. Then I measured up my space so I could buy furniture. And for once in my life, it was all in one notebook, not on a million scraps of paper.
Then I popped to my Mum’s for dinner and LEFT IT THERE!
I didn’t realise for ages, then went to look for it to check my Monday plans and panicked. Eventually, I had the presence of mind to call Mum. She said she thought it was just a notebook of mine.
A BULLET JOURNAL IS NEVER JUST A NOTEBOOK!
We tried several times that week to retrieve it. It wasn’t lost for long. I was being dramatic. But it was away from me for eight days which felt like a lifetime. Eventually realised I’d have to cope without it for a week or so.
Bujo addicts and planner converts – have you tried living without your planner?
I was a walking disaster!
My Bujo is key to be being organised
It turns out that once I write something down by hand, with a pen, in my planner, it removes itself from my brain.
Helpful for feeling calmer and getting more done. Decidedly unhelpful when you can’t recall where you are meant to be and why (or when).
I missed work meetings, forgot birthdays, put the wrong bins out. I missed burlesque class because I didn’t realise it was Wednesday. And by Tuesday I was refusing to make any plans with anyone (including doctor’s appointments) in case I was double-booking myself.
Once I eventually retrieved it, there was then a readjustment period where I kept misplacing the damned thing and then having a full-scale panic. I can tell you that the entirety of my day job colleagues now think I’m utterly mad. Especially as I do have a wall planner, kitchen calendar and Google calendar. I can also confirm that I feel distinctly saner when my bullet journal is safe & within sight. Clearly, my other calendars are in no way up to date enough!
Losing it was much more awful than the loss of a small hardback notebook should be, really.
Backup ideas welcome
I am now percolating ideas for a backup. The contents are pretty worthless to anyone else. But it would disastrous for me to lose.
I’d love to hear other stories of planner loss & disaster, to reassure me I’m not alone, and more crucially, to find out how you all cope when it happens! Comment here or drop me an email – carla@inkdrops.co.uk 😀