Bullet journaling has become a huge source of creativity and productivity for creatives across the world. Originally created by Ryder Carroll, this style of record keeping can be as simple or as complex as you need it to be.
In this day and age, it can be hard to keep track of everything in one place. Even with technology, it can be hard to get everything down. Pen and paper can be the way to go. A bullet journal provides a way for you to be organized in a creative way. From tracking your water intake, keeping up with tasks to dreaming big with a bucket list, your bullet journal can hold as much information as you like.
Bullet journals can be a gamechanger in the workplace. Take a break from your technology and use your bullet journal to plan strategically, organize your thoughts and keep track of your calendar. Bullet journals can provide a full visual and creative freedom that computer screens would limit. This style of note taking can also liven up meetings as well. Repetitive operational meetings can get boring, but by adding notes to your bullet journal it can boosts creativity during those long days in the boardroom.
Getting started with your bullet journal:
Find your journal – Decide if you want lined or blank paper, dotted versus gridded, etc. You can get a large journal or start smaller. The key to bullet journaling is customizing it to your needs.
Figure out your topics – What do you want to include in your bullet journal? Consider creating a brain dump page before you get started. *Important note – make sure to skip a few pages at the beginning of your journal to leave room for your index.
Create your index – Consider your index your “table of contents” for your bullet journal. This will serve as your guide for finding specific information in the future. This portion will be extremely helpful once your bullet journal becomes full of your notes. Also, make sure to number your pages to keep with completing your index.
Design your key – Your key will have various indicators for your task lists. A simple dash “-” can serve as a general indicator of a task, while other symbols should be designed for different categories for your tasks. Design markings for tasks once you have completed them, moved to a different date or canceled altogether. This can evolve over time, but having a general guide is helpful.
Make it your own – Having an initial setup of pages and topics is great to get you started, but the main purpose of bullet journaling is making it your own. Search online for inspiration. Get ideas for layouts, content and more. Be sure to add some fun icons to your bullet journal with our visual note taking sheet!
Need some more inspiration? See photos of my journal below. Can’t wait to see what you create!
Now is the time to set priorities, plan out the remaining months of the year and get the team on track with a plan. Use a visual strategic planning session and graphic recording to reiterate team values, goals and motivations. Check out our top components of a strategic planning session to set up your company for success!
Restate the company’s mission –Before looking ahead, state your company’s mission. Begin the discussion sharing the company’s values and principles. This will provide a steady mindset for the strategic planning, keeping everything and everyone in line with your company’s basics.
Assess the current status – “Where are we?” Take some time to review your company’s current standings. Have team members gather statistics and updates about their areas of business. This will provide an internal understanding of what is going on and what might need some attention.
Identity the important areas – What is a top priority? What area has the most impact? Work together with your co-workers to recognize those sections.
Point out those pressure points – Review those trouble areas. How can you overcome this problem in this new season? Recognize your team’s strong skills and partner-specific people with the problems that they can tackle. Delegate and execute.
Define what must be accomplished – Set expectations during your strategic planning. Provide direction on tasks and goals that need to be completed. Review the calendar if needed. Give due dates and benchmarks for the upcoming months.
Review and review again – Check for gaps in your plan. Look for areas that might have been overlooked. Add more details. Rework deadlines as needed. Ensure each team member has time to thoroughly review the plan.
Implementation – After the strategic plan has been reviewed and finalized, it is time for implementation! Engage in periodic conversations to check in with your team. Make sure that they feel confident about their responsibilities. Provide assistance as needed.
Let our team help you visualize your strategic planning. We offer graphic recording services for Think Tanks, strategy sessions, visioning sessions, and more! Learn more through our services page here.
You have all of your content ready for your big presentation – graphs, stats and more. So how do you get your presentation noticed by the team? Keep your employees and co-workers engaged with your presentation thanks to these quick tips!
Keep the colors simple – Use solid colored backgrounds for your slides, no need for a custom background. A strong palette can keep your presentation visually appealing. Refrain from using too many different colors. Stick to 3-5 different colors throughout your slides.
Make it legible – Reading is fundamental!When creating your presentation, make sure people can actually read it. Font sizes are key to getting your message across. Keeping sizes large, about 30 pt size or larger, will allow team members to take notes and really see the information that you are sharing. Keep with the ‘Rule of 7’ for your presentation. There should not be more than seven lines of text and keep to seven words per line.
Use visuals – Elements like bar graphs or photography and illustrations can draw attention to your presentation. When using visuals, make sure that they are high-quality files. Stay away from blurry photos. Test your slides out on the big screen before you present and make sure that everything looks crisp.
A few presentation bonus tips!
Infographics – Provide an infographic as a presentation handout. Allow your audience to follow along with your information in a fresh and visual way. Our team can help with creating these visuals for your presentation. Check out our services here!
Stay on time – While you may have a lot to share, watch the clock and keep it on time. There’s nothing worse than going over time when there are other presentations after you. Be respectful of your team’s time as well. This will also help keep them focused on what you have to say if you provide an expected timeframe for your content. You can also assign someone to be the timekeeper. This will be helpful to provide 10 and 2-minute warnings during the presentation.
Thanks for reading! If you find this valuable, please share this with someone you know.
Are you or maybe someone you know planning a conference? Keep the attendees engaged, they need to SEE the big picture. Just contact me for a free consultation. I’m happy to help (smile).
It’s exciting to see art, culture and community development come together. That’s exactly what happened at NeighborWorks America #DCNTI. The agenda was interactive and creative. See In Colors supported the conference by drawing visual notes real time (graphic recording) for attendees. This convening was held on December 14, 2017 at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel in Washington, DC.
Click on the image below to watch the quick video of visual notes.
Creative Introduction with Holly Bass and local artist playing the drums.
Panel discussion on funding sources
Our closing for the day was a community poem created by all participants. As the poem was read aloud, I listened and captured some of the highlights in this graphic recording. I loved seeing the creativity throughout the day, because “out of the box” thinking is how we move toward new ideas and solutions.
Thanks for reading! If you find this valuable, please share. We love referrals.
Are you planning a meeting or conference? Keep your attendees engaged, they need to SEE the big picture. Just contact me for a free consultation. I’m happy to help.
Time waits for no one. Especially when it’s getting close to the end of the year. Ever notice how things speed up after October. What’s up with that?
This is the time to think about how you will manage your business, team, or your career in the next year. I created this visual template that allows you to focus on 3 key areas:
Stop: What are the things you need to STOP doing in order to meet your goals.
Continue: What activities have moved you closer to your goal? What will you continue to do to achieve your goal?
Start: What are the things you need to start doing to reach your goals?
Click here to print the Stop, Continue, Start template and instructions.
Of course you don’t have to wait until the end of the year to use this exercise. Here are some ideas on how you can use this template anytime:
Maybe you’re an event/meeting planner, use this exercise with your team after you finish a large project. Build on your success and drop whatever is holding you back.
What if you are in a leadership position. Use this exercise with your team at the end of each quarter or mid-year. This allows you to make course corrections early.
Maybe you’re a consultant or trainer, use this exercise during your workshop to help your group take lessons learned and make adjustments.
Larger wall size versions of this template are available, perfect for group activities and workshops.
Are you ready to use visual communication for your next meeting, just contact me for ideas. I’m happy to help.
Graphic recording is a skill used to capture and summarize meeting content by using hand drawn pictures and text. Using the visuals of graphic recording helps with retention, decision-making...
