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.
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.
We recently finished up an awesome project with OCLC for their annual meeting at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel.. See In Colors provided graphic recording for hundreds of attendees. OCLC is a global library cooperative whose members are librarians, researchers, and pioneers. Check out the video for a recap of the visual summaries.
Lots and lots of drawing!
Attendees took a poll on 1 word that summarizes the future. When the results came on the screen, I drew this picture for the word INNOVATIVE.
I loved working with the OCLC team. They were created an interactive atmosphere and leveraged all the power of visual communications.
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).
What happens when you are running a meeting or a workshop and the group starts to stray away from the agenda?
Maybe someone mentions a topic and another person jumps in to add their thoughts. Before you know it, the entire group is now discussing something outside the scope of your meeting. I have seen this happen time and time again. And so have you right? When I am supporting a facilitator with graphic recording, I always offer to create a Parking Lot for the meeting.
The Parking Lot is a placeholder for capturing ideas that should be followed up at a later date outside of the meeting. It keeps your meeting on course and it shows the contributor that you acknowledge their idea/concern.
Here is a quick video that explains how to use the technique.
What’s your favorite method for keeping meetings on track? I’d love to hear it.
Facilitating a meeting involves juggling a number of moving parts. We hope this technique will help you during your next meeting or workshop. Learn how we can support you with visual notes and meeting design, click here
On July 10th I had the chance to provide graphic recording for NASSP at the National School Principal Conference. This conference brought over a thousand K-12 principals from across the country to Philadelphia, PA. In the evening, the NASSP had their Salute to Leaders Recognition and Awards program.
Here are some pictures from the event. I can’t wait until next year, I really enjoy sharing the power of visual learning with education leaders.
The Jostens Team (yes, the company you bought your graduation ring from!)
Display Setup in Expo Hall give attendees time to reflect.
Breakout session led by Jayne Ellspermann & Tom Dodd
Keynote Speaker Simon Bailey, “Releasing Leadership Brilliance”
NASSP Salute to Leaders, recognition and awards
Thanks for reading! I appreciate all the comments and feedback that you send me (smile). I love referrals too, please continue to spread the word about See In Colors.
If you want to use visual images for your next project, conference, or strategy session, 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...
