Week 43: Lists (The Bullet Journal Method Book Club)

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Hello Sunshine!

This section is all about Lists and how to maximize them. I was pleased to see my favorite detail, columns!

Resources:

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Lists

Pages 255 - 260

Welcome to week 43 of The Bullet Journal Method Book Club!

“Since we’re working with various types of data in our vacation project (dates, times, dollars, etc.), we can optimize each type of content by tailoring layouts to best support their function. The most basic template is the list. Lists provide an effective convenient way to organize content and are simple to create. They allow us to capture information quickly by encouraging us to keep our entries short and to the point. Few design conventions can do so much with so little. It’s why the list is the core design pattern in the Bullet Journal.” It’s easy to quickly make lists overwhelming, so Ryder shares tips on how to curate lists “so they remain focused and manageable.”

In the example of the Mauna Kea list, brainstorm all of the activities you’d like to do (as seen on page 256).

Prioritizing:

  • Once your list is more or less complete, ask yourself: “Which items excite you? Which don’t? Weigh each entry on a mental scale and take a first pass using the “*” Signifier to prioritize the items you feel strongest about or are the most time sensitive, and strike off the items you feel “meh” about. We’re not here to design a lukewarm life.”

  • There’s a human element that also needs to be considered. If you’re traveling with others, for example, it would be a good idea to to consider “your companions’ allergies, likes, dislikes, etc.”

Context:

“Context provides information that will help us prioritize. To that end, let’s add some parameters to our list that will help facilitate our decision-making by adding some context: location, time, and cost. It’s simply information we can later use to facilitate our choices.”

Add columns to give your list more context. 

“Invariably a lot of options on our list will remain for now because they all seem fun. That’s okay. As we progress through our planning, we’ll revisit our list and filter the items through new considerations surfaced by the other Collections we’ll set up later. As with all the core Collections, your Custom Collections can influence each other.”

Discussion: 

  • What did you find helpful from this section?

  • How do you create your lists?

  • Have you used columns to give your list context?

Action List: 

  • List out activities from your research with Mauna Kea (page 256).

  • Place a priority * Signifier to the left of the activities you’re most excited about or are time sensitive. Consider those you’re traveling with (their allergies, likes, dislikes, etc.). 

  • Strike out any activities that can “tip the scales for options that you’re hung up on.”

  • Add context with columns by adding a T (time) column, L (location) column, and a $ for cost.

Your thoughts:

Share your thoughts about this week’s topic in the comments below. Feel free to respond to this week’s discussion points.

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