I use my bullet journal for personal writing and notes (nothing work-related), so I don’t have much that needs to be tracked on a daily basis.
A couple years ago, I started tracking how I spent my spare time. More specifically, days I spent consuming media vs. working on creative hobbies and side projects. I played with a few different formats and settled on this one, back in May 2018:
My first monthly log
It’s similar to the monthly log in the official bullet journal method, but I added columns to track activities for media consumption (pictured in the yellow columns above) and creative work (pictured in the blue columns). I also had a column for “social”, which was any time I spent hanging out with family or friends. My “other” column served as a catchall for everything else, like chores or errands. And there was space for brief notes for each day.
I liked this format, but the blue columns were mostly empty month after month. That’s because I cycle through what kind of creative projects I work on. For example, I’m rarely drawing and writing at the same time. It’s typically one, and then the other. And I have times where I’m not working on any creative projects at all, for whatever reason.
Also, it didn’t really matter to me what kind of media consumption I spent time on (reading, writing, or listening). Having separate columns for those didn’t help me.
So, I simplified.
A simpler monthly log
A few iterations later, this is what my monthly log looked like:
Fewer columns. I had three, plus a section for notes.
CBA = Creative Bank Account
The first column is for “Creative Bank Account.” This is an idea from Jake Parker (see his overview video). To summarize his video:
- To produce art, you need to build up a “bank account” of inspiration
- This could be movies, books, TV shows, music, live performances, museum visits, hobbies…anything that inspires you or teaches you
- Inspiration doesn’t have to be related to what you’re producing
- When you aren’t feeling inspired to produce art, it might be because your bank account is “low.” So, that means you need to make a “deposit”–surround yourself with inspiration to build up your creative bank account again
I marked this box when I spent time making “deposits” into my creative bank account. What were 3 yellow columns the year before were condensed to one column.
CO = Creative Output
The second column is for “Creative Output.” This is for time I spent working on a creative project. That could be drawing, writing, or making something. And it included practice time; not only finished work. The blue columns from the year before were now condensed to one column.
The asterisk
The asterisk (*) column served as my catchall. I marked this for social events or running errands. Anything that was not CBA or CO.
I liked the simpler layout. At the end of the month, I could see at a glance where I spent my time when it came to creative work.
This format served me well, but I noticed a trend over time. I marked the CBA and asterisk columns every day. The CO column was the only one that varied.
I didn’t need to have columns for things that happen every day. That didn’t help me see a pattern. So I simplified the log even further.
Simpler still
Starting in May 2020, this is what my monthly log looks like:
One column to track CO, and then space for brief notes each day. And that’s it.
Besides being quick and easy to fill out the log every day, this simplified format is also easy to draw. Fewer columns, fewer lines, means a faster setup every month.
I like looking for ways to simplify my journal. The less time I spend on layouts and formatting, the more time I have for writing and working on projects.
Are there things you like to track monthly? How do you go about about it? Please let me know in the comments, or send me a message.