Forward Planning in A Bullet Journal

Dear Lissy,

I've been enjoying a "One Book July" challenge and learning to use the elegant simplicity of a bullet journal.  One of the regular complaints with a bullet journal is the difficulty of forward planning.  I have no desire to create more noise in a simple bullet journal by making a calendar section or creating a page of "future events and tasks" I have to check every day.  But where do I put that pesky task for next Thursday?  I chose to use an old friend, the tickler. 

I record the future task or event right into my daily list, and then place a "T" in the bullet.  The date the task/event needs to re-appear is placed as the signifier in the left hand margin in front of the bullet.

After checking out our library books, I needed a forward reminder to return them on the 17th of July.  I placed a T in the task box, and the return date in the left hand margin.

I then place an identical bullet with a T and the date I originally wrote the task down onto the monthly calendar date it is due.

When I check the monthly calendar on the 17th, I can see that I have a task recorded on July 3 that needs to be put on the daily to do list for the 17th.

If the tickled item is further into the future than the current month, I put the Tickler bullet and date into the monthly To Do list to be migrated forward when the next month is created.

This little system creates a minimum of re-writing while maintaining the integrity of the bullet journal system.  If I come up with any more little hacks, I'll share them with you in another letter.

Love,
Momma