I think I’m cozying up to the bullet journal, and the thing that’s changing the game for me are my bullet journal project management spreads.
I like having my plans and project plans all in one place. And it’s nice that I can just mark pages with washi tape and always have access to them. Also? Projects get a lot more doable when you can look at what you have going on and what you should tackle next.
Do you create project management spreads in your bullet journal? Click To TweetThe idea for these spreads really hit me the other day when I realized there were a million and one things that I wanted to make happen, but I had no idea where to start or how I should approach any of the projects.
Naturally, I knew the answer had to be in some sort of planning system. (This is how I approach all my problems — by looking in a planner.) And one of the reasons I chose to set up my bullet journal was because I wanted a system that adapted to me. And maybe I’ve figured out a good system that might help others…?
So I thought I’d share these 5 bullet journal project management spreads and explain the thought behind them.
Bullet Journal Project Management Spreads
001: Ecourse Tracking
I’m in the process of working my way through some ecourses, and I love all the information I’ve gotten from them. But I need a way to organize it all.
When I take notes, I use about 2/3 of the page for note taking, and the other third is in the margin where I write down my action items. This way, when I finish the course, I have a to do list of things I need to do or implement.
So, I’m using this spread to track what needs to be done in each of the courses, and where I’m at with the note taking and implementation of those action items.
I’m also thinking this will keep me motivated to finish. Because let’s be real — if I have time off, I would rather read or watch TV. But I need to give priority to these courses first, and having this spread where I can see what needs to be done should help with that.
002: Blog and Social Media Tasks
There’s a lot that goes into having a cohesive blog and social media presence. I know that most people don’t think about this, and they think of the internet as a place to just post whatever you want.
It’s fine if you want to use your online space that way. For me, though, I hate the idea that I’m the product on social media sites. I mean, we all are. They’re making money off us by selling our internet behavior history or advertising to us. So, if I’m going to be on those platforms, I’m going to control exactly what I have out there, and use it to make money for me.
So this spread is about a lot of the administrative side of blogging and social media. It’s so I can have the proper metadata on the back end, and clean up anything that’s old or no longer relevant to what I’m trying to do.
This is also a great time to brainstorm new directions or new projects. Or even new things that I’ve been wanting to implement. (Those who receive the blog posts via email will see one of those things very soon!)
I’m also about to start building an ecourse, so there’s a lot of little pieces that I need to put into place to make this possible. I’m really excited about it, and can’t wait to get it going.
003: Monthly To Do List
There are some things I should be doing every month, and not all at once at the end of the year, which is what I have been doing. Mostly this is tax stuff, but there’s some other reporting measures I want to implement.
I need to start tracking how I’m doing online. Not just followers, but what I’ve posted and where. A lot of this goes with editorial calendar creation, but some of it has to do with the effects of that editorial calendar.
In addition to tracking followers, I want to start tracking engagement and dollars made. Mostly, this isn’t a lot to track, but it’s something that I’ve been meaning to do for a while, and just haven’t done.
By creating a spread in my bullet journal, I’m hoping that will light the fire under me to create the necessary spreadsheets and start using them.
004: New Business Stuff
So, I’ve spoken to some people about this, and it’s probably obvious that I’m in the process of launching a business. I’m working on a couple of information products, and those will be essential for passive income.
That may sound like a whole lot of mumbo jumbo, but it’s all to say that I have an eCourse to create and some nonfiction books to make happen. The problem with all of it though, is that it’s overwhelming.
So, in an effort to make these things seem less daunting, I’m breaking them down into smaller tasks and writing them in the spreads in my journal. I hope that this will make it a lot easier for me to focus on the stuff I actually need to do, rather than focusing on what huge tasks these are.
005: The Ideal Day
It’s been a while since I’ve thought about my ideal day. But I’m experimenting with it a bit this semester. I have 3 days where I have to be on campus, and I know exactly what my schedule will have to be there.
But I need to spend some time figuring out my schedule for those days off so that I make the most of the time I have. So this spread will focus on the times I would like to accomplish specific daily things like workouts and getting blog stuff and videos and writing done.
I know it can seem a little silly, but my life is the grand project that I'm working on. Click To TweetI know it can seem a little silly, but my life is the grand project that I’m working on. So by creating a spread that organizes my life in a way that makes sense, it makes it easier to achieve the schedule.
(Pssst! You can find other planner and planning-related posts here.)
How Do You Manage Projects?
Do you have special project spreads for your bullet journal? Do you like to break down your projects into tasks? Do you have an ideal daily schedule?