How I Organize Myself: From Bullet Journal to Notion

Organizing my daily tasks and long-term goals is essential as I balance my work, PhD research, personal growth, and leisure time. Over time, I've developed a system that blends analog and digital tools to keep everything in order. Here's an overview of how I use these tools and resources to manage work, track habits, and pursue new interests. Although the system can be a bit complex, it works for me, and I regularly try to update and improve the steps.

Bullet Journal for Daily Planning and Habit Tracking

My bullet journal is the heart of my organization. I track daily tasks, important thoughts, and monitor new habits. I started using this method after reading The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll[2], which serves as the foundation for my approach. I adapt the method to suit my needs. For example, I don’t use it for appointments or general note-taking—only for specific to-dos and habit tracking. My structure includes:

  • Index: This is the journal’s table of contents.
  • Future Log: Used for long-term planning.
  • Monthly Log: Two pages: the first page includes a calendar and rows for each habit I want to track (I simply check off each habit I complete). This section is inspired by James Clear’s advice in Atomic Habits[1], where I set small, manageable goals to build over time; on the second page, I have two sections: the top for monthly to-dos, and the bottom for my goals and intentions for the month.
  • Daily Log: Here, I list tasks, events, and notes for each day.

Google Calendar for Scheduling and Availability

While my bullet journal manages most of my planning, Google Calendar is my go-to for appointments, meetings, and run training schedules. Occasionally, I’ll record important to-dos here that also appear in my bullet journal. Google Calendar allows me to check my availability across devices and keeps my schedule visible to colleagues, ensuring I stay accessible and organized, especially during busy weeks with overlapping projects.

Notion for PhD Tracking and Personal Interests

I use Notion for two main purposes: keeping track of my PhD progress and documenting personal interests. In Notion, I record each project milestone, list questions for my supervisors, and document completed tasks. I also store lists of books to read, movies to watch, and hikes to plan. I've learned a lot about using Notion efficiently from the official Notion blog[3] and YouTube videos by @HollyJaneYT[4], both of which provide great tips for maximizing its features.

I have a dashboard with my ideal daily routine and quick links to tasks and external resources.

Additionally, I’ve created:

  • A personal home: where I store various resources.
  • Wiki page: to document all my learning.
  • PhD page: organized into five sections:
    1. Resources: articles imported from Zotero, quick notes, conference notes, etc.
    2. Documentation: daily work logs and project notes.
    3. Questions: questions for my supervisors.
    4. Problems: reflections on scientific challenges.
    5. Articles: notes related to articles I’m writing.

Rocketbook and Tablet for Notes

For academic articles, lessons, or workshops, I use either my tablet or Rocketbook notebooks (https://getrocketbook.com/). Rocketbook allows me to take handwritten notes, scan them, and send them directly to Google Drive. This approach combines the satisfaction of writing on paper with the convenience of a digital backup, making it easy to organize and retrieve notes without clutter.

Bringing It All Together

Using a combination of tools, I've created a system that blends analog and digital methods for effective work management that suits my needs. My bullet journal provides a focused, distraction-free space for daily planning and habit tracking, while Google Calendar, Notion, and Rocketbook make my work accessible, organized, and easy to reference.

If you're looking to enhance your productivity, I highly recommend experimenting with these methods and resources.

Observation: I plan to regularly update this page as I read and learn new methods.

References

  1. Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Avery Publishing.
  2. Carroll, R. (2018). The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future. Portfolio.
  3. Notion Blog. (n.d.). Official Notion Blog. Retrieved from https://www.notion.so/blog
  4. @HollyJaneYT. (n.d.). Holly Jane YouTube Channel. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/@HollyJaneYT

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