In this video, I’ll show you how to supercharge your productivity at work using a bullet journal. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a professional, or a student, these five key techniques will help you streamline your work life and achieve your goals.
1. Goal Setting: Discover how to set clear and actionable work-related goals in your bullet journal.
2. Task Management: Learn how to efficiently manage your tasks and to-do lists.
3. Meeting Notes: Keep all your meeting insights organized in your bullet journal for easy reference.
4. Time Management: Discover how to create daily schedules and track your time effectively.
5. Intentions and Reflection: Explore the importance of setting intentions for your work and reflecting on your progress.
Watch the video to master these five essential techniques and unlock the full potential of your bullet journal for work. Elevate your work performance, stay organized, and achieve your professional goals.
Get Started On your Bullet Journal Journey with great notebooks: Archer & Olive Notebooks | 10% OFF Code: MARKYOURPAGES10
🔵 More Discount Codes & Links If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This does NOT result in any additional cost to you. Thank YOU for your support!
I have been a longtime fan of the Zinnia Digital Planning app. After trying a few other digital planners over the years, Zinnia is just doing it all and I love it. I’ve had the great opportunity to work with Zinnia over the years as well, which has given be an even deeper respect for what the app is doing in the planner space.
It’s been a bit since my last features recap, so I wanted to give an update on what Zinnia has been up to and share my top 10 new features.
1.Handoff
Zinnia is available on your iPad, iPhone, and now also on the Mac so you can plan and use your journals on any devices. Now I can start my day in my planner on my desktop and switch off as I go about my day. Depending on where I am, I can always be connected and using my journals in Zinnia.
The iPad is where Zinnia was born and the app continues to perform it it’s truest form here. Type, touch, write, tap – it does it all.
Zinnia on the iPhone takes the app to a whole new place. The ability to plan on teh go is amazing. Before the iPhone app, it felt like you could only plan at home or at a desk. The ability to check things off, take notes, and really make your digital planner what it needs to be at any time is very refreshing.
I love that everything is avilalbe and the navigation is easy. It can be a little difficult to try and get a full view of your week at a glance with a double page spread, but you are on a phone, but Zinnia makes it as optimal as it can be.
I also need to mention that having Zinnia on my desktop is pretty damn awesome. Most apps have only been for a single device, and that is usually fine, but it makes it hard to always use a planner in different situations. I love the bigger screen on my desktop for designing and getting pages together. I love that I can pick up my ipad and write out my notes easily. Using the apple pencil is awesome. And having Zinnia on my iPhone is really the best because I can take my notes on the go. No more taking a note in my phone and having to translate it in the app later on.
2. Split Screen
Taking advantage of iOS, you can now use split screen while using Zinnia. It’s almost like having the app open twice and it makes it really easy to translate notes and work between multiple journals pages this way. I find this most helpful when creating new monthly or weekly spreads in Zinnia. I can reference the future log or monthly overview in my bullet journal while setting up the week and no need to flip back and forth.
3. Offline Mode
Offline mode has been a highly requested feature for Zinnia and now it’s here. If you are like me, my iPad doesn’t have cellular connection, and unless I am sharing my hotspot with my iPad, I was kind of dead in the water to use Zinnia when there wasn’t a connection available. Now you can download your journal to your device and use it offline while traveling or when you will not be able to connect to the internet.
4. Updates to “My Stuff”
My Stuff was a cool addition to Zinnia a while back. You can import your own art work, stickers, as well as save your favorite grouped items. To add an extra level of organization, you can now tag your items in the My Stuff folder. Use tags that already exist or create new custom tags to better identify what is in your “My Stuff” folder.
5. Adding Calendar Events
This new feature really takes Zinnia Digital Planning to the next level! You can now add calendar events to Zinnia that will also sync with your devices calendar. There is no need to create a whole new event – you can do it all at once. You can add all the details you need, like start and end dates, invitees, and alerts. And this new event will now live in your app and in your calendar. It’s so easy, it kind of makes me rethink analog planning 😉
6. Links in your journal
The linking feature in Zinnia is, in my opinion, one of the best ones recently. I love it so much because it really makes digital Bullet Journaling possible by allowing you to link to pages and index collections. You can link anything too, text, images, stickers – it really is cool. Now you can create a useable index and future log in Zinnia and reference pages and collections easily. You can connect back and forth between notes, ideas, and collections. I really love this feature so much.
7. Line smoothing
This feature was added a while ago, but it has been such a game changer in how I use Zinnia, I have to share it. Before smoothing was added, I really did not like to write with my Apple pencil in Zinnia. My handwriting was always a mess. It didn’t look clean or smooth, just bleh. So, after smoothing was added, my handwriting has totally changed. You can control how much your lines are smoothed. I have found that about 60% is my preference for writing. Going too far, like 90% or higher makes the lines too constricted and when you write your letters look all crazy.
8. Line Straightening
This is another feature that was highly requested, and it was so nice to see it added to the app. Getting a straight line was impossible before this feature was added. No matter how steady your hand, it was difficult. Now you can draw out a line and hold your line at the end and Zinnia will automatically snap your line straight. You do need to be careful with how curved your line is. The straight line snapping only works to a certain threshold. If the line is too wavy, Zinnia thinks it is on purpose and keeps it that way. I use this feature mostly for creating easy dividers in my rapid log, but you could use it for shapes or drawing.
9. Narrow Pages
Zinnia has been broadening their pages, allowing for more customization of how you use your journal. You can now choose more than just your standard Zinnia sized page and opt for something narrow, more like a traveler’s notebook. I love how Zinnia isn’t limiting you to one type of page. Each journal might have different needs, and a traveler’s size just feels different when you have those slim pages to work in. Zinnia also has pre-made templates to use with these slimmer sizes.
10. Enhanced Search
Zinnia’s digital planning library is absolutely massive, in the bast way. There is so much to choose from, and it just feels like a never-ending supply if ideas and inspiration. The search feature has been my best friend from the start, so when I saw that they made some enhancements, I got really excited. Now the enhanced search brings up more than just stickers and items from your libraries. It also now brings up articles and special features in search. If you have an idea for a spread, now you can read and get inspiration from new sticker and content announcements at any time.
I really love how many new features Zinnia continues to come out with. You can download the Zinnia Digital Planning App for your iPhone, iPad, and Desktop. And like I mentioned, you can use them all together across the different platforms. It’s pretty incredible.
It’s been a minute since we have had a great big Archer & Olive release. Summer never disappoints with A&O and this Summer Retro Road Trip collection is really awesome in my opinion.
A big announcement from A&O is that they are lowing some of their prices on favorite items to help lessen the blow with the increased shipping costs that we have been seeing across many businesses. The team is controlling where they can. You will also be able to still use my discount code MENWHOBULLET10 and that will save you an additional 10% off. Hopefully the extra savings helps.
Here is everything that is available today!
All notebooks available in A5, B5, A6, B6, Travelers, and Square
🧳 Road Tripper – retro car motif design on a soft mint linen cover.
I am not excluded from the motivation slumps that so many people experience in the community. I get overwhelmed, demotivated, and sometimes it can be really hard to get out of that slump. So, I wanted to share 3 tips that I use to help myself get out of a rut and back into my journal and habits.
Here are some tips that help me when I am in a motivation slump
1. Focus on the Basics
When things start to feel overwhelming, I find that taking it back to the Bullet Journal Basics really helps me get out of slump. No matter how much you think you need your trackers, doodle challenges, or other time intensive spreads, maybe it’s just too much for right now. Revisit these later when you feel better about what you are doing and decide if you still really need them or if it’s what is stressing you out
2. Gamify Your Tasks
If you find that it’s your tasks that are demotivating you, consider adding a little excitement to your tasks by gamifying them. Adding a timer, like this TickTime Timer, challenges you to compete a task with a time limit. Then, once you are done, treat yourself to something fun like a coffee run, 30 minutes of gaming, or whatever gets you excited.
3. Share Your Tasks With Someone
This tactic helps me a lot, especially with work tasks. I will tell my boss, or co-workers, about something that I want to get done. They help me out by holding me accountable for that tasks. I find that the little bit of added pressure, and knowing that someone is there to hold me accountable for it, helps me in getting things done. Always use someone that you trust with this tactic. You don’t want to have someone hounding you about it or making you feel bad. Gentle nudges.
If you want a deeper dive and more details on each of these steps, be sure to check out the video and leave any tactics you use in the comments of the video to share with me and others too!
As this year continues to go on, I have found that more people are starting to fall out of their habits, especially when it comes to their Bullet Journals and Planners. So, I wanted to put together my Top 5 Tips on how you can work to continue to succeed in your personal goals and stay consistent.
Tip 1: Build your bullet journal into your daily routine.
I use my journal every day for work. By building it into my daily routine, I ensure that it’s being used. If you don’t use your journal for work related items, try to make time for your journal with a daily 10 minute morning ritual. Reflect on the previous day or set up goals and tasks for the day to come.
Tip 2: Work in your journal, not for your journal
Your journal is for you and your individual needs. It should always come easy to you and fulfill its purpose. You should not feel guilt or shame for not doing everything in your journal. Make sure it’s a positive feeling when working in it.
Tip 3: Don’t force it, but don’t forget it
It’s a great feeling to work in your bullet journal and planner, but reality is that it will not always be with you at all times. There are going to be times when you are without your planner and need to jot down a note or create a list. Don’t fret, you can always bring those ideas back to your journal when it’s more ideal for you. It doesn’t matter if the idea starts in your phone, it’s more important that it makes it back to your journal eventually.
Tip 4: Bullet Journal Maintenance
As a flexible system, your Bullet Journal may serve one purpose early in your life and a different one later in your life. As an example, early in my design career I kept all my project notes, sketches, and project to-do lists in my bujo. Several years later, now in a different role, my notebook focuses on higher level tasks and has more of a team focus versus individual. Take the time every 6 months to review your journal and fine tune it for your current needs and focus.
Tip 5: Have fun in your Bullet Journal
Yes, the Bullet Journal is here to be your guide and companion to live a more intentional life. There isn’t anything wrong with bringing some of yourself into your journal. Have fun in your notebook by using your favorite pens, add photos of moments in time, or create fun collection pages to track your hobbies.
Go deeper with my most recent Youtube Video on this topic
Using these tips can help you enjoy the time you are dedicating to your journal. I have personally gained so much insight into myself through Bullet Journaling. It’s helped me keep on track when I have a million ideas buzzing around my head. The practice of daily gratitude has helped me feel more connected to my daily experiences and the people around me.
If you are interested in learning more about the Bullet Journal Method, I’d invite you to read more about it with the Bullet Journal Method Book. It’s a great resource to have and a great re-read too when you are feeling like you are falling out of things a bit.
If you want to take things to the next level, Ryder and BulletJournal.com offer a Bujo: Basics & Beyond course that will take learning about the method to new heights. You get extra insights from Ryder Carroll (the creator of the Bullet Journal Method) as well are exclusive resources you can’t find anywhere else.I took this course myself as an experienced Bullet Journal users and came out of it with 5+ pages of notes of new information and things to try in my journal.
Wishing you all the best with your current and future goals in your Bullet Journal and beyond.
I have recently taken a liking to using Distress Oxide inks inside of my Bullet Journal. After seeing a lot of mixed media creators using it for their paper projects, I thought to myself, why can’t I use this in my Bullet Journal??? It’s paper. So I started down the fantastic rabbit hole of learning about how to use these inks and blending brushes to create some very cool looking pages.
My initial fears about trying this ink blending:
It’s going to be messy ❌
The ink is going to bleed through my pages ❌
I am going to stain everything ❌
I’m going to love it so much and do it all the time ✅
I can honestly tell you that all of my fears were put to rest when I tried this out for the first time. And now that i’ve done it, i can’t get enough. Here are all the details about this ink and blending method and how you can use it in your own Bullet Journal.
Advertisements
The Ink
The ink that we are using here is the Tim Holtz Distress Oxide from Ranger Ink. The brand of the ink is really important when doing this method because it is made to do exactly what we are trying to do. It’s a water-based pigment and it’s a dye and ink fusion. This is different from your regular old ink pad because of this fusion. And, because it’s water-based, it’s SUPER easy to clean up. I accidently turned one of my ink pads over on my desk and I was able to clean it right up with a damp paper towel. Because it’s water-based, it can also create some neat interactions with water, which we will talk about later.
These inks comes in a TON of different colors. I have a few of my favorite on my Amazon Shop HERE
Blending Brushes
I love when I am making a video or reel and someone comments, “Um… that looks like the blenders I use for my makeup”. HAHA, that’s because it probably is. I can say that I have no clue what a makeup blending brush is or exactly how you use it, but I can assume that you put makeup on it and blend it on your face. Well, that’s exactly how you use these with the Distress Oxide on paper. These brushes are SUPER soft, which is important so that you get that smooth texture on the paper when blending. There are many different sizes too. If you are just getting started, I’d recommend just getting this pack. It’s 5 of them, all one size, and super easy.
These even come with little stickers that you can place on your brush if you want to designate 1 color per brush. If not, it’s okay, because they are really easy to clean. Rinse with water and air dry – done.
Stencils
It’s easy to go deep into the stencil rabbit hole. There are SO many options out there. But, if you are looking to take on this hobby to use in your Bullet Journal, then I would suggest finding ones that lean towards Bullet Journals that have shapes, icons, and banners. Now, many of these stencils are more for pen or pencils outlining and tracing, but why not also use them for ink and blending? There are also some really cool texture stencils you can use. My two favorite stencils to use are ones from Sunny Streak and also this big 30 Piece Collection from Amazon.
Washi Tape
I am not the biggest fan, personally, of using Washi tape in my journal. I will every now and again, but not very often. Yet somehow I have accumulated rolls and rolls of the stuff. Well now I have a perfect use for it! When you are using the blending brushes and the stencils, you want to make sure the stencil stay where you put it. What’s great about washi is that it has a light stick, which means you should not have any issue repositioning it and reusing it in your journal to secure your stencil. It’s also great to block out any stencil icons or area you want to make sure you are not getting onto your page.
Advertisements
Let’s Get Started!
Now that you have all your materials, we can get blending! One way to use the stencils and ink is as headers or day/date holders in your weekly spreads. I make sure that my stencil is big, or small, enough for the space I am using it.
Next, I use my washi tape to secure the stencil to my page.
Now, take your blending brush, and you are going to rub it on the top of the ink pad, giving it a little pressure to make sure that the ink is getting on to your brush head.
And now you start blending. I like to use circular motions to ensure that I am getting nice coverage on my page. If I feel like the ink is too light or not covering enough, I will go back and add more ink to my brush. If you are really adventurous, try 2 different color inks and layer and blend them together.
Once you are done, carefully pull up your stencil from your paper. How cool, right!?
If you are using this for more than just one header, you will want to carefully place your stencil down on your next space, and repeat the steps above to apply the ink.
Adding Texture
If you want to add a little texture to your ink, you totally can. The Distress Oxide is actually made to pair with water. There are a lot of ways to use the ink with water, but for me, I like to use it when the ink is on the page. I take a paint brush and flick the water onto the page. You can let the water sit for a few seconds… let’s say 10 seconds, and then use a paper towel to blot the water off the page. And now you have a nice texture over your blended ink.
Dry Time
I was SO surprised to find that this ink doesn’t need a lot of dry time. If you are adding the water for texture, like we just discussed, you may need a little more dry time. Even without the extra water, it is still ink, so you need to give it a moment to dry just like any stamp. It’s hard to believe that this smooth and silky stencils image is not going to bleed on your page or smear after it’s dried. It just looks too good to be true!
Advertisements
Writing on Top of the Ink
Once you have your ink down and it’s dry, you may want to add some text to your header. You should be good with any type of gel pen or brush pen. In my example I used the Zenstations Brush pen from Zebra. It’s becoming my favorite brush pen for a lot of reasons… one being it works great with this method.
Be careful of certain fountain pen inks. Depending on your paper in your journal, it might become extra porous with adding the ink from your stamp and then adding extra ink on top of that. I have had a variety of successes and failures with fountain pen inks, so I have been staying away from them when doing this, just to be safe. But, I am all about exploring and you should too. Just use a scrap piece of paper first to make sure the inks work okay together.
I hope that you found this tutorial to be helpful and fun. I have been really enjoying working with this new medium and experimenting. My next big adventure is going to be making my own stencils. I will be sure to post a video and tutorial on that as well when i’m done.
I finally found the best way to organize and store my clear stamp collection. This method has helped me stay on top of my collection and easily find the stamps I need when I need them. Here are all the materials that I used to set this up and organize my collection.
Here is the full list and links for everything in my Amazon Shop: Stamp Organization Supplies: https://tinyurl.com/3jxj2dzf
Some links in this post will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate shop. Any items purchased using these links will allow me to earn a small kick back at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
The InterDesign Fridge Bin is the perfect size to fit most stamps as they come from the stores. I love this double bin because you can fit even more stamps in the same container. Each side will fit the 5.5″X7.25″ storage folders we are going to talk about next.
These have been the best storage folder pockets that I have been able to find. They fit most stamps already in their packaging, and hold them secure. I like that you can fold the top envelope flap down without having to lock it in place with a sticker or closure.
If your stamps are too big for the stamp storage pockets, you might have to rehome them. To ensure that they fit in the envelopes and the Bin container, you will need something for the clear stamps to stick to. I have tried a few different products and brands, and I found the 4 mil to be the best. It’s sturdy but still easy to cut and work with. To fit in the envelopes, I needed to cut two 7.25″ x 5.5″ sheets of the mylar. Using the extra pieces, I cut it down to 4 .75″ x 6″ to fit smaller collections that don’t need all the larger space.
To note that for my current collection, I needed to order 2 packs of these sheets to cut.
Having a paper trimmer to cut the mylar sheets is a life saver. When I started, I thought I could do it with an x-acto blade… and I was so wrong. This little baby helped me out and was the perfect size to cut down the 12″x12″ sheets.
I’ve had this label maker for years now and I have loved it the whole time. I used this to label my stamp containers, notebooks boxes, and stationery around the studio. You can really use it for everything. I love the features, muti-line features and built in icons and symbols. It also allows you to print different sized fonts to create a visual hierarchy with your labels. I am using the smallest font for my stamp envelope labels, and the medium sized font for the dividers.
When it comes to tape for your label maker, you can find a ton of them out there. But I have found that some of better made than others. When i was looking for replacement refills for the Dymo, these have been working out great! They stick to everything with no issues, and are easy to use. I loved this collection because there were different colors. This is what helped me color code things by creators, themes, and alphabet.
If you’d like to break down and organize your stamps into groups and themes, then I would recommend chip board for dividers. You could also use thick card stock or cardboard. I like the chip because it’s strong without being too thick. The labels also sticks to these really well too!
Organizing The Stamps
Having all of these items will be incredibly helpful in getting you to a stop where you feel good about your stamp collection. But they can only take you so far. Understanding how you are going to organize all these stamps is an exercise all in its own. My first step was to organize all my stamps. Each stamp got a new envelope and label. Then I started to organize my stamps into groups.
Creators (Yellow)
These are collections where I have 2 or more of an artist or brand. Some of my favorites in this section are collections from Eric Small Things, Ink Blot Shop, and Archer & Olive.
Alphabetical (Green)
My next step was to organize the labeled stamps alphabetically. I started by breaking the alphabet down into groups. A–E, F–L, M–S, T–Z
Once I did this, I found that I had a lot of similar types of stamps. Months, Dates, Headers, Titles, etc. So I decided to break those down again in to a smaller groups.
Themes (Blue)
My themes are broken down into groupings of stamps that I had a lot a like of. Right now I only have themes for Headers, Weekdays, and Months – and then one for Botanicals.
It’s time to get to it.
Now that you have all the things you need to get started, you can take your time in getting your stamps in a good place. This process took me a few days to get complete. A lot of it was trial and error, so hopefully my mistakes are your successes.
Let me know in the comments below if this is something that might work for you, or if you have another way you have found to organize your stamp collection. I’d love to hear your ideas.
It’s time to set up my 2023 Planner Bullet Journal Set Up. This year I’ll be using a mix of my Edition 2 Bullet Journal Notebooks and my new Appointed Yearly Task Planner. In this video, I’ll be setting up my Bullet Journal with some key pages.
In this episode of the Hobbyist Hangout, I am talking about my setup for 2023 and how you can prepare yourself to figure out what planner or system might be right for you. Using a collection page, we can figure out what we need, what we want, and what we don’t want from our planners and bullet journals for 2023.
It’s been a while since my last podcast episode. I even said last time (Dec 2021) that I was going to try and be more regular with my podcast. But, I lied. Not intentionally – I totally expected to keep up with the podcast that I kicked up in only a few days. But alas, here we are 8 months later. Well, if you have a fix for more stationery conversations – than you are really going to enjoy what is to come.
My original goal of creating the podcast was to interview different people about their hobbies. Having a background in radio broadcasting gave me that extra confidence I needed to make this happen. I was having so much fun with my Instagram Lives and talking with people on those, it felt right. What I wasn’t expecting was the building anxiety of trying to make something like that happen. I can plan a meeting, I can record it, but mixing the podcast with full-time work, Youtube, and Instagram felt like too much. I was overwhelmed. Period.
After giving the podcast a break, and reflecting on it all, I decided that I need to take ownership of what I was doing. Just because the podcast wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, didn’t mean that it was dead. I needed to, and wanted to, make it something again, so I rethought it a little bit.
The next approach to the podcast will still be about hobbies. That isn’t changing. But what is changing is that it doesn’t need to be new every time. I already have a Bullet Journal episode and there will be another one. Why? Well, because it’s a topic that people like, they know me for it, and why not talk about it? My next episode is going to be about notebooks – my love for them, my collection, and what I want in a perfect notebook.
I am excited to have this new episode come out this Friday. It’s going to be a video podcast (if available) streaming on all major platforms, and will also go live on Youtube Friday Mornings.
