Bullet Journaling: Part 5 – Reflections and Review

Welcome to Bullet Journaling: Part 5 – Reflections and Review, where we will discuss reviewing your journals after a week (or month) to access where you are and what you need to do to complete your tasks. First, let’s recap that last four parts of this series.

In Bullet Journaling: Part 1 we talked about all the materials you could use for your bullet journal and some basics of bullet journaling. For Instance, we discussed materials, journals, and items you will need to create your layouts and collections.

In Bullet Journaling: Part 2 we first discussed the different logs you can use to keep track of important dates and holidays. Secondly, we discussed the Key and Index of your bullet journal as well.

In Bullet Journaling: Part 3 we first discussed my explanation of the difference between collections and trackers, then I provided a list of some different Collections and Trackers you could use in your bullet journal, lastly we discussed how collections and trackers can keep you organized and the joy it brings.

In Bullet Journaling: Part 4 we first discussed what a theme is in your Bullet Journal, then we discussed how to choose a theme and how to use a theme. Finally, we gave you a list of themes for each month to get ideas for doing your own themes in your bullet journal.

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Types of Reflection and Review

There are many types of reflection and review, such as daily, monthly, quarterly or yearly. When you want to do your reflection and review is entirely up to you and your availability to sit down and look back on your schedule, tasks, trackers and collections to see what was unimportant or irrelevant and what was meaningful in your life.

Daily Reflection and Review

Throughout your day, you are making your daily task lists, thoughts and agenda. This is the time to come back and review your day. There are two times of daily reflection, AM and PM reflection and review.

AM Reflection: Planning

After you get up in the morning, write all your thoughts down in your bullet journal. This is the time to clear your mind for the day ahead. Write down any tasks you need to complete for the day, including any tasks you have in your monthly layout that can be completed on that day. This helps you plan your day, keep things organized and schedule tasks. Make sure to leave a little room to add tasks and thoughts throughout the day.

PM Reflection: Review

Before you go to bed, review your daily task list, thoughts and agenda you have written throughout the day. Mark all your completed tasks and write in any missing tasks you forgot about. You can migrate them to the next day. This is the time to look back through your day and ask yourself why these items were important to you, that you had to write them down in your bullet journal. Why were they your priority?

When you have gone through your day, strike out any tasks that are irrelevant or no longer needed. Finally, appreciate the accomplishments you have achieved throughout your day. This can be a way to decompress from your day and relieve some stress you have been holding onto. Be proud of the things you have accomplished, even if it’s only a few. You still accomplished something and that’s enough to be proud of.

Monthly and Yearly Reflections and Review

Going back through your monthly and daily layouts, you can review what was important to you and what wasn’t. Using the migration method, you can evaluate the task and if it is still important you can migrate it to the next day or month. If it’s not then you, would strike it out and not worry about it again. Reviewing what you have completed through your month or year can give you a sense of accomplishment, but if you really look at your tasks, thoughts and memories, you can reflect on what was important to you and plan for the month or year ahead accordingly.

Consistency and Awareness

Plan your AM reflection first thing in the morning, making it a part of your morning routine. It should only take you a few minutes of your time to run through your tasks and get all those thoughts out of your head and onto paper.  This gives you some time without distractions, such as social media or emails so you can concentrate on yourself and your values. Being aware of the importance of your tasks, thoughts and agenda items, keeps you in tune with your experiences and adventures of the last month or year. Things you have accomplished and things you don’t want to forget. This is a great way for helping you improve your perception of your experiences and live a more valuable life.