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Bullet Journal Basics for the Overwhelmed Mom (The Sanity Planner)

Author Blair Boulevard Estimated read time 2 min read

Let’s be honest: those beautiful, hand-drawn bullet journals on Instagram are aspirational, but they often add to the mental load. As a work-from-home mom who juggles freelance deadlines, doctor appointments, and laundry, I need a planning system that’s fast, flexible, and actually works.

The key to the bullet journal (BuJo) for parents isn’t the artistry; it’s the speed and centralization. It becomes your one source of truth when your brain is already at capacity.

Step 1: Ditch the Decoration, Embrace the Core System

Forget the watercolors. A true BuJo only needs three elements and a pen:

  1. The Index: The first two pages. Leave them blank! Every time you start a new list, simply title the page and write the page number here. This is how you find that elusive grocery list you made last Tuesday.
  2. Rapid Logging (The Symbols): This is the speed language.
    • Task (☐): Things that need to be done.
    • Event (O): Things that have a time and place (e.g., dentist appointment).
    • Note (—): Random thoughts, funny kid quotes, or ideas.
    • Migrate (>): If a task isn’t done, move it to the next day/week’s list. This is crucial. If you migrate a task three times, it’s time to either do it or delete it.
  3. Future Log: A calendar spread (often six months) where you quickly jot down long-term appointments (like school holidays or birthdays) that you transfer to your weekly spread later.

Step 2: The Essential Spreads for Parenting Sanity

Skip the complex trackers and focus on the two spreads that reduce mental clutter:

  • The Weekly Spread (The Time Keeper): Dedicate a two-page spread to the week. List the dates and use your Rapid Logging symbols. Keep it simple: appointments on the left, daily to-dos on the right.
  • The Brain Dump (The Worry Page): Reserve a specific page titled “Brain Dump.” When a random thought hits you (e.g., Need to order more sunscreen, Must research summer camp), do not interrupt what you’re doing. Jot it here. Dedicate 10 minutes every Sunday to transfer the actionable dumps to your Weekly Spread.

The BuJo succeeds because it’s analog (proven to aid memory) and realistic. It’s okay if some pages are messy; the goal is productivity, not perfection.

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