[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":348},["ShallowReactive",2],{"lastUpdated":3,"blog-my-bullet-journal-en":4},"2026-09-08",{"post":5,"displayLang":346,"isFallback":347,"hasOtherLang":336},{"id":6,"title":7,"body":8,"category":332,"date":333,"description":334,"extension":335,"featured":336,"meta":337,"navigation":336,"path":338,"seo":339,"stem":340,"tags":341,"__hash__":345},"blog_en/en/blog/my-bullet-journal.md","My Bullet Journal: From Physical Notebooks to My Own App",{"type":9,"value":10,"toc":320},"minimark",[11,16,21,32,40,44,60,72,77,105,109,150,176,179,184,187,190,193,197,203,217,226,232,247,251,262,269,276,279,285,296,308,317],[12,13,15],"h1",{"id":14},"my-bullet-journal-organization-and-productivity-with-a-personal-touch","My Bullet Journal: Organization and Productivity with a Personal Touch",[17,18,20],"h2",{"id":19},"introduction","Introduction",[22,23,24,25],"p",{},"A well-crafted introduction is essential to engage readers, but to be completely honest: I'm still sharpening that skill. 😅\n",[26,27,28],"small",{},[29,30,31],"i",{},"Just kidding - I don't like fluff either",[22,33,34,35,39],{},"So let's get straight to the point: if you already know what a Bullet Journal is, feel free to skip directly to ",[36,37,38],"strong",{},"My Bullet Journal Method",".",[17,41,43],{"id":42},"what-is-a-bullet-journal","What is a Bullet Journal?",[22,45,46,47,54,55,59],{},"The Bullet Journal is a personal organization system created by designer ",[48,49,53],"a",{"href":50,"rel":51},"https://bulletjournal.com/pages/rydercarroll?srsltid=AfmBOooExbpDfg5uTPXKTmKXL-zdRhqlt3shWao5VZ2ZQHLUU9tFOJTx",[52],"nofollow","Ryder Carroll",". It brilliantly combines (🚨 ",[56,57,58],"del",{},"OPINION ALERT!",") elements of a diary, a traditional planner, and a to-do list.",[22,61,62,63,66,67,71],{},"The method's biggest advantage is that it was designed to be ",[36,64,65],{},"100% flexible and adaptable"," to the user's needs. Instead of forcing yourself into rigid boxes of pre-printed planners, you build a system that works for your brain. It uses specific symbols to categorize tasks, events, and notes, enabling quick visual reference and tracking (",[68,69,70],"em",{},"Rapid Logging",").",[73,74,76],"h3",{"id":75},"why-does-the-bullet-journal-work","Why Does the Bullet Journal Work?",[78,79,80,87,93,99],"ul",{},[81,82,83,86],"li",{},[36,84,85],{},"Total Flexibility:"," Highly customizable. You only build what you actually use.",[81,88,89,92],{},[36,90,91],{},"Centralization:"," Keeps all your tasks, events, and thoughts in a single location, eliminating scattered sticky notes and notebooks.",[81,94,95,98],{},[36,96,97],{},"Creative Expression:"," Allows you to express creativity through custom layouts, drawings, and visual trackers.",[81,100,101,104],{},[36,102,103],{},"Intentional Mindfulness:"," The simple act of writing by hand (and reviewing tasks) heightens awareness of where your time goes, fostering focus and presence.",[17,106,108],{"id":107},"my-method-of-bullet-journaling","\"My Method\" of Bullet Journaling",[110,111,119,120,119,134],"div",{"className":112},[113,114,115,116,117,118],"flex","flex-col","md:flex-row","items-center","gap-6","mb-8","\n    ",[121,122],"img",{"src":123,"alt":124,"className":125},"/blog/my-bullet-journal/rules.jpeg","My Bullet Journal Rules",[126,127,128,129,130,131,132,133],"w-40","h-40","md:w-48","md:h-48","object-cover","object-center","rounded-xl","shrink-0",[110,135,138,139,142],{"className":136},[137],"flex-1","The idea was to adapt the traditional Bullet Journal method to fit my daily routine and preferences better. I even created specific rules that made sense for me.",[140,141],"br",{},[26,143,144,145,149],{},"Tip:* The best part of Bullet Journaling is that there are no global fixed rules, but it is essential to create ",[146,147,148],"b",{},"your own"," rules and follow them consistently.",[78,151,152,158,164,170],{},[81,153,154,157],{},[36,155,156],{},"15-Day Cycles:"," Instead of traditional monthly planning, I split my time into 15-day sprints (just like agile development sprints).",[81,159,160,163],{},[36,161,162],{},"Metrics and Dashboards:"," In each cycle, I create custom charts and trackers to visually monitor progress and track goals — such as my ongoing effort to consistently hit the gym! 💪",[81,165,166,169],{},[36,167,168],{},"Daily Review:"," Never start a day without reviewing what was planned and what was accomplished the previous day. This habit keeps focus and discipline sharp while encouraging reflection on priorities.",[81,171,172,175],{},[36,173,174],{},"Basic To-do List:"," Simple, yet with strict rules: strike out completed tasks, migrate uncompleted ones to the next period, and avoid endless lists of tasks that never get done.",[22,177,178],{},"Below are some photos of my physical Bullet Journal back when I did everything on paper. Notice how some pages are complete while others remain unfinished:",[180,181],"slide-show",{":slides":182,":timer":183},"[{\"url\":\"/blog/my-bullet-journal/init001.jpeg\"},{\"url\":\"/blog/my-bullet-journal/ini002.jpeg\"},{\"url\":\"/blog/my-bullet-journal/init003.jpeg\"},{\"url\":\"/blog/my-bullet-journal/init04.jpeg\"},{\"url\":\"/blog/my-bullet-journal/full001.jpeg\"},{\"url\":\"/blog/my-bullet-journal/full002.jpeg\"},{\"url\":\"/blog/my-bullet-journal/full003.jpeg\"},{\"url\":\"/blog/my-bullet-journal/full200.jpeg\"},{\"url\":\"/blog/my-bullet-journal/full300.jpeg\"},{\"url\":\"/blog/my-bullet-journal/happy new year.jpeg\"},{\"url\":\"/blog/my-bullet-journal/stopped.jpeg\"}]","10",[22,185,186],{},"After laying out these rules, I realized something: was I building a system \"identical\" to what I use at work every day? 😂",[22,188,189],{},"Sprints, Scrum, retrospectives? Well, maybe yes, maybe no. 🤔",[22,191,192],{},"In the end, it was a tailored adaptation of the Bullet Journal with an agile, results-oriented focus. It kept me focused and disciplined, with a creative spark that motivated me to keep going.",[17,194,196],{"id":195},"the-problem-spoiler-pure-laziness","The Problem: Spoiler... Pure Laziness!",[22,198,199,200,39],{},"Everything seemed perfect, right? Pretty, organized, rewarding. But there was a major catch: ",[36,201,202],{},"maintenance",[78,204,205,211],{},[81,206,207,210],{},[36,208,209],{},"Setup Friction:"," Setup time was huge. Designing custom layouts, drawing tables, aligning lines with a ruler... Yes, actual rulers, colored pens — it's time-consuming. When you have a busy engineering workload, spending hours drawing the next week's planner becomes unsustainable.",[81,212,213,216],{},[36,214,215],{},"Loss of Consistency:"," Because of this friction, I started each period enthusiastically but abandoned tracking after a few weeks simply for lack of time to \"draw the system\".",[218,219,220],"blockquote",{},[22,221,222,225],{},[36,223,224],{},"The Reality:"," I really enjoyed the manual process, but the \"duty\" to redraw metrics every 15 days eventually killed my motivation. The satisfaction of a filled tracker no longer outweighed the effort to prepare it.",[22,227,228,229],{},"This led to the inevitable software engineer reflection: ",[36,230,231],{},"\"Why not automate the tedious part and keep only the useful part?\"",[22,233,234],{},[26,235,236,239,240,243,244,246],{},[29,237,238],{},"\"Wait, couldn't you just buy a ready-made planner or download any generic to-do app?\""," Sure, I could. But I wanted ",[146,241,242],{},"my"," methodology, with ",[146,245,242],{}," rules, without conforming to third-party workflows.",[17,248,250],{"id":249},"the-solution-my-journal-app","The Solution: My Journal APP",[22,252,253,254,261],{},"Born out of that exact friction and laziness was ",[36,255,256],{},[48,257,260],{"href":258,"rel":259},"https://journal.rdpedrosa.dev/",[52],"My Journal","!",[22,263,264,265,268],{},"It is a full web application built by me — currently under active development ",[68,266,267],{},"(as of March 18, 2026)"," — with the sole purpose of organizing my personal and professional life efficiently without paper friction or weekly layout setup.",[22,270,271,272,275],{},"It is ",[36,273,274],{},"100% inspired"," by the paper journal method. It enforces the same rules (such as habit tracking and cycle reviews) in a digital format. All the table drawing, chart calculation, and next-week prep have been automated. I just open it, log what I need, and close it.",[22,277,278],{},"The system is live, hosted directly in my home server cluster. It's a PWA (Progressive Web App) running locally on the client using IndexedDB for local-first storage.",[22,280,281,282],{},"The best part? I decided to open access. ",[36,283,284],{},"It's completely free to use if you like:",[22,286,287,288,291,292],{},"👉 ",[36,289,290],{},"Access here:"," ",[48,293,295],{"href":258,"rel":294},[52],"journal.rdpedrosa.dev",[22,297,298,299,304,305],{},"To help new users, I also wrote a ",[48,300,303],{"href":301,"rel":302},"https://journal.rdpedrosa.dev/journal-guide",[52],"User Guide"," explaining the logic of the system and how I structure my routine inside it. Feel free to explore and send me feedback or suggestions. ",[68,306,307],{},"Constructive feedback is always welcome! ❤️",[22,309,310,311,313,314,316],{},"Remember: it is an \"opinionated\" app, originally built to solve ",[68,312,242],{}," own problem and follow ",[68,315,242],{}," mindset. It might not fit your workflow perfectly... or it might be the exact tool you've been searching for! Who knows?",[180,318],{":slides":319,":timer":183},"[{\"url\":\"/blog/my-bullet-journal/my-journal-new.png\"},{\"url\":\"/blog/my-bullet-journal/daily-review.png\"}]",{"title":321,"searchDepth":322,"depth":322,"links":323},"",2,[324,325,329,330,331],{"id":19,"depth":322,"text":20},{"id":42,"depth":322,"text":43,"children":326},[327],{"id":75,"depth":328,"text":76},3,{"id":107,"depth":322,"text":108},{"id":195,"depth":322,"text":196},{"id":249,"depth":322,"text":250},"Productivity","2026-03-18","Discover how I adapted the Bullet Journal method to organize my routine and why I decided to transform that experience into a free web application.","md",true,{},"/en/blog/my-bullet-journal",{"title":7,"description":334},"en/blog/my-bullet-journal",[332,342,343,344],"Bullet Journal","Software Engineering","App","mIyA54yTZ1L7yadxLlf_dtMBqaO-45EU40wJ3NXX7Gs","en",false,1789775732480]