Archiving old bullet journals in your own catalog

So you're getting ready to move to a new notebook. You probably want to make this transition as painless as possible. There are plenty of good ideas for setting up a new journal, but what if you want to keep the old journals? Lots of us do.

I just moved into a new bullet journal, the Universal Journal Slim. As the years go by, there will be many journals on my shelf since I intend to keep the old ones. In keeping things simple, I'd rather not reproduce old collections and other information into my new notebook unless it's really necessary. But if I need to reference an old journal I'd like that to be easy as well. So I'll use another journal to act as a long term catalog for my bullet journal archive.

Each time I move into a new notebook, I plan to copy the old index as a new chapter in the catalog. That way if I ever need to go back, I don't have to search each individual notebook. I can simply scan through the chapters of the catalog and find what I need. The catalog will need it's own index, of course. It's a bullet journal, too.

The originator of the bullet journal method, Ryder Carroll, also has some tips for migrating to a new notebook. See his post Yearly Migration.

I may work on a plan for a secondary list of the archive. It could be useful to have a topics list which references major aspects of this or that project I'm working on. For example, I design board games. Some are long term games with a lot of depth and replayability, customizability, etc. These are complex game designs and I can see how it would be helpful to be able to easily find an idea I had years ago and recorded in one or more notebooks. I'd prefer to somehow keep that all in one catalog if possible. Don't know how yet.

How do you keep track of info in your old journals? Comment here and be sure to subscribe.

Comments

Streamlined Bullet Journal Index

The index is crucial for many of bullet journalers. Those who use the bullet journal method closer to its original design find the index useful (since returning to old content is a fairly regular thing) but there is always the matter of how. This is an ultra-streamlined take on the index. First, I wish I could remember where I saw this idea in order to give credit. It's brilliant and so simple to do. Given the uncertainty of required space for the index, and the uncertainty of the required space for the future log, why not separate these two things? Putting the index in the back of the book solves this issue with grace. I can set up a spread or two for the future log in the front but in the back there is all the space I will ever need. When the index meets the content or even gets close to it, it's time to move to a new notebook. Another trick (kudos to Christina77star ) is the separation of the index into categories. I might leave the regular things in one page of the index (

Bookmarks as Bullet Journal Hack

Some of the free printables offered here at Universal Journal can be combined to suit different needs. Let's look at combining the calendar with the Notemarks (the note bookmarks) printable. The Notemarks sheets are meant to be printed front and back, creating a dot grid bookmark ideal for notes of all sorts. Whether single column, folded, or doubled folded, these notemarks serve as a base for the calendar printable as well. For those who want floating notes that you can use on a monthly basis, this combo makes a quick way to create this sort of tool for yourself. First, gather the calendar printable and cut out the pertinent month, and print out one of the notemark pages (front and back). Next, since most people would use a thin book mark the notemark page will need to be folded. First, fold in half by the long edge. Fold the notemark again lengthwise. Alternatively you could cut the notemark page in half along the first fold, then fold the half page in half once more. You can

DIY Phone Case/Pocket

I found this short video on a DIY paper phone case. It's sturdy enough to hold something as heavy as a smart phone (or multiple writing implements) but also light enough to include as part of your everyday journal carry. This origami item could be modified to suit any number of things. Want to try some Origami? Click this origami paper affiliate link and you can help me out a little and get involved in a fantastic creative outlet.

Search This Blog