THIS TWO-PART BLOG POST SERIES IS DEDICATED TO MILES DOORNBOS, THE MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM AT WAIT WAIT...DON’T TELL ME IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
I had always wanted to keep a log of my everyday happenings. Frustrated by how easy it is to forget, I would start journaling but fall behind when things got busy. I simply didn’t have the hour needed each day to craft an entry that adequately chronicled my experiences. I could barely keep up with the day-to-day happenings of my life in the first place, much less find time write about them.
I spent my first three years of college in a state of constant panic. Frazzled, on-edge, and always on-the-go, I was late more often than I’d care to admit. I never had quite enough time to do anything fully. I was a textbook tidsoptimist.
| tids•op•ti•mist, n. 1. someone who is optimistic about how much time they have, who is therefore often late or just in time 2. time optimist
Let me be clear: I am no slacker. A tidsoptimist is usually characterized by their unparalleled zest for life and drive to achieve. The tidsoptimist is so passionate that they’ll never say ‘no.’ The tidsoptimist wants to do everything, climb every mountain, take on every challenge, be everyone’s best friend, help all those in need, and scout everywhere yet unexplored. Fueled by rainbows of sheer joy and optimism, the bright and bubbly tidsoptimist is an effervescent, spontaneous motivator… until they crash and burn in a gruesome tire fire of late arrivals, missed deadlines, and unrealized personal expectations. This is the price you pay for unbridled, unregulated enthusiasm. This is why the tidsoptimist must carefully strategize and be intentional about how they schedule their time.
Again... Enter: The Bullet Journal, the do-it-all organizational method that set me straight (and landed me a job as an NPR intern).
It’s important to remember that Bullet Journaling isn’t so much about doing more as it is about being intentional. As Jennifer Chan writes in her article on Medium. “The point isn’t to be an Energizer Bunny. It’s to know, on a fundamental level, how you’re spending your time.”
I used to struggle with a response when my parents asked what I had been up to… not for lack of content, but because I was still reeling from fully-packed days of TOO MUCH. Now, I keep everything meticulously and ~efficiently~ journaled in bullet form, which has allowed me to stop over-committing. Plus, I have an easy-access log of what the hell I’ve been doing all day. Go ahead, ask me how my week was. I dare you.
And the best part? My bullet journaling only gets better. The more I use it, the more efficient I become. I no longer have to scour cluttered, unorganized pages for something resembling useful information. By streamlining everything, time spent being productive has become easier and more rewarding. Journaling went from a time-suck to a time-saver.
Perhaps most importantly, bullet journaling allows me to de-stress. By actively engaging when I write something down, I’m able to stop that worry from swirling around in my head. Bullet journaling removes distractions by freeing up the precious mental resources I would have spent holding onto that slippery thought, allowing me to focus on more important tasks—like becoming an NPR Intern.
You can do it, too! It’s as easy as putting pen to paper. Just place that reminder in your bullet journal and relax. It will be waiting for you there when you come back.
Huge shout-out to Ryder Carroll, the man that saved my schedule… and inadvertently helped me get an Internship at National Public Radio.
Read Part One Here.
And as always, listen to Carter Will Be An NPR Intern on Spotify at: spoti.fi/2N5Cu2L
For a what’s-what about the podcast, visit my about page.
For an evolving page of photos/experiences, visit my portfolio.