As I’ve mentioned before, bullet journaling holds my life together. When I started working from home, my planner got increasingly full and I started to consider: should I have a separate work bullet journal vs a personal one? Here’s why you might lean more towards yes or no, depending on your situation.
You may say YES if…
- You have too many tasks to fit within your spreads
- You use a variety of spreads over the course of a work week (think grocery lists or mood trackers)
- You want/need to compartmentalize your work vs personal life
You may say NO if…
- You have space to comfortably fit your work tasks next to your personal ones, even on busy days
- You are worried about having one more thing to check, which could decrease your productivity
- You want/need to keep everything in the same place
Here’s what I do (and why)
- To make room for all of my tasks, I adopted a weekly and daily configuration so that everything could comfortably fit, even when work picks up or during busy times like holidays
- I put all of my lists and trackers at the beginning of every month block, and all of my calendar spreads are in a row in my bullet journal
- I keep my bullet journal open at the current day at my desk, so everything is at a glance
- My personal work situation can comfortably coexist with my personal life, and I don’t feel overwhelmed by having my tasks next to each other (but it’s okay if you do!)
- I absolutely have to keep everything in the same place in order for my productivity system to work
So the short version is that I adjusted my bullet journaling habits to fit my work style, and I’m very happy with my current setup. If you’re worried about trying something new, I’d suggest waiting for a slow week and setting up a spread or two. The worst thing that could happen is that you won’t use the spread, and then you can try again or just go back to what is currently working for you.
The one thing that drives all of my bujo considerations is whether or not the thing I’m doing will ultimately save me time and help me be more productive. If the answer is no, then I typically avoid it. If the answer is maybe, then I’ll give it a try. If it’s yes, then I fit it in with my existing journaling routine and give it tweaks as I go week to week. The point is that it’s your bullet journal, and even if you post pictures of it on Instagram or other social media platforms or a website like I do, it’s ultimately going to affect your life. Make sure it’s helping you be your best self!
What about you? Do you have separate work vs personal bullet journals? Do you want to? Let me know in the comments!
-Katy
Author Rescue 
This post was really helpful for me in making a decision to just have one bullet journal where work and personal are combined. For several years I’ve had separate work and personal bullet journals, just because it seemed like a good idea. But it was always a bit complicated to keep two notebooks going at once, and I’ve been looking for ways to manage both in one notebook.
What’s been working for me recently is having all my tasks for the day in one daily log, but having a separate personal monthly log and work monthly log, all in the same notebook. I’m liking this setup so much better than separate notebooks because I can have just one notebook with me if I travel anywhere.
Thanks for sharing your process and suggestions!
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