Brain fog. Disorientation. Haze. They’re all terms for when brain lesions from multiple sclerosis make thinking coherently impossible (MS). More than half of MS patients have cognitive issues.
Cognitive fog impairs organizing, planning, processing, learning, remembering, attention, and decision-making. We use these abilities regularly. However, cog fog complicates basic activities.
Bullet Journal
Discover bullet journaling to combat brain idleness. A bullet journal, also known as a BuJo, is a small book with blank, slightly marked pages to establish objectives, write thoughts, monitor tasks, and plan. It organizes everything you need to remember.
A BuJo’s blank pages let you build a calendar, habit tracker, gratitude diary, doodle book, or to-do list in whichever style you like, unlike pre-formatted planners. The dots provide a grid for neat lines.
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Bujo For The Win
Every BuJo is unique since it’s a visual representation of your ideas. Some are for more than one organization.
Some people spend 15–20 minutes updating their weekly planning page’s to-do lists and filling out their habit tracker, noting if they meditated, moisturized, or flossed. Because they need to check that box in the morning, they’ve even forced themselves out of bed to put on moisturizer. Filling up those checkboxes is addicting.
You could spend an hour each month preparing pages for the week. Reflect on your successes and failures from the previous month, then set objectives and prioritize work and deadlines for the upcoming month.
Painting a picture of your ideal days, weeks, and months gives clarity and confidence. Using a BuJo helps you relax when overloaded with appointments, due dates, and to-do lists.
Creating a customized BuJo requires some study. Formatting each page can get tiresome and time-consuming. Still, after some time, you’ll enjoy this flexibility’s various advantages.
Mindfulness involves being offline and writing. You can focus on objectives, one task at a time, and practice penmanship without electronics. Then, confidently navigate the following several weeks with your self-made book.
How To Get Started
1. Journal and tools.
Buy a thick-paged 5 x 8-inch dotted grid diary. Sturdy pages prevent ink from bleeding through. You’ll need a ruler, Wite-Out, and a fine-point pen for page design.
2. Format pages.
Page formatting is the most creative and time-consuming element. Find out what works for others. You can Google “minimalist bullet journal” and discover several resources.
Pinterest included page options for a calendar view (yearly, monthly, weekly), task tracker, habit tracker, long-term goal list, gratitude diary, and idea dump may also help.
3. Create a symbol key.
BuJo users utilize symbols and colors to organize. These symbols are common. In a to-do list, a scribbled-in check implies a task is complete, a line through it means it’s in progress, a right arrow means to shift it to another day, and a line across the text means it’s canceled.
Color keys help categorize tasks with colored pens. In case you forget, your initial few pages should include a key.
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Pro Tips
- Map your first several-page layouts using a pencil and ruler as you figure out the organization. Ink can cement it.
- Correction tape or fluid eases ink pen mistake worry. Make mistakes and alter your mind. Relax. Erasable pens might make the paper seem drab and filthy.
- Skip days or stop using your BuJo without guilt. It supports you, not adds to your to-do list. Return to it when ready.
- Simplify. You may discover inspiring ideas online but don’t feel obligated to make art. Use your BuJo as it fits your lifestyle.
- Store it. Keep it handy—compact, it’s light and simple to pack.
A tailored bullet journal may help you manage brain fog. Self-help!