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One of the most helpful things I’ve done for my productivity is writing down everything that I need to do, or even think that I might want to do sometime. I’ve been using the Clever Fox Bullet Journal as my To Do Notebook for a few months and I love how I have all my tasks in one place!
Clever Fox provided me with the Bullet Journal 2.0 for free to review. I love Clever Fox products and I will always give my honest opinion.
My head is chaos.
I’m always forgetting, or I’m just afraid that I’m going to forget something so I’m super stressed out trying to remember it so I don’t forget.
And the best thing to fix this has been to Write. It. Down.
If I write down whatever it is that I’m trying to remember or even just thinking about (important or not), it allows my brain to not worry about it anymore. It’s also why doing a braindump list works so well for me.
Instead of trying to then keep track of hundreds of Post-it notes or scraps of paper all over my desk, I thought it might be wise to keep all those random thoughts in one place. So I created my Clever Fox Bullet Journal.
And it’s been amazing! Seriously, if any of what I said above sounds like you, this is something you should really try!
Clever Fox generously provided me with one of their Dotted Journal 2.0 Notebooks. I already love Clever Fox products. They always have great quality and I am constantly amazed at the new things they are coming out with (umm, hello, Check Register book?! I would totally use that as a spending tracker!). But this Dotted Journal is probably my favorite!
All the Specs
First of all, I love that the cover has a little flexibility to it. I’m not sure why, but I always like soft covers more than hard covers. It is embossed with cute little doodle images, and has an elastic strap to keep it all closed. In the back there is also a pocket to hold those random notes that I’m sure to still leave on a random scrap of paper.
Next is the paper. I’m picky with paper, as most planner people are. This is really good paper! I use Mildliners and Papermate Flairs on it all the time and I never see any bleed through or shadowing. It’s 120 gsm paper for those that want to know the specs. I also love that it is smooth and bright white! Smooth white paper is the best!
The Clever Fox Dotted Journal 2.0 has some of the usual bullet journal features. Obviously, it’s a dot grid notebook (with 5mm spacing). It has an index and key in the front, and all the pages are numbered (there are 160 pages).
And in case all of that isn’t enough, it comes in some super cute colors!! I have the Rose Gold, but I also love the Pearl, Turquoise (which I also decided to purchase), Light Pink, and Grey!
And in case you were wondering, the main difference (that I’ve noticed) between the first Dotted Journal and the 2.0 version is the size. The original is about 5.5×8.5 inches, and the 2.0 is a standard A5 size. I love this because it gives me more room to write. The wider size makes a huge difference for me. I think their original may have also had a hard cover.
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How I’m Using the my Clever Fox Bullet Journal
To put it simply, I make a lot of lists.
I have monthly lists, weekly lists, and “just because it’s in my head” lists. I also have some pages for when I have a specific project that I’m working on and need to keep my notes together.
Although I don’t use it as a traditional bullet journal, I still call it my bullet journal because I use a form of bullet journal style marking. This way I can keep track of tasks that are done, not done at all, in progress, or migrated to another time/list.
The page numbers of the Clever Fox Bullet Journal make it easy to keep track of where I write things down so I can actually find them again later.
I also decided to decorate in the front a little. With some vellum, I created a dashboard style page in the beginning with some words that I like to focus on. I love having it where I can easily see it and remember the traits and behaviors that I want to work on.
You can see the full setup on YouTube
Simple System with Amazing Results
It is a simple system, making lists as needed. But having a place to put them and not trying to keep them in my head has been so great! I’ve noticed how much less stressed I am when I write down the things in my Clever Box Bullet Journal. It gives me permission to not worry about it anymore. Then I can go back later and things that need action taken can be completed, moved to my next list, or moved into my regular planner. And things that were taking up mental space that didn’t need to be there, just fall off.
I bet this would work for you too. If you find yourself stressed and either forgetting or worrying that you will forget, try grabbing a notebook you love (and I definitely recommend the Clever Fox Dotted Journal 2.0), and just write it all down. You’ll feel so much better!
