Today I want to share a really powerful organizing tool with you: the bullet journal method!
Earlier this week I asked the Mid Mod Remodel Community how they stay organized and on track of their home updates. What I heard back is that mostly they feel like they don’t.
I get it.
Planning a home remodel … on top of everything else you have going on in your life … can seem like a lot. Keeping track of your progress and moving forward consistently is even harder.
I make this so much easier on myself with my bullet journal.
This is a system for catching everything that passes through my head. That’s paired with a way for me to stay realistic as I plan what to accomplish in a day, week, or month. This way I can moves the needle forward AND keep my goals attainable.
In Today’s Episode you’ll hear …
- When I asked my community of mid mod remodelers how they stay organized and on top of their home update projects … they mostly said they don’t. If that’s you too, you’re not alone! [0:55]
- Don’t worry you do NOT need to be a great artist, or have infinite time to curate your work, in order to get the best out of a bullet journal … stick to “minimalist bullet journal” for your inspo searches. [2:30]
- The basics of the system and philosophy, developed by Ryder Carroll [3:13]
- A quick overview of how to set up and use your bullet journal [4:31]
- How I plan my life (and home remodeling goals) with quarterly plans and daily/weekly “big three” lists a la Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus Planner [7:24]
- How to get started planning any home update by taking a survey of your home. Use my DIY Home Assessment workbook to get all the important info in one place [9:25]
- A whole host of ideas for how to organize a remodel with a bullet journal [10:21]
- TEASER: I’ll be including a mini training on exactly how to use a bullet journal as one component of my upcoming Ready to Remodel Course. If you want to be notified about all the updates … get on the waiting list here!
LISTEN NOW ON
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Resources Mentioned in this Episode
- About Ryder Carroll and the Bullet Journal Method
- A simple introduction walking you through the system setup (there’s a how-to video at the top of the page)
- Here: I’ve pre-searched “Minimalist Bullet Journal” for you
- Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus Planner has my “big three” method
- Try out the Focus on This Podcast for more planning inspo
- Join us on in the new Facebook Community for Mid Mod Remodel
- Find me on Instagram:@midmodmidwest
- Find the podcast on Instagram: @midmodremodelpodcast
- Grab that DIY Home Assessment Workbook here!
Here’s a simple video showing how to use a Bullet Journal
And here are a few of my Bullet Journal “spreads” devoted to remodeling

Jotting down the outline of my scope helps me tell the same project details to each sub-contractor I ask for a price on my mudroom addition. That way when they get back to me I get an apples to apples comparison of prices.

Here are a few sketches I jotted down to explain what I wanted to the electricians coming by to review the project. On the left is a detail of how the wall is constructed and insulated. On the right is a rough location of all the switches, outlets, and lights.

Once I had my best bids, I jotted down a few notes comparing them and then further notes and outstanding questions about the next steps for the project.

A few weeks later I spent the short week of Thanksgiving powering through the last details of insulation so that I could have a holiday inspection and then drywall crew could kick in to gear the following Monday!
Want more? Here’s a short video of me walking through my bullet journal(s) and how I use them to manage my own remodel!