This article first appeared in Bujo U.

Back in 2022, I was a beta tester for the newly released pocket notebook. Due to all of the excitement around the release of the Pocket, I thought I would share my experience using it. I hope it might give others some ideas for using the Pocket.  At the time, I could not think of ways to use it as a companion to my A5 bullet journal so I decided to put aside the A5 for a little while and venture into pocket-sized bullet journaling.

My intention for this pocket notebook was to see what tasks were consuming my time at work. I had some areas of my work that I struggled to get to and needed to see what was happening so that I could make some changes.  I chose to set up my monthly log with tasks that had due dates on the right and then to the left of the line was my timeline of what I did on that day along with the amount of time I spent on each task. Also, I decided to color code the different areas of work so those different areas would pop off the page. 

Using the Monthly Log in Portrait Mode

Daily Logging in The Pocket

For this experiment, I set my daily logs using a two-column format. The dotted lines in the center of the page made it easy for me to see the columns without having to draw a line to separate them. I've done similar spreads in my A5 bullet journal and this felt as if I was writing in the A5.  

However, the experience changed for me when I turned the page for the following day. Flipping back to look at the weekly list seemed to flow better for me than when I do it in the A5. Maybe my brain just likes to read things vertically.

Other Thoughts

Another thing I really liked about using The Pocket was the experience moving between writing and typing. The thinness of the notebook allowed for a smooth transition from writing to typing. Often I experience a "hump" when I transition between typing and writing, especially when the notebook is new. I find that I prefer using thinner notebooks for how I spend the majority of my work time.

I am looking forward to experimenting with The Pocket in other ways. I thinking that my next experiment is to just use the pocket for daily logging and keep my A5 for monthly logs and written reflections. I look forward to seeing and hearing how others will use The Pocket to enhance their bullet journaling practice. Please share your ideas and experiences.

About the Author

Karen Colum is a bullet journal enthusiast, university professor, passionate about preparing teachers to disrupt inequities & injustices in educational spaces.