“Take your pleasure seriously”
Charles and Ray Eames
A graphic theme this month paired with a quote from the quintessential mid-century designers, Charles and Ray Eames. What does it mean to take your pleasure seriously? I’m not sure what Charles and Ray Eames meant, but I like the idea of paying attention to the things that bring us joy. Respecting our own inclinations allows us to learn about ourselves.
I took a different approach to my tracker this month, creating a graphic code for each behavior I’m tracking, then ornamenting my numbered cubes accordingly. It will be harder to scan visually for trends, but fun to look at :O)
My calendar is simple, with my usual vertical weeks. I put bands of cubes at the top and bottom.
I like the way my projects page turned out. Each spread treats the cube colors a little differently, and the colors on this spread are my favorite. I also like the color titles. They soften up the page a little.
In April the planning spread I created really helped me keep track of a lot of tasks. I was able to complete most of them, despite being a little overwhelmed at first. So I’ve created a similar spread this month. Though this spread is, to some extent, a rehashing of tasks I’ve listed elsewhere, breaking them down into smaller chunks makes a difference.
When I first started bullet journaling, I didn’t understand why it was so repetitive. Entering events or tasks on multiple spreads, like a monthly calendar, then a weekly spread, then a daily log seemed redundant and wasteful. But I’ve discovered that this process is a powerful way to balance tasks at different scales. It allows me to see a task in the context of each scale, then isolate it on the day I’m actually working on it. This has two advantages: 1) It helps me prioritize and schedule each task in the context of family life and other tasks; 2) It lets me focus on a task without stressing about all the other things that need to be done, because I know those other things are assigned to other days.
This combination of a clearer mind and functional art are why I love bullet journaling. It’s one of the pleasures that I take seriously. It’s allowed me to develop a personalized system that helps keep my mind clear, while also creating a space for art that is linked to function—a combination I love.
How would you interpret the directive to take your pleasure seriously? Do you take your pleasure seriously? I would love to know!
