Something I wish I knew when I just started online sex work is the importance of planning. I had heard the saying “consistency is the key” so many times, but still struggled to achieve consistency as a naturally hectic person who works mainly during random bursts of energy and creativity. That was until I discovered bullet journaling.
I first got familiar with the idea of bullet journaling around the time when Ryder Carroll’s The Bullet Journal Method was released. It intrigued me from the beginning because I always struggled to use regular planners due to the lack of space in daily logs and lack of features that would matter to me.
So, I dove in and, although I did make some mistakes along the way, a few years later it is still my favorite way to stay productive. As bullet journaling worked so well for me, I wanted to share this awesome way of planning with you, too.
What exactly is a bullet journal?
A bullet journal is a highly customizable planner that you can create to suit your personal needs. Say goodbye to cramped weekly logs and unnecessary features that you will never use. A bullet journal allows you to add features that matter to you. All you need to start a bullet journal is a blank notebook and a pen.
While looking up bullet journaling for the first time, I — like most of us — got very overwhelmed by aesthetically pleasing spreads and long lists of all the pages I could add to my bullet journal. Wait, what’s a “spread”? you ask.
To put it simply, a bullet journal spread is a part of your bullet journal that is dedicated to something specific, such as planning your month, tracking your savings, tracking habits and much more. You can make a spread for anything that is important to you.
When I first started, I added too many habit trackers, lists of movies to watch and other spreads I barely used. On top of that, I was so overwhelmed by making my bullet journal pretty that my productivity decreased. It took me a couple of years to find the right planning method and style for me, but I think I have finally achieved it.
After not being able to find any sex work specific planners online, I decided to create my own sex work bullet journal. This is now a place where I keep important information like passwords, goals, savings tracker, rank and earnings tracker and much more. I also have typical bullet journal spreads such as weekly schedule, books to read and achievements.
Some spread ideas for your sex work bullet journal
Although the bullet journaling process differs from one person to another, here are some of the most useful spreads any online sex worker can benefit from.
Why? — The very first spread I have in my bullet journal is my “why.” This is the section I can always go back to when I feel low and unmotivated and start questioning myself and my abilities. It helps me to get through the slow times.
Goals — The second most important spread in my bullet journal is “goals.” I split the next year in three-month long periods and wrote down three main goals I want to accomplish in those three months. For example, I can write down that I want to get used to posting on my blog consistently by posting one new post every week. Or I might want to get five more fans in the gold tier of my JustForFans. Goals are different for each of us, but they are yet another thing that helps us to get through hard times.
And of course, no bullet journal would be complete without a Weekly Spread. Here are some things you should keep in mind while creating it.
Plan some time off. One of the hardest things about being an online sex worker is the struggle to go offline and take time for yourself. The worry about losing potential clients and existing fans by not keeping them entertained 24/7 is all too real. But planning some time off can be beneficial in the long run and save you from a burnout. Another tip of mine would be to spread the tasks evenly throughout the week. If possible, you can even dedicate one day to editing, one to scheduling posts on your fan sites and so on.
You can also add spreads that make your life easier, such as frequently used tags. For me this is especially helpful when I use upload content on ManyVids and don’t want to spend a lot of time going through the huge list of categories they have. I just wrote down all the categories I use in alphabetical order, and that’s it.
Other spreads that make the organization and brainstorm processes easier can be “Store products to add,” “Video ideas,” “Video filming schedule” and so on. The first two are especially useful when you get a new content idea on the go and just need to jot it down without scheduling it for a specific day.
And last but not least – to keep my motivation up I also prefer to have an Achievement Spread. These don’t have to be huge achievements, like winning an award or getting featured in Playboy. It can be stuff like your first sale on a new site, first gift received from a fan, making your first website, hitting 10k views on a platform or site or anything else that matters to you. That way, on bad days, you can look back and see all the great things you have achieved so far.
A friendly reminder before you go
So, here you have all of my main tips on setting up your sex work bullet journal. Don’t feel pressured to include all the spreads I mentioned just because you feel like you should. Do what works best for you, and remember to have fun while bullet journaling!
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Alison Sparks is a solo adult content creator and writer. Find her on Twitter at @itsalisonsparks and email her via alison@ynotcam.com.
Background header image via Unsplash here.
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