{"id":9211,"date":"2019-12-11T09:34:35","date_gmt":"2019-12-11T07:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging-mondaycomblog.kinsta.cloud\/?p=9211"},"modified":"2023-06-18T09:44:14","modified_gmt":"2023-06-18T09:44:14","slug":"bullet-journal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monday.com\/blog\/productivity\/bullet-journal\/","title":{"rendered":"How to achieve greater productivity by using the bullet journal"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to boosting productivity, you probably know there are a wide range of great productivity systems<\/a> to choose from. One of the more increasingly popular methods these days, however, is the Bullet Journal.<\/p>\n

Known as BuJo\u00ae, the Bullet Journal is an analog organization system for people who still love using pen-and-paper planners. But don\u2019t think of the Bullet Journal as a glorified to-do list, because it\u2019s so much more than that.<\/p>\n

Writer and executive assistant Ashley Gibson<\/a> explained that her job involves a lot of planning and time management, which is why Bullet Journals make sense for her. \u201cI love the flexibility bullet journals offer. Day planners are great, but I\u2019ve always struggled to find one with the \u2018perfect for me\u2019 layout. With these, it\u2019s nice to have something creative to do\/set up each month, and I like that you can choose the best layout\/system\/ approach for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s more like a comprehensive organization system that helps you keep track of your projects, goals, tasks–and pretty much anything else that you want to stay on top of.<\/p>\n

So how can you use the Bullet Journal to help you<\/em> achieve better productivity? Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n

Get started<\/a><\/p>\n

What is the Bullet Journal?<\/h2>\n

First: Um…what is<\/em> a bullet journal?<\/p>\n

The Bullet Journal is the brainchild of author and digital product designer Ryder Carroll<\/a>. Growing up, Carroll struggled with ADD and other learning disabilities that made it difficult for him to plan and complete tasks. As such, he needed an organizational system that helped him maximize his focus and productivity, and the popular methods at the time weren\u2019t working for him. After years of testing and tweaking, he perfected the Bullet Journal.<\/p>\n

On Carroll\u2019s website, he explains the Bullet Journal like this: \u201cIt’s designed to help you organize your what<\/em><\/strong> while you remain mindful of your why<\/em><\/strong>. The goal is to help its practitioners (Bullet Journalists) live intentional lives, ones that are both productive and meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how it works: <\/strong>All you need to have on hand to set up a Bullet Journal is a pen and a notebook that you\u2019ll use as your journal. The Bullet Journal consists of five major components:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The index: <\/strong>The table of contents that lists your plans, thoughts, and ideas. It\u2019s best to use the first couple of pages in the journal as the index, as you\u2019ll be constantly updating it with entries<\/li>\n
  2. The key: <\/strong>A glossary at the front or back of your journal that defines your various bullet symbols. We\u2019ll talk more about that later<\/li>\n
  3. Future log: <\/strong>Where you record priorities, events, and tasks you intend on completing in the future months to come<\/li>\n
  4. Monthly log: <\/strong>A record of all your priorities, events, and tasks you have assigned for the current month<\/li>\n
  5. Daily log: <\/strong>All of the things you want to accomplish today<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    You can learn more about the Bullet Journal and how you can create one of your own by reading this tutorial<\/a> on the official website.<\/p>\n

    Using the Bullet Journal<\/h2>\n

    One of the reasons the Bullet Journal is so effective is because of the \u201cRapid Logging\u201d feature, which is a simplified \u201clanguage\u201d that allows you to take brief notes without losing any of the important context. You\u2019re probably thinking that learning a language for note taking is too much work, but don\u2019t worry. It\u2019s really simple.<\/p>\n

    Carroll lists three types of bullets in this index:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Tasks <\/strong>(Represented by a standard bullet point \u201c\u2022\u201d)<\/li>\n
    2. Events <\/strong>(Represented by an open circle \u201co\u201d)<\/li>\n
    3. Notes you don\u2019t want to forget <\/strong>(Represented by a dash \u00ad\u00ad\u201c-\u201c)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      You then add brief bulleted sentences into your daily log using the symbols above. A daily log might look something like this:<\/p>\n

      \u2022 Finish marketing presentation<\/p>\n

      \u2022 Call Tony<\/p>\n

      \u25cb Department meeting at 3:00<\/p>\n

      – Raining this afternoon<\/p>\n

      There are also a few other symbols used, like \u201c*\u201d for high-priority tasks and \u201c!\u201d for anything that\u2019s inspirational.<\/p>\n

      The basics of the Bullet Journal are pretty straightforward from there. You record your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks then put those tasks on your index page based on their respective categories. You mark off the tasks you\u2019ve completed over the course of your day, and the tasks you don\u2019t complete get rescheduled or canceled if you decide the task isn\u2019t important or worthwhile anymore.<\/p>\n

      OnRamp Data Founder and marketing consultant for creative entrepreneurs Emmett Armstrong<\/a> said, \u201cI like that I can just flip to a new page and write whatever I want with no need to work around what I’ve done already, or what the pre-defined template has for that day. I’ve only done bullet journaling for a few weeks, but I already love it.\u201d Armstrong has found these are a great way to keep his to-do list and multiple responsibilities in check.<\/p>\n

      Want to see a Bullet Journal in action? Take a look at the video below.<\/p>\n