The Bullet Journal Method

The Bullet Journal Method introduces a unique system for organizing you can use to be more productive, improve your mindfulness, prioritize tasks, schedule appointments, solidify ideas, as well as set goals, make plans for them, and track their progress.

It’s important to organize your thoughts before you begin writing. Your bullet journal, affectionately known as a “BuJo”, shouldn’t be full of random ideas you never revisit. It should be a tool to help you focus on the most important things in your life.

Grab a sheet of paper and divide it into three columns. In the first column, list the things you are doing right now at work and in your personal life. In the next column, list what you should be doing, and in the last column, list what you want to be doing. Go as long as it takes until your mind is emptied.

Next, look at each task and ask yourself, is this task necessary or important to me? If not, cross it off. Soon you’ll have what you really want to go into your journal. This is the first lesson of your BuJo: what you leave out is just as important as what you put into it.

Next, grab a physical notebook and something to write with. Leverage the focus of offline writing.

The BuJo has four sections or collections: the index, daily log, monthly log, and future log.

The index tells you where everything in your journal is and makes sure you never forget an idea or appointment again. The daily log is where you keep all the thoughts and reminders of the day. And the monthly log is an overview of your month and helps you see what’s done and what needs to be done.

Lastly, the future log is where you place the ideas that you won’t get to this month and save them for the future. These are the core collections of your BuJo, but you can also add personalized collections after the core collections. These can be things like tracking fertility or meal planning.

Whatever collection you are writing in, the content should fall into one of three sections: tasks, events, and notes. Each of these has its own signifier. Your tasks, or your to-do items, should be denoted with a solid bullet. Once it’s completed, cross it over with an “x.” To reschedule tasks in the month, convert the bullet into a right-facing arrow. To move them into the future log, use a left-facing arrow. You can show urgency by adding an asterisk. Events are denoted by an unfilled bullet. Record important events neutrally, whether they are good or bad, because they will help you understand key habits and trends…