# The Bullet Journal Method ![[Assets/fe8e03db498a2aecf35e2c077e0b177d_MD5.jpg]] ## Metadata - Author: [[Ryder Carroll]] - Full Title: The Bullet Journal Method - Category: #books ## Highlights - The main culprit was my inability to rein in my focus. It wasn’t that I couldn’t focus; I just had a hard time concentrating on the right thing at the right time, on being present. My attention would always dart off to the next bright thing. As I cycled through distractions, my responsibilities steadily piled up until they became overwhelming. I often found myself coming up short or trailing behind. Facing those feelings day in, day out led to deep self-doubt. Few things are more distracting than the cruel stories we tell ourselves. ([Location 86](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=86)) - She always had 15 free minutes if she took them before checking her phone. ([Location 145](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=145)) - One thing this community helped me realize is that my condition simply forced me to address something early on that has since become a common malady of the digital age: the lack of self-awareness. ([Location 162](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=162)) - In the most connected time in history, we’re quickly losing touch with ourselves. Overwhelmed by a never-ending flood of information, we’re left feeling overstimulated yet restless, overworked yet discontented, tuned in yet burned out. As technology leaked into every nook in my life, with its countless distractions, my methodology provided an analog refuge that proved invaluable in helping me define and focus on what truly mattered. ([Location 163](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=163)) - This is a critical aspect of the methodology; it helps us cultivate a better sense of ourselves both in and out of the professional theater. The simple act of pausing to write down the important minutia of one’s life goes far beyond simple organization. It has helped people reconnect with themselves and the things they care about. ([Location 180](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=180)) - The Bullet Journal method will help you accomplish more by working on less. It helps you identify and focus on what is meaningful by stripping away what is meaningless. ([Location 198](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=198)) - How does it do this? By weaving together productivity, mindfulness, and intentionality into a framework that is flexible, forgiving, and, most importantly, practical. ([Location 200](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=200)) - Every year between 1950 and 2000, Americans increased their productivity about 1 to 4 percent.1 Since 2005, however, this growth has slowed in advanced economies, with a productivity decrease recorded in the United States in 2016.2 Maybe our rapidly evolving technology that promises us near-limitless options to keep us busy is not, in fact, making us more productive? ([Location 208](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=208)) - One possible explanation for our productivity slowdown is that we’re paralyzed by information overload. As Daniel Levitin writes in The Organized Mind, information overload is worse for our focus than exhaustion or smoking marijuana.3 ([Location 212](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=212)) - The Bullet Journal will help you declutter your packed mind so you can finally examine your thoughts from an objective distance. ([Location 218](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=218)) - The Bullet Journal is designed to be your “source of truth.” No, this is not some dubious invitation to worship this methodology. It means that you no longer have to wonder where your thoughts live. ([Location 224](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=224)) - BuJo puts you at the helm. You’ll learn how to stop reacting and start responding. ([Location 230](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=230)) - When we talk about mindfulness, we’re typically talking about a heightened awareness of the present. ([Location 238](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=238)) - If the journey is the destination, then we must learn how to become better travelers. To become better travelers, we must first learn to orient ourselves. Where are you now? Do you want to be here? If not, why do you want to move on? ([Location 243](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=243)) - Knowing where you are begins with knowing who you are. ([Location 246](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=246)) - Mindfulness is the process of waking up to see what’s right in front of us. It helps you become more aware of where you are, who you are, and what you want. This is where BuJo comes into play. The act of writing by hand draws our mind into the present moment on a neurological level unlike any other capturing mechanism. ([Location 247](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=247)) - In other words, the Bullet Journal method keeps us mindful of why we’re doing what we’re doing. ([Location 258](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=258)) - The rush of our busy lives can quietly carve out a gulf separating our actions from our beliefs. We tend to follow the path of least resistance, even when it leads away from the things we care about. ([Location 264](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=264)) - The Bullet Journal method acts as a bridge between your beliefs and your actions by integrating into the nitty-gritty of your life. ([Location 271](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=271)) - Through Bullet Journaling, you’ll automatically form a regular habit of introspection where you’ll begin to define what’s important, why it’s important, and then figure out how to best pursue those things. ([Location 275](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=275)) - Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make us. —RICHIE NORTON ([Location 311](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=311)) - On paper, I had accomplished everything I was told would make me happy. I sacrificed a lot getting to this point, but now that I was here, it just didn’t seem to matter. ([Location 327](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=327)) - How often do we find ourselves in this position? You’ve worked incredibly hard on something, only to discover that it leaves you feeling empty. ([Location 331](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=331)) - Are you trying to lose ten pounds for health reasons, or are you in a toxic relationship that’s stripping you of your confidence? ([Location 335](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=335)) - you’re climbing the wrong mountain. ([Location 337](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=337)) - Our motivations are heavily informed by the media. ([Location 338](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=338)) - Bronnie Ware, an Australian nurse and author who spent several years working in palliative care with patients in the last weeks of their lives, recorded her patients’ top five regrets. The number one regret was that people wished they had stayed true to themselves. ([Location 345](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=345)) - Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. ([Location 348](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=348)) - What does it mean to live an intentional life? The philosopher David Bentley Hart defines intentionality as “the fundamental power of the mind to direct itself toward something . . . a specific object, purpose, or end.”7 ([Location 351](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=351)) - Intentionality is the power of the mind to direct itself toward that which it finds meaningful and take action toward that end. ([Location 354](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=354)) - If intentionality means acting according to your beliefs, then the opposite would be operating on autopilot. In other words, do you know why you’re doing what you’re doing? ([Location 355](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=355)) - We can’t be true to ourselves if we don’t know what we want, and more importantly why, so that’s where we must begin. It’s a process that requires the steady cultivation of our self-awareness. ([Location 357](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=357)) - As we begin to identify the things we’re drawn to, we can start properly defining our dreams, based on what we actually believe in. ([Location 360](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=360)) - When we believe in what we’re doing, we stop mindlessly clocking in. We become more innovative, creative, and present. ([Location 361](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=361)) - You can view your Bullet Journal as a living autobiography. ([Location 364](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=364)) - Day by day, you’re deepening your self-awareness by becoming a steady witness to your story. With each page, you improve your ability to discern the meaningful from the meaningless. ([Location 366](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=366)) - Leading an intentional life is about keeping your actions aligned with your beliefs. It’s about penning a story that you believe in and that you can be proud of. ([Location 399](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=399)) - Have nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. —WILLIAM MORRIS ([Location 402](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=402)) - Being busy, however, is not the same thing as being productive. ([Location 408](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=408)) - For most of us, “being busy” is code for being functionally overwhelmed. ([Location 409](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=409)) - This freedom of choice is a double-edged privilege. Every decision requires you to focus, and focus is an investment of your time and energy. Both are limited—and therefore exceptionally valuable—resources. ([Location 416](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=416)) - Acutely aware of how taxing deliberating over options can be, they sought every opportunity to limit choice in their lives. ([Location 428](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=428)) - As psychologist Roy F. Baumeister wrote in his book Willpower: “No matter how rational and high-minded you try to be, you can’t make decision after decision without paying a biological price. It’s different from ordinary physical fatigue—you’re not consciously aware of being tired—but you’re low on mental energy.”11 This state is known as decision fatigue. In other words, the more decisions you have to make, the harder it becomes to make them well. ([Location 429](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=429)) - We need to reduce the number of decisions we burden ourselves with so we can focus on what matters. ([Location 441](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=441)) - The first step to recovering from decision fatigue, to get out from under the pile of choices weighing on you, is to get some distance from them. You need some perspective to both clearly identify and corral your choices. ([Location 443](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=443)) - Writing things down allows us to capture our thoughts and examine them in the light of day. By externalizing our thoughts, we begin to declutter our minds. Entry by entry, we’re creating a mental inventory of all the choices consuming our attention. It’s the first step to taking back control over our lives. Here is where you can begin to filter out the signal from the noise. Here is where your Bullet Journal journey will begin. ([Location 446](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=446)) - This Mental Inventory you just created provides a clear picture of how you’re currently investing your time and energy. It’s a map of your choices. ([Location 476](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=476)) - TIP: If you struggle to answer these questions about a given item, ask yourself what would happen if said item just didn’t get done. Ever. Would there be any real repercussions? ([Location 482](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=482)) - That said, there’s a lot more to Bullet Journaling than keeping lists. It’s a comprehensive methodology designed to help us capture, order, and examine our experience. ([Location 500](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=500)) - Studies suggest that your concentration suffers simply by having your smartphone in the room with you, even if it’s silent or powered off! ([Location 509](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=509)) - Sitting down with your notebook grants you that precious luxury. It provides a personal space, free from distraction, where you can get to know yourself better. This is one of the main reasons we use a notebook to Bullet Journal: It forces us to go offline. ([Location 515](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=515)) - Our notebook serves as a mental sanctuary where we are free to think, reflect, process, and focus. ([Location 517](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=517)) - The blank pages of your notebook offer a safe playground for your mind, where you’re completely free to express yourself without judgment or expectation. As soon as you put pen to paper, you establish a direct link to your mind and often your heart. ([Location 518](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=518)) - The power of the Bullet Journal is that it becomes whatever you need it to be, no matter what season of life you’re in. ([Location 526](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=526)) - As Bullet Journalist Bert Webb put it: “As I do daily, weekly, and monthly reviews, leafing forward and backward in my Bullet Journal, my brain inevitably makes more links between ideas that I was not able to do when using my various separate digital tools.” ([Location 533](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=533)) - The lovely side effect is that as the years pass, you’re creating a record of your choices, and the ensuing experiences. As Bullet Journalist Kim Alvarez once put it, “Each Bullet Journal contributes another volume to a library of your life.” In the pursuit of meaning, this library becomes a powerful resource to have at your disposal. By recording our lives, we’re simultaneously creating a rich archive of our choices and our actions for future reference. We can study our mistakes and learn from them. It’s equally instructive to note our successes, our breakthroughs. When something works professionally or personally, it helps to know what our circumstances were at the time and what choices we made. Studying our failures and our victories can provide tremendous insight, guidance, and motivation as we plot our way forward. ([Location 540](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=540)) - The palest ink is better than the best memory. —CHINESE PROVERB ([Location 552](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=552)) - Be they words, images, or notes, few tools facilitate the transition between the inner and outer worlds as seamlessly as the tip of a pen. ([Location 554](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=554)) - The fact that it takes longer to write things out by hand gives handwriting its cognitive edge. ([Location 568](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=568)) - It’s pretty much impossible to hand-transcribe lectures or meetings verbatim. When we write by hand, we’re forced to be more economical and strategic with our use of language, crafting notes in our own words. To do that, we have to listen more closely, think about the information, and essentially distill others’ words and thoughts through our own neurological filtration system and onto the page. Typing notes, in contrast, can quickly become rote: a frictionless highway where information freely passes in one ear and right out the other. ([Location 569](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=569)) - How we synthesize our experiences shapes the way we perceive and interact with the world. This is why journaling has proven to be a powerful therapeutic tool in treating people who suffer from trauma or mental illness. Expressive writing, for example, helps us process painful experiences by externalizing them through long-form journaling. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) uses scripts to treat people obsessing over intrusive thoughts. A distressing thought is detailed in a short paragraph. This script is then written over and over again until the thought begins to lose its death grip on the person’s mind, granting some much-needed perspective and distance—something we all struggle to find when dealing with challenging situations. ([Location 575](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=575)) - True efficiency is not about speed; it’s about spending more time with what truly matters. ([Location 590](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=590)) - Rapid Logging will help you efficiently capture your life as it happens so that you may begin to study it. ([Location 651](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=651)) - Giving your page its Topic provides that opportunity to pause. What will you capture in this space? What’s its purpose? What value will it add to your life? These may seem like superfluous considerations, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat down to make yet another list, only to realize that it simply wouldn’t add anything meaningful to my life. ([Location 708](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=708)) - Topic by Topic, pause by pause, we’re honing our ability to focus on what matters. ([Location 712](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=712)) - Often all it takes to live intentionally is to pause before you proceed. ([Location 713](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=713)) - Once you’ve defined your Topic, write it at the top of the page. Now you’ve laid the foundation for what you want to build, but you can’t locate a building without its address. That address in your Bullet Journal is the page number, so be sure to add them as you go. Page numbers will be critical when we get to Indexing (this page). Spoiler alert: Your Index helps you quickly locate your content. ([Location 717](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=717)) - The only time we don’t use a descriptive Topic is for our Daily Log (this page). It’s a catchall for our thoughts, so the daily Topic is simply the date, formatted as month/date/day. This will help you quickly orient yourself when flipping through your pages. ([Location 720](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=720)) - Feel free to use this page like a traditional calendar, by slotting in your Events and Tasks ahead of time. That said, nothing is set in stone, so I prefer to log Events only after they happen. That way, the Monthly Log’s Calendar page acts like a timeline. ([Location 1070](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1070)) - the Daily Log is there to prevent us from having to waste time thinking about where to write things down. It’s a catchall, designed to hold our thoughts until we’re ready to sort them out. When that time comes—like during Daily Reflection (this page)—you’ll transfer any bullets with a future date from your Daily Log into your Future Log. Once you do, be sure to mark the entry as scheduled “<” in your Daily Log. ([Location 1149](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1149)) - TIP: You can use your Daily Reflection as your daily digital detox window. After your PM Reflection, implement a “screens off” policy that lasts until you’ve completed your AM Reflection the following morning. It’s a simple way to get yourself into the habit of unplugging. ([Location 1559](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1559)) - Migration is designed to add the friction you need to slow down, step back, and consider the things you task yourself with. ([Location 1565](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1565)) - For everything we say yes to, we’re saying no to something else. Migration gives you an opportunity to recommit to what matters and let go of what does not. As Bruce Lee once said, “It is not daily increase but daily decrease; hack away the unessential.” ([Location 1570](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1570)) - The goal is getting into the habit of checking in with yourself, asking small whys. Over time, you get better at answering these questions. You’re refining your beliefs, your values, your ability to spot your weaknesses and your strengths. ([Location 1577](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1577)) - None of us can know with any true certainty what will make us happy. In fact, it turns out that we’re pretty lousy at guessing how something will make us feel, thanks to a phenomenon known as impact bias: “the tendency for people to overestimate the length or the intensity of future feeling states.”28 In essence, we chronically underestimate our ability to adapt. ([Location 1627](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1627)) - which, our built-in drive for pleasure is another critical factor in understanding the enigmatic nature of happiness. We’re built to adapt to heat, to cold, to hardship, and this is partially a result of our ability to experience pleasure. Pleasure allowed us to quickly discern good from bad, harmful from helpful. We like things that feel good, and we’ll go out of our way for more of the good stuff, like shelter, sustenance, water. ([Location 1634](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1634)) - Notice how much advertising focuses not on “good” but on “more”: better, faster, fresher, stronger, lighter. “Good” is enough, but “better” is a promise of “happiness” that’s just another transaction away. ([Location 1644](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1644)) - I’ve met plenty of disillusioned volunteers, social workers, teachers, doctors, and even parents. They know that what they’re doing is objectively meaningful, yet they just don’t feel it. ([Location 1676](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1676)) - You need to take the time to articulate your vision for what it means to live a meaningful life based on your felt experience. ([Location 1694](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1694))