The Bullet Journal Method  ## Metadata - Author: [[Ryder Carroll]] | [[3. Resources/Authors/Ryder Carroll|Ryder Carroll]] - Full Title: The Bullet Journal Method - Category: #books - Kindle: [Open in Kindle](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B7C4F9C) - Document Tags: [[PKM]] ## Document Notes ## Highlights - 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)) - 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)) - Mindfulness is the process of waking up to see what’s right in front of us. ([Location 247](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=247)) - The act of writing by hand draws our mind into the present moment on a neurological level unlike any other capturing mechanism. ([Location 248](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=248)) - 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)) - 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. You’re gently reminded of these insights every day, which makes it easier to put them into action wherever you happen to be, be it a boardroom, classroom, or even an emergency room. ([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)) - 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)) - 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)) - 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)) - No wonder we often feel stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed. We try to treat these symptoms with even more distractions. ([Location 437](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=437)) - 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)) - Each decision, until it’s been made and acted on, is simply a thought. Holding on to thoughts is like trying to catch fish with your bare hands: They easily slip from your grasp and disappear back into the muddy depths of your mind. ([Location 445](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=445)) - Journal writing is a voyage to the interior. —CHRISTINA BALDWIN ([Location 496](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=496)) - This is one of the main reasons we use a notebook to Bullet Journal: It forces us to go offline. ([Location 516](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=516)) - 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 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)) - When we put pen to paper, we’re not just turning on the lights; we’re also turning up the heat. Writing by hand helps us think and feel simultaneously. ([Location 565](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=565)) - Journaling provides a powerful way of facilitating this path of self-learning. ([Location 647](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=647)) - Rapid Logging helps us capture and organize our thoughts as living lists. ([Location 649](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=649)) - 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)) - Rapid Logging solves this issue in a few ways, first by categorizing entries into: Things that you need to do (Tasks) Your experiences (Events) Information you don’t want to forget (Notes) ([Location 760](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=760)) - having a record of an open task makes it easier to remember even when you’re away from your journal, ([Location 818](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=818)) - The friction of an unfinished Task actively engages your mind. ([Location 821](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=821)) - Second, by logging Tasks and their state, you’ll also automatically create an archive of your actions. This becomes immensely valuable during Reflection (this page), or when you review your notebook days, months, or years from now. You’ll always know what you were working toward. ([Location 821](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=821)) - Event entries, no matter how personal or emotionally taxing, should remain as objective and brief as possible. ([Location 826](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=826)) - Notes include facts, ideas, thoughts, and observations. They log information you want to remember that isn’t immediately or necessarily actionable. ([Location 892](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=892)) - Once the event is over, take a few moments and use the time to your advantage. Sit for a while and give yourself a moment to process what you heard. Capture whatever surfaces. Often you’ll gain new insight when you can better contextualize the information as a whole. ([Location 927](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=927)) - If our lives are oceans, then our days are waves; some big, some small. Your Bullet Journal is the shore, and it will be carved by both. ([Location 1053](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1053)) - The Index provides an easy way to find your thoughts days, months, or years after entrusting them to your notebook. ([Location 1192](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1192)) - It’s easy to forget that just because something could be done does not mean that it should be done. ([Location 1271](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1271)) - Productivity is about getting more done by working on fewer things. ([Location 1273](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1273)) - At the beginning of every year, no matter where you are in your current BuJo notebook, start a new one. ([Location 1304](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1304)) - To get a taste of Migration, you can use the Mental Inventory that you created earlier to populate your notebook. Before you dive in, review your Mental Inventory. Make sure everything you listed is worth the time and energy it will take to rewrite it; to filter out the meaningful from the meaningless. ([Location 1322](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1322)) - Being busy doesn’t necessarily mean we’re being productive. ([Location 1415](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1415)) - Many painters are afraid of the blank canvas, but the blank canvas is afraid of the painter who dares and who has broken the spell of “you can’t” once and for all. —VINCENT VAN GOGH ([Location 1456](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1456)) - Thoughts are the source of our goals, hopes, dreams, and ultimately our actions. An easy place to start with any endeavor is simply taking your thoughts out of your head and organizing them on paper. ([Location 1493](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1493)) - Reflection helps identify what nourishes you so you can make better decisions as you seed the next season of your life. ([Location 1528](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1528)) - Daily Reflection. On average, I usually devote 5 to 15 minutes per session. It’s not about how much time it takes; it’s about being consistent. ([Location 1575](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1575)) - If happiness is the result of our actions, then we need to stop asking ourselves how to be happy. Rather, we should be asking ourselves how to be. ([Location 1659](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1659)) - How do we best harness our curiosity while reducing the risk of failure? We set goals. When set with intention, goals can provide structure, direction, focus, and purpose. ([Location 1723](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1723)) - Goals give us the opportunity to define what we want. ([Location 1725](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1725)) - The Topic for this new Collection will be “5, 4, 3, 2, 1.” Divide the spread into five rows on each page (this page). The left page will be for your personal goals; the right page will be for your professional goals. The top cell will store the goals you want to accomplish in 5 years. In the next cell you’ll have goals you want to achieve in 4 months; the next cell will be for goals to achieve in 3 weeks; the next cell will be for goals to attain in 2 days; and the final cell will be for goals you intend to accomplish in the next 1 hour. ([Location 1758](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1758)) - What am I learning about my strengths, my weaknesses? What’s working, and what isn’t? What could I do a bit better next time? What value was added to my life? ([Location 1911](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1911)) - What do I want to do? Why do I want to do it? What small thing can I do right now to get started? ([Location 1957](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1957)) - What exactly did not work? Why did it not work? What small thing can I improve next time? ([Location 1972](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1972)) - Plan: Recognize an opportunity and plan a change. Do: Put the plan into play and test the change. Check: Analyze the results of your test and identify what you’ve learned. Act: Act on what you’ve learned. If the change didn’t work, go through the cycle again with a different plan. If you were successful, incorporate what you learned to plan new improvements. Rinse and repeat. ([Location 1990](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=1990)) - In the end it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s life in your years. —ABRAHAM LINCOLN ([Location 2044](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2044)) - The hard truth is that we can’t “make time,” we can only “take time.” ([Location 2053](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2053)) - Measuring the quality of time is not an exact science, but a key indicator is impact. ([Location 2055](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2055)) - The quality of our time is determined by our ability to be present. ([Location 2061](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2061)) - Our attention lives on a spectrum. ([Location 2062](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2062)) - We can defuse these obligations through time boxing. ([Location 2080](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2080)) - bring your full attention to something by only allowing you to focus on it for a predefined period of time. ([Location 2081](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2081)) - Time boxing adds two key motivational ingredients to a Task you’ve been putting off: structure and urgency. ([Location 2082](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2082)) - The trick is to figure out when you’re most focused and productive, and plan accordingly. ([Location 2105](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2105)) - The next time you cross off a Task in your BuJo, slow down. Take a moment to pause and reflect on the impact of your accomplishment. What do you feel? If by chance you feel nothing—or maybe nothing but relief—then chances are the thing you’re working so diligently toward isn’t adding much value to your life. That’s a critical insight that needs to be recognized. ([Location 2146](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2146)) - We can’t control our feelings, people, or external events. But there is something we can control, and it’s powerful. ([Location 2207](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2207)) - We can control how we respond to what happens to us. ([Location 2208](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2208)) - Bettering yourself leads to bettering others and—if we play that ripple effect all the way out to its infinite potential and multiply it by every willing soul—to bettering the world. ([Location 2276](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2276)) - The best way for your radiance to serve others is to challenge yourself to grow. To that end, make deliberate learning an ongoing focus of your life. Being intentional in your pursuit of knowledge will help you engage with the world and open it up in ways you would have never considered, or been willing to, otherwise. ([Location 2329](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2329)) - What am I learning? What lessons has ________ [situation or relationship] taught me or inspired me to learn? What do I want to know more about? How will I go about learning it? ([Location 2332](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2332)) - WHAT What things do I want to learn? Create a Collection and write down what comes to mind. ↓ WHY What do I want to learn first? Why? Pick the thing you’re most curious about and create a Collection. ↓ HOW How will I go about learning? Brainstorm what comes to mind. Start creating a list of Tasks. Ask yourself, what small thing can I do now to get this process started? Maybe it’s figuring out a time to research. Get to it! ([Location 2342](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2342)) - Often we operate unconsciously. We make our way through life on autopilot, seldom stopping to understand why something makes us feel the way it does. Without personal context, without understanding how something adds value to your life, your efforts will ultimately feel meaningless. Context helps us understand how some unpleasant or even painful responsibilities actually benefit us. ([Location 2381](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2381)) - We’re apt to lose our objectivity when we’re spinning our wheels. By explaining a problem in detail to someone (or something) else, we’re forced to change our perspective, viewing it from above, so to speak, and not from the depths of whatever mental hole we’ve dug ourselves into. ([Location 2531](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2531)) - sit down with your Bullet Journal and write a letter to “Dear Duck”—or some other benign, trusted, or accepting entity. Tell them about: Your problem What’s not working Why it isn’t working What you’ve tried What you have not tried yet What you want to have happen ([Location 2533](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2533)) - break-sprints are self-contained micro projects. ([Location 2548](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2548)) - It should take two weeks or less to complete. You need a break, but you don’t want to lose the thread of your main project. It should be unrelated to the project/problem that’s troubling you. You and your main project need space. You’re not breaking up, but you’re taking some much-needed “me time.” Very critically, it needs to have a defined end (and a clear beginning and middle, too). When we feel stuck, our sense of inertia drains our motivation. One goal of your break-sprint is to give you the satisfaction of crossing off the final Task, of feeling that sense of accomplishment and closure. Reminding yourself what that feels like can quickly refuel your drive. ([Location 2550](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2550)) - Failing to be perfect is one of our biggest sources of self-loathing. It’s intentionality gone bad, where we spend time and energy undoing our progress. We tear up our plans, recommit to counterproductive behaviors, and empower our inner critic. ([Location 2602](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2602)) - By celebrating transience, the universal changing nature of all things, wabi-sabi champions a forgiving path with limitless opportunities to progress. ([Location 2612](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2612)) - understanding why you feel compelled to do something will help you better define how to do something. ([Location 2762](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2762)) - I want to _____ [what] so that I can _____ [why] by _____ [how]. ([Location 2767](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2767)) - Why do you want to go on vacation? To relax. Why? Because work is stressing me out and depressing me. Why? Because it’s the same thing day in and day out, and it makes me feel lonely. Why? Because my life is confined to my cubicle and my couch, and I don’t get to see the people I care about. Why? Because I don’t take time for those things. ([Location 2774](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2774)) - I want to go on vacation so that I can remind myself what I’m working for (pride) by spending quality time with people I care about (connection) while we have fun (joy) exploring a tropical place together (freedom and excitement). ([Location 2782](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2782)) - A key part of Bullet Journaling is learning what you’re curious about and what you naturally gravitate toward. ([Location 2862](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=2862)) - Do you tend to be overoptimistic and overpack your days? Did that leave you feeling stressed and/or exhausted? ([Location 3019](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=3019)) - It’s not about how your journal looks; it’s about how it makes you feel and how effective it is. ([Location 3352](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07B7C4F9C&location=3352)) ## Related - [[3. Resources/Readwise/Books/Duly Noted|Duly Noted]] - [[3. Resources/Readwise/Books/Effective Notetaking|Effective Notetaking]] - [[3. Resources/Readwise/Books/How to Read a Book|How to Read a Book]] - [[3. Resources/Readwise/Books/Building a Second Brain|Building a Second Brain]] - [[3. Resources/Readwise/Books/How to Take Smart Notes|How to Take Smart Notes]] - [[3. Resources/Readwise/Books/The PARA Method|The PARA Method]] - [[3. Resources/Readwise/Books/Sketch Your Mind|Sketch Your Mind]]