The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future

If you search "bullet journal" online, you will find millions of journal pages with artistic spreads, month covers, trackers, etc. But these don't represent THE Bullet Journal Method. The Bullet Journal was created by Ryder Carroll to help him order his life and help him manage his ADHD. He spent years refining it until he started to share it with the world. The Bullet Journal Method just uses dots for tasks, circles for events, and hyphens for notes; these lists shouldn't even be full sentences! Through a combination of key logs (future, monthly, daily), the index, collections (only when necessary), and reflections, the Bullet Journal user is able to capture a large amount of data in a small space, and use that data to prioritize, adjust, and focus their lives. This book walks you through the whole process, providing you with a powerful, life-changing tool... as long as you don't get distracted by the Instagram spreads you will find online that often deviate from the core method and are more like a custom planner. Remember: function over beauty. Every November through January, I pull out this book and reread it, complete various exercises, and basically reset. This book is how you truly learn to Bullet Journal. If you are still undecided, check out the Official Bullet Journal YouTube channel (its icon is a black circle with a white lightning bolt) and the playlist I posted as an image (I can't post the link or my comment will be taken down). Just the first 2 videos will give you basics and show you how simple the Bullet Journal Method truly is. I started using the method just by watching those 2 videos; however, I didn't really understand how to leverage its full power until I read this book. Understanding the full method, as well as purpose of each aspect of the method, is what really moves you forward. One of the strengths of the method is how you can adjust your Bullet Journal to meet your unique needs (the inability to do this with pre-made planners like Franklin Covey or Dayrunner is why many of us have given up on planners). Now, what if you are wondering, "But I like those pretty pictures, why can't I use them?" The answer is simple... your Bullet Journal can range anywhere from completely ugly (no art, no color, tons of mistakes and scratchouts, crumpled water-logged pages smeared with grease, etc.) to absolutely stunning; however, the true Bullet Journal Method focuses on function instead of beauty. As long as your focus is on what you want to accomplish with your life, how to get there, and your progress, additional aesthetic flourishes aren't a problem. (confession: my BuJo has color and flourishes that I add AFTER I have recorded my data. Adding pretty flourishes is my reward for completing the functional aspects.)

It isn't about "how" or "what" but "WHY"!! I really didn't think I needed this book, but wow was I wrong!! It really isn't just a notebook, or a way of organizing the notebook, but a lifestyle and philosophy. I've been a minimalist-Bujo'er for 8 years now, going off of Ryder's original YouTube videos. I went through the whole arc from discovering Ryder's original YouTube videos, to running into the whole community that does the elaborate artful pages, back to using the core of Ryder's system with no art, skipping a lot of the details. Then I went through a very rough year in which I kept noticing this pattern: - I feel really overwhelmed, I'd say. - Someone would ask, do you have some system of putting it all down on paper so you don't keep thinking about it all, etc. etc? - Well yeah normally, but I haven't seen my notebook in a few weeks ... I'm having a very busy, life-changing year right now, making big pivots in terms of career, personal relationships, etc. etc. I'm also neurodivergent (ADHD and autism), and have a lot of steps to take on very tight timelines. The basic organizer, Bullet Journal, planner, app, whatever helps you keep track of what you have to do and whether you've done it. The aspect that reading this book completely opened up for me was WHY. Why is this thing on my list? See, I notice that there's stuff on my list, and I know it's there, and it's always the same kinds of things, and they still don't get done or they make me miserable, and I beat myself up about them, and then there's the whole cycle of shame and self-blame, etc. And yeah, there's therapy and books and big complex systems of stopping those behaviors, but they're easy to understand and difficult to implement. The incredibly valuable part of this book that you really can't find anywhere else are the various little practices, exercises, and approaches that help you critique the feeling of "should" and "need to" and "want to", in just a few minutes or one page of writing. And it's worth reading it in Ryder's words because while others might summarize his content on their social media, they miss Ryder's tone of being gentle, curious, playful, and kind to yourself while also pushing yourself toward your own goals. So, starting my 9th year of Bullet Journaling, I've completely transformed my practice after reading this book, and it's changed my life in so many positive ways. I spend far less time and energy moving myself forward, and I'm getting much more ruthless (in a good way) about not putting stuff on myself that isn't consistent with my priorities. The proposed system is also flexible enough that anyone can easily adapt it to their own needs (for instance, with my neurodivergence, "goals" just doesn't compute with me, but "priorities" does). Finally, and importantly: Unlike a lot of other "read my book, adopt my system, and your life will change" authors, Ryder doesn't get all dogmatic about anything. There's no "don't be tempted to skip this step or everything will fall apart" message underneath everything. I find it easy to say "Oh neat idea but no thank you" to parts of the proposed method, while adopting others.

Awork colleague recently tipped me off to bullet journaling. Ok, truth be told, she tipped me off to it a year ago when it transformed her life. My work environment was pretty well organized at the time and remains so; thus, I passed on her tip. About one year later, she brought it up in another context, but this time I bit the bait because I have felt the need to get my personal life in better order. Therefore, I bought this book along with one bullet journal to get started. Ryder Carroll’s book gives any reader the tools and inspiration to get started for whatever purpose they need to bullet journal. I’m a writer by nature, but journaling has never played a huge place in my life. At times, I’d write my emotional thoughts down just to get them expressed, but it’s never been a daily discipline. Now, however, I find that many lives depend on mine, whether at work, in my family, or in charitable opportunities. Being organized so that things aren’t dropped has become crucial. Electronic planners don’t work as well outside of work because I want to get away from screens on weekends. Enter bullet journaling. I’ve started to keep a list of big tasks that I want to get done in the next three months and divided them up in achievable chunks. Not only will this give me a running log of my life, something Carroll highlights, but it also allows my mind to become unburdened by repetitive items. Thus, my energy can be freed up to approach new tasks instead of remembering older ones. Carroll explains all such potential benefits in the book. Carroll doesn’t just explain how he personally uses it; rather, he explains how all sorts of people have been using it through seminars he’s led. Thus, the message isn’t just from one person’s brain but from a chorus of people gaining benefit. Befitting today’s world, bullet journaling is highly customizable and personalizable. It also expedites entries so that those journaling don’t have to write expansive prose to register their thoughts. In fact, I found the myriad of shorthand techniques one of the most helpful parts of the book! Almost anyone has some domain in their life that they can improve. Most of the time, no one book, class, or expert can fill in all the gaps for a given task. Life is complicated and requires a customized approach from each individual. Bullet journaling offers a method to begin to prevail over complex problems. In our age of too much information, overcoming complexity is something we all need. I certainly do. That’s why I’ve started to record my diverse but rich life in my own journal. As an postscript, the official bullet journal (a separate item) isn’t required for Carroll’s work. It’s nice but much more expensive than generic options. Other bullet journals fit the bill for a much lower price. Carroll himself admits such in the Frequently Asked Questions. Save yourself a few bucks, and buy someone else’s version.

Ryder Carroll did a wonderful thing when he told the world about his journaling and productivity method. I first encountered it a year and a half ago when I was struggling with digital fatigue. I needed a system that'd help me keep track of my life without an over dependence upon my iPhone. In my search, I stumbled upon Bullet Journaling, something I had remembered seeing briefly on Lifehacker. I learned the method and quickly made it a part of my life. In the time that's followed, I've since experimented, failed, and started again. So, it was a joy when I found out Ryder had written the Bullet Journal Method. Having read the website & blog, I at first hesitated to order the book, thinking it wouldn't have anything new. I bit the bullet (pun intended) and ordered the Collector's Set on Amazon pre-order, since I was in need of a new BuJo in the coming months & could get both the book and a new journal for what I'd pay for a journal. I'm glad I did. As an experienced Bullet Journalist, this book was a fairly quick read (one week, reading in the evenings and during lunch). It recapped a lot of what I already knew about Bullet Journaling, but it went deeper. Ryder uncovered a lot of the philosophy behind his methods and even clarified some things that had been a bit foggy (such as taking notes in the Daily Log). Once you get past the basics, the Bullet Journal Method gets into the nitty gritty of journaling and making it your own, which I enjoyed. It was nice to see his thinking, which will help me with a few projects I have on my plate. I won't spoil anything, but I will say this book is well worth the read. If you're curious about what Bullet Journaling is, this book is for you. If you're an experienced Bullet Journalist, this book is also for you. If you're somewhere in-between, this book is definitely for you. This book will proudly remain a staple on my bookshelf and I can see myself referencing it often for a refresher on advanced methodology, as well as the basics. The Bullet Journal Method is not only a great read, it's a book worth owning.

This book is incredibly well-written, and the stories and examples shared throughout are truly enlightening. Ryder Carroll not only explains how the Bullet Journal works, but also why it works — helping readers reconnect with their thoughts, priorities, and purpose. I love the simplicity and flexibility of this minimalistic system. As I read, I tried applying the techniques along the way, and I was amazed at how effective they are in organizing my life and clearing my mind. It’s not just about productivity; it’s also about mindfulness and intentional living. I’m deeply grateful to Ryder for sharing this beautiful and life-changing method. After years of trying different note-taking and journaling systems, I finally found one that truly fits me. The Bullet Journal has become my favorite analog way to reduce screen time, stay focused, and live more mindfully every day.

So much more than I was expecting. I was ready for a book giving organizational wisdom and tricks. This was so much more in depth. From covering the how and giving a great framework for building a very easily adaptable organization tool, this book delves into the why. Some of the sagest life advise in short easy to read chapters. Thought-provoking, distilled information that offers advise on how to really look at what's important to ourselves as individuals and plan to attain what is meaningful one small step at a time. I'm a pretty organized guy, I've had people ask me to teach them how I'm able to accomplish what I do in a given day. I've been more productive in the past 2 months since reading this than ever before. My long term and short term goals are better aligned with what my soul really craves and I'm generally more at peace. Kudos to Ryder on this amazing system, and even more so on his life philosophies.

I’ve been an advocate of bullet journaling for a few years now. The system has been an invaluable tool for keeping myself organized and to help cope with anxiety. My mind tends to try and juggle a myriad of thoughts, conversations, projects, lists, considerations, appointments, etc. at once; having a space, an external brain, as it were, to collect all of those time-and-energy gremlins and contain them allows me to focus on what’s important in the moment, without worrying about forgetting important tidbits for another, less pressing, matter or feeling bad for not giving a subject the attention it deserves. I know everything I need wil be in my journal, and I can just let them go, for the now. Ryder’s book is a fairly comprehensive instructional to they system that is as much as it needs to be, without bogging you down in the unnecessary. One suggestion though: Ryder asks you to construct your journal as you read through the book; I would instead read through all the way once, and then leaf back through the book and set up your journal. I simply find it useful to step back and consider his instructions before putting pen to paper. The book is a 5 of 5 for me. Especially if you’re new to bullet journaling and it seems a bit overwhelming. The rest of the set, well, not so much. I’m more like the author, Ryder Carroll, in my utilitarian/minimalist approach than most of the beautifully penned bullet journals you’ll see spread across the web. As such, I have only a few requirements in my journals, but they are paramount. At first blush, the journal seems to have it all: 238 usable pages (plus the 4 page in-built index), pagination, dot grid, 3 bookmark ribbons, instructions for beginners... but it lacks in one crucial department: paper weight. If you’re familiar with the Leuchttrum 1917 this will come as no surprise, as this journal is just a branded version of that one. While the paper is smooth and absorbent, it’s also far too transparent. At 80g/sqm, the pages simply aren’t thick enough to prevent bleed-through and ghosting. I use two pens in my journal, both fountain pens: a Fine steel-nibbed Lamy Safari for layout work against a straight-edge and a Fine gold-nibbed Lamy 2000. Both contain the same custom blue-black ink and neither of them are particularly wet pens. Still, you can clearly see in the photos ghosting on the backside of the previous sheet and, increadibly, even through the entire next one: you can read the previous page through the current one! I’m honestly not sure what writing instrument you could use in this notebook and not have a ridiculous amount of ghosting; a pencil maybe? The ghosting in this notebook makes it completely unusable to me. 1 of 5 stars on the journal. Lastly the Collectors Edition Box: ...why? It holds the book and the journal, but if you’re using the journal correctly, it will never go back into the box, except maybe for once it’s full and you’ve retired it. I tend to store my old journals in chronological order, however, so I don’t see the use of a dedicated box for this one. It is just a cardboard box, though, so no problem breaking it down and recycling it. All things considered, just get the standalone book and find a notebook with thicker paper.

Love this book! Ryder Carroll has cracked the code for a simplified version of planning and journaling. With just a pen and a notebook you can get started immediately. But this book is SO much more than just planning and journaling. He goes into detail about the how, but more importantly, he walks you through the why’s. I bought the book and listened at the same time. I was pleasantly surprised to hear he read the audiobook version. It was such a great book I will listen again and again. If you’re wanting to learn more about bullet journaling and more, this is the book. It’s definitely worth your time.