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Business. Self-Improvement. Nonfiction. Economics. HTML:The long-awaited first book by the founder of the enormously popular Bullet Journal® organizational system. For years Ryder Carroll tried countless organizing systems, online and off, but none of them fit the way his mind worked. Out of sheer necessity, he developed a method called the Bullet Journal that helped him become consistently focused and effective. When he started sharing his system with friends who faced similar challenges, it went viral. Just a few years later, to his astonishment, Bullet Journaling is a global movement. The Bullet Journal Method is about much more than organizing your notes and to-do lists. It's about what Carroll calls "intentional living": weeding out distractions and focusing your time and energy in pursuit of what's truly meaningful, in both your work and your personal life. It's about spending more time with what you care about, by working on fewer things. His new book shows you how to... * Track the past: Using nothing more than a pen and paper, create a clear and comprehensive record of your thoughts. * Order the present: Find daily calm by tackling your to-do list in a more mindful, systematic, and productive way. * Design the future: Transform your vague curiosities into meaningful goals, and then break those goals into manageable action steps that lead to big change. Carroll wrote this book for frustrated list-makers, overwhelmed multitaskers, and creatives who need some structure. Whether you've used a Bullet Journal for years or have never seen one before, The Bullet Journal Method will help you go from passenger to pilot of your own life. *Includes a Bonus PDF with Visuals… (more)
User reviews
That said, the book could have been cut by 50-75% and communicated all the most
In short, if you're not familiar with this kind of productivity system and you want a whole book to teach you about it, then this book will do the job. It gives both practical advice and explanation of the principles of the system, enabling you to adapt it to your needs. On the other hand, if you're already familiar with systems like Getting Things Done and timeboxing, or the benefits of universal capture systems like Evernote, or if you just don't want to read a 300 page self-help book, then you can get a good-enough introduction to the system from the official website.
Before reading this book, I was vaguely aware that there was an official bullet journal
Bullet Journalling was a system the author came up with for his own use. He writes that he had ADD, so he had problems with focus and getting easily distracted. The Bullet Journal is part task list, part journal, and part planner, and the author explains that it brings together productivity, mindfulness, and intentionality.
The main elements of a bullet journal are:
the index, which goes at the beginning of the journal
future logs, for tasks to do in upcoming months
monthly log
daily log
collections, which are pages devoted to a specific topic
In the book all of these terms where capitalized, and to be honest I found that a little bit annoying.
Carroll describes the process of rapid logging, which involves concise notes using symbols for clarity. Tasks are listed as bullets, and symbols are used to give additional information. Subtasks can be nested under tasks as needed, or moved to their own collection.
The author suggests that each day you briefly make note of everything that’s happened, preferably right after events or interactions have occurred, since our memories are unreliable and being able to look back later may give us some new insights. He also suggests doing a reflection each morning and afternoon.
There are explanations of how to set up new monthly logs each month and “migrate” any leftover tasks from the previous month. There are also a number of suggestions for “Collections”, including goals, gratitude, challenges, and more involved tasks like vacation planning.
Throughout the book there was a focus on productivity, organization, and prioritization. There is also an emphasis on self-reflection, and the way that writing thing down can help, especially when they’re being rewritten as they’re migrated from one part of the journal to another.
While the author observed that he’s seen some people get very artistic with bullet journalling, that hasn’t been a priority for him. The book includes plenty of diagrams, but they are functional rather than aiming to be aesthetically pleasing.
What really struck me was that a journal wouldn’t last very long if you were throwing all your everyday stuff in there. The author admits that he goes through 3-4 notebooks per year.
While personally I’m not interested in using my journal as a day planner and a home for basic tasks lists, it was interesting to learn about the idea that inspired whatever hybrid mutt version I’m using right now.
I used a bullet journal (or "bujo") for about six months last year and enjoyed it, but didn't keep up with it. During that time I read articles on Carroll's site, watched his videos and those of dozens of other bujo enthusiasts, and browsed Pinterest for
I read the whole book in less than 24 hours. Yes, I skimmed some of it, but only because I was solidly grounded in a few of the concepts. What sets this book apart from all the useful tools available on the web is that here Carroll digs deeply into the method *and* the deeper work of how we discern meaning in or lives, set meaningful goals, and go beyond simply list making or project planning to dig into our motivations and our internal challenges.
A lot of the "soft" material resonates with the value-driven processes of Stephen Covey's "7 Habits" books (of which I am a big fan). This doesn't replace Covey's work, but I think it does provide a much more flexible way of doing personal organization in support of living a purposeful, meaningful life.
Carroll's writing is friendly, encouraging, and clear. There's no jargon here, only a few specialized (and not complicated) terms which he explains up front. It's an over-used phrase, but he really does come across like a good friend who has come up with a really cool method he wants to share with you. Even better: he wants to help you make it what *you* need, not dictate anything beyond the few simple structural principles and methodology on which everything else is based.
Bullet journals are celebrated and shared by a lot of very talented artists who lovingly spend hours on hand lettering and decorating their pages (and sharing them online), but the bujo itself is a streamlined tool which can be as simple and stark as you want it to be. Or as elaborate, if that's what makes you happy. It's hard to imagine anyone who could not benefit from this tool, and while someone could get started using just the online material, reading this book will provide a much deeper and more valuable handle on how to get the maximum benefit.
However, then I let it go, because of Instagram. What? How? Well, on Instagram people were taking pictures of their beautiful Bullet Journal Pages with calligraphy and various adorable sketches and instead of
As much as I was unsatisfied with my artistic ability (or lack thereof) How could I expect a mass produced planner to work?
A standard planner is not going to have sections to keep track of homeschooling, remodeling, writing, meal plans, and our demanding schedule.
I did have time to Bullet Journal, and my life ran much more smoothly when I kept up with it. What I don’t have time for is making it a piece of art- and that’s okay,
You don’t have to read this book to get started. Everything you need to know is spelled out on Bullet Journal.com. However, I purchased this book anyway and took notes. I hardly ever use the highlight function because I know I won't go back and read them there. This book does more than teach you how to organize your life, and it illustrates how to cut things that aren’t important and how to break down a plan (using Sprints) into small chunks to achieve a goal. I liked the “why” section of this book, and it reminded me to put more thought into what tasks I want to do and to keep track of future goals. I may think I need to do x.y.z today but if none of them move me closer to a long term goal- I don’t need to waste time on them.
Should you buy this? If you can afford it, yes. If not get on your library’s wait list (My library already had a 4 month wait time which is why I bought the kindle version) I’m already thinking about purchasing a hardcover for my young adult kids to pass around, I think it’s that good and could be life changing for my ADD kids.
I have been through a gazillion and one planners and journals and household organizing systems, electronic, paper, and hybrid. This. Is. The. One. The one ring that rules them all. Get a Leuchtturm and some good opens and jump in.
Does seem like a decent system, but not something I'm starting now.