“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Will Durant.
A couple of months ago, I started a new journaling strategy: The Bullet Journal (BJ).
After a beautiful experience with a Love Journal dedicated to the love of my life, the habit continued with “The Five-Minute Journal”, a great journal template created by Fiveminutejournal.com. It installed a firm morning and evening journaling habit, but sometimes I felt too restricted by the rigid template. This is exactly where the Bullet Journal filled the gap and I decided to try it for at least 3 months. Not a single day went by without my BJ!
The philosophy
“The Bullet Journal method is a mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system. Once you're comfortable with the system, you'll be ready to move on to the mindfulness practice and learn how to live with intention.” – Ryder Carroll
In short, the BJ is an easy method to:
record the past, providing a clear overview of significant events;
focus on what matters in the present,
prepare for the future, combining purpose, values, habits and goals;
The BJ is all about living with intention as opposed to being pushed around by the daily fuss or by others’ priorities. It’s also a place of reflection, about aligning your actions with your purpose and values and staying close to the path between where you are now and where you want to be.
For me, it’s a place to capture what I learn from experiences, books, podcasts or seminars so I can use it to give back to someone else when the time is right.
It’s a way to structure my daily reflection, thinking about the daily events helps me to improve reactions by using the eternal question: Why? Why did this happen? Why did I respond in that way? This helps me to avoid repeating mistakes or to remember repeating things I did well, in a process of continuous self-improvement.
The methodology
True efficiency is not about speed; it’s about spending more time with what truly matters. -Ryder Carroll
The BJ provides a structure which is both unique in its simplicity and brilliant in its efficiency.
You start with a basic notebook (no calendar with dates!) and a pencil. Yes, there’s a digital way to do it but the hand/mind connection is much more powerful with pen and paper than on screen.
The BJ consists of following elements:
an index page: 2 spreads (1 spread = left and right page): overview of your BJ, showing all elements and the page numbers where they start (every page is numbered manually)
a future log: overview of the year, split over 2 spreads, each page horizontally divided in 3 equal parts, 1 for each month
a monthly log: one spread with your current month, left you put the days of the month and the main events, right the main tasks
the daily log: this is where you start writing, using following markers:
o = event, appointment, date, …
· = task
- = note
Custom Collections: here’s where your imagination is the only limit. Custom collections are designed to serve specific needs. For example, I created them for my Dreams, 2021 Goals, Values, … and for detailing my thoughts about the next trip I would like to plan (Spain Trip), brainstorm on a specific goal (Family Reunion) or record the lessons learned from a book I’m reading (The Breakthrough Experience).
For each collection, simply turn to the next page, add the page number below and title of your collection on top, write it in the Index page and enjoy writing!
Because everything is structured on the index page, you never have to search for your ideas about a certain topic!
The experience
Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them. David Allen
My BJ day starts with writing down whom I sent a special, detailed and specific “Thank You”, every morning. Then I look at the priorities for the day, based on the lists with Next Actions and Projects.
Crossing off the actions one by one during the day provides a sense of achievement and fulfilment. Sometimes I plan time to brainstorm about my goals, update Custom Collections or write about events.
The BJ day ends with an evening reflection about things that happened, why I reacted in a certain way or if there’s something I could have done better. The final words are expressions of gratitude for whatever nice things that happened during the day.
At the end of the week, I make sure to collect all open Next Actions in a list for next week.
At the beginning of each month, I make a new Monthly Log with main events in the Outlook calendar, new actions for the month and updates for the previous Monthly Log.
To be honest, I mixed the BJ methodology with another great productivity tool: Getting Things Done (GTD). The principles of the GTD methodology are:
Capture all items and thoughts in a tool outside your head that you routinely review and empty;
Clarify what to do with each item and choose to trash (if no longer needed) or create a next action item (if it takes less than 2’, do it now!) or archive (if it’s information you may need later)
Organize all items in lists (Next Actions – Projects – Someday – Waiting For)
Take time for regular reflection and review of your lists
Do the Next Action which is appropriate now, depending on our time, energy level, priority and context.
The Next Actions are shown in my monthly log, there is a separate Custom Collection for my Projects (in this context, a Project is something you want to do which takes more than 1 single action) list can be a separate Custom Collection. For the Someday and Waiting For lists, I use MS Outlook.
The advantage of this combination is that I’m sure to review my journal at least 2 times/day and I have the actions and projects in a single location. My BJ is always nearby so I can quickly write down whatever jumps in mind and continue to focus on the matter at hand.
Conclusion
There is nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency something that should not be done at all. - Peter Drucker
The BJ isn’t just a tool to track goals or to-do’s, integrate a monthly / yearly calendar, journal about events, experiences or other important information. It’s also a place for mindful reflection, designed to make your actions meaningful.
Take care & stay safe,
Jürgen
Inspired by:
The Five Minute Journal® - Simplest, most effective way to be happier. – Intelligent Change
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity - David Allen
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