After years spent perfecting his own organizational techniques, author Ryder Carroll devised the Bullet Journal Method—a single-notebook system designed to help him add structure to his life, set goals, and gain clarity on what was important to him through comprehensive planning of and reflection on tasks and events.
Carroll developed the method after growing tired of struggling to maintain focus and keep up with his responsibilities. After realizing the method’s potential to help others, he decided to formalize it, streamline it, and release it to the public through online resources and the eventual publication of The Bullet Journal Method.
In this guide, we’ll first discuss Carroll’s argument for why you should start Bullet Journaling. Then, we’ll dive into the method itself, detailing both its main components and how to get started. Finally, we’ll explore how to use the practice of Bullet Journaling to improve both your productivity and quality of life.
According to Carroll, despite living in a society that glorifies productivity, research has shown that we’ve become less productive with the rise of technology. Although technology has revolutionized the way we live in countless ways, it has also overloaded us with information, resources, and connections. With so many things fighting for our attention, we can’t possibly focus on all of them. As our attention scatters, our productivity plummets.
(Shortform note: Carroll doesn’t explore why we can’t focus on so many things at once, but research suggests it may be because the brain only has two hemispheres available to manage tasks. Therefore, it can only focus on two things at the same time, making juggling more than two responsibilities an impossibility.)
According to Carroll, the solution to this productivity problem is to use the Bullet Journal Method, an organizational tool that helps you be intentional about how you spend your time and energy. It’s a system that archives your life—past, present, and future—tracking not only the day-to-day details but also your choices, your actions, and how you’ve changed over time.
(Shortform note: Although Carroll argues for Bullet Journaling as a solution, psychologists say that journaling can negatively affect your well-being if you’re not careful about how you use it. In particular, it can make you passively observe your life instead of living in the moment, focus on blame rather than solutions, get swept up in negativity, or become self-obsessed. Note, however, that these potential effects apply to journaling in general, and they may not be as relevant to Bullet Journaling specifically.)
Carroll claims that Bullet Journaling can aid you in three areas: getting organized, living in the present moment, and finding clarity on what’s important to you. Let’s discuss each of these in more detail.
According to Carroll, one of the main benefits of the Bullet Journal Method is that it can help you get organized by providing a single outlet to declutter your mind.
(Shortform note: This benefit of Bullet Journaling is arguably important because when we fail to stay organized, psychologists say we can experience consequences such as decreased subjective well-being, poorer eating habits and mental health, and less efficient thinking and visual processing.)
Additionally, because the method utilizes a notebook, it offers flexibility that technology can’t. Whereas tech tools either have an excess of features or narrow functionality, a notebook is customizable to your specific organizational needs.
(Shortform note: The excess of features in tech tools that Carroll refers to is a common phenomenon in product design called “feature creep” or “scope creep.” In an effort to create the best product and please the widest audience, designers sometimes unintentionally overcomplicate a product by adding too many features. Fortunately, just as Carroll describes, feature creep isn’t a problem in Bullet Journaling, as only you are in charge of the journal’s design and use.)
Another primary benefit of the Bullet Journal Method, according to Carroll, is that it encourages you to slow down and focus on the present moment by requiring you to write by hand. Because handwriting is less efficient than typing or dictating, it forces you to pay closer attention to what you’re writing and therefore changes the way you engage with what you’re writing about, whether that’s your thoughts or the world around you.
(Shortform note: Handwriting doesn’t just change your engagement with what you’re writing—it increases it. According to research, the act of writing by hand activates more complex neural connections than typing. Furthermore, researchers say that the precise movements involved in writing by hand benefit the brain’s learning processes.)
According to Carroll, a final fundamental benefit of the Bullet Journal Method is that it helps you determine what’s important to you by encouraging a regular habit of introspection. In particular, by using your journal to track your experiences and actions over time, you can reflect on your life and clarify what matters to you—for example, the tasks you find most fulfilling. Once you’ve found that clarity, the method can aid you in setting and working toward meaningful goals that can help you become more productive than ever before.
(Shortform note: While introspection can be beneficial, it has some potential pitfalls. According to psychologists, if you don’t practice introspection in the right way, it can negatively impact your mental health. Specifically, if introspection becomes an obsessive habit, it can cause stress, anxiety, and depression.)
Now that we’ve discussed why you should consider Bullet Journaling, we’ll help you take the first steps to getting started with the method.
According to Carroll, the only tools Bullet Journaling requires are a notebook and a pen, and there are no limits to which ones you choose. He notes that the Bullet Journal Method is all about function over form. Although you’re free to design your journal in whatever way suits you, your choices shouldn’t interfere with the journal’s purpose, your ability to decipher your handwriting, or your capacity to maintain your journaling habits.
(Shortform note: While Carroll's suggestion to prioritize function over form has its advantages, for some, aesthetics are functional. Specifically, certain people may find that the artistic possibilities of Bullet Journaling increase their motivation to journal and encourage creativity, even if they require more time and energy. Joshua Waitzkin echoes this idea in The Art of Learning, where he argues that failing to honor what most resonates with you about a particular activity may cause you to lose your passion for it. Therefore, if your favorite part of bullet journaling is designing artistic layouts, don’t feel you have to sacrifice that in favor of purely functional designs.)
With this in mind, the next step is to set up the main organizational components of your journal. Let’s discuss each of these in order, focusing on what they are and how to use them:
Carroll explains that the Bullet Journal’s index is a hybrid between a table of contents and a traditional index. It’s a set of pages at the front of your journal that keeps a running list of all the instances of a particular topic, no matter where or how often it appears. As you fill your journal, you’ll populate the index by listing new topics’ titles and their corresponding page numbers (such as “Coding Project: 20–21, 42–44”).
(Shortform note: As Carroll explains, the index keeps track of all the sections you add to your journal by listing their titles and page numbers. However, this means it can’t help you find anything other than high-level sections of your journal—whereas a traditional index keeps track of all key terms and topics, Carroll’s index only includes titles. As a potential solution, add important or frequent topics or keywords to your index along with section titles. That way, you can keep track of everything you’re likely to return to without overwhelming your index with too many entries.)
For tasks and events more than a month away, Carroll recommends designating four pages in your journal as the “future log” (which we’ll call the “future planner”). The future planner is a waiting list for all future tasks and events you don’t want to lose sight of. It aids your planning because it shows you what will require your attention in the months to come and gives you enough foresight to let you change plans and goals as your needs and values shift. To utilize your future planner, organize all future tasks and events by month so that you can see an overview of not only each month but also the year as a whole.
(Shortform note: Carroll praises the future planner’s ability to give you perspective and then adjust your plans accordingly. However, there are additional benefits of planning ahead that he doesn’t discuss: Planning future tasks and events on paper can help you hold yourself accountable, keep you motivated, and save you time that you can then spend on the things that matter most. In addition, it can reduce stress by encouraging you to take an active role in your life, help you live in the present moment by forcing you to slow down while writing, and boost your mood by reminding you of all the good experiences you have to look forward to.)
Carroll describes the “monthly log” (which we’ll refer to as the “monthly overview”) as a two-page tool that summarizes your available time and upcoming responsibilities in the next month through a calendar and task list. He argues that the monthly overview’s overhead perspective helps keep you aware of both your available capacity and the way you’re allocating your time, preventing burnout and offering opportunities for reflection.
(Shortform note: Carroll’s focus here may be time capacity, but your energy capacity is also important in deciding how to plan out your life. Even if your calendar is empty and your task list is short, you still may not have the energy to allocate to new commitments. Therefore, while the monthly overview may be a good reference point when planning, make a point to check in with your energy levels before committing to anything more.)
Carroll explains that your “daily log” (which we’ll refer to as your “daily record”) is for capturing any information, thoughts, or ideas that come up throughout the day in the form of tasks, events, and notes. According to Carroll, tasks are things you need to do, events are experiences that have either already happened or are scheduled to occur, and notes are facts, ideas, or observations you want to remember.
Over time, Carroll says the entries you keep in your daily record serve as data points that add context to your recollections of the past. Specifically, your record of tasks acts as an archive of all you’ve accomplished, your record of events provides insight into your experiences, and your record of notes can help you remember details that you would have otherwise forgotten, which helps you build stronger awareness in your day-to-day life.
Additional Takeaways From the Daily Record
Carroll mentions a few advantages of keeping a daily record, but there are additional benefits you can take advantage of. For example, having a record of your accomplishments can be especially useful at work when trying to justify a raise or promotion during a performance evaluation. Moreover, keeping a written record of your days could be a helpful recall tool. Research shows that our memories are often inaccurate due to imperfect perception, the impact of new experiences and emotions on how we view past events, and the inadvertent blending of two separate memories.
There is, however, a downside to maintaining a consistent record of your day that Carroll doesn’t touch on: Research suggests that we’re more prone to forget things when we write them down. This means that for your daily record to aid your memory, you might need to review your notes frequently. Additionally, because Carroll recommends writing tasks, events, and notes in your daily record, the record could become overwhelming for people who prefer not to keep everything in one place.
Carroll explains that throughout the day, you’ll write down tasks, events, and notes that are relevant to you, using as much space as you need. To record this information in the most efficient way, he recommends that you use a method called “rapid logging” (which we’ll refer to as “jotting”). Jotting is a streamlined method of taking notes that focuses on only the most essential information.
For example, in a traditional notebook, an entry might look like this: “My boss said to prepare a presentation on last quarter’s profits for the Sept. 20th meeting.” Using the jotting method, it could look like this: “Presentation on Q2 profits for 9/20.” Although jotting greatly condenses the task description, it maintains all of the important information: what the presentation is about and when it’s due.
Tips for Writing Clearly and Concisely
Although Carroll defines jotting as a note-taking method meant to convey only the most essential information, he doesn’t provide specific recommendations for how to do it effectively. When it comes to writing clearly and concisely, there are several tips to keep in mind.
First, choose constructions that contain fewer words (for example, replacing “let Sam know” with “notify Sam”). Second, eliminate unnecessary words, such as “a” and “that,” which don’t add any essential information. Third, use abbreviations where possible, like “ASAP” or “TBD.” And finally, when jotting tasks, eliminate the first verb and start instead with the noun that defines the task—for example, “Homework for Friday” rather than “Do homework for Friday.”
Carroll explains that the practice of jotting uses bullets, which lend themselves well to capturing concise and objective thoughts. In the Bullet Journal Method, you use different kinds of bullets to organize information in a way that you can easily understand at a glance. Different bullet types (and in some cases an accompanying set of symbols) correspond to the different categories of information—tasks, events, and notes—that you capture while jotting:
The Bullet Journal System vs. the Dash/Plus System
While Carroll’s bullet system has its unique points, it draws heavy inspiration from another note-taking system called Dash/Plus. Similar to the origin of the Bullet Journal Method, Patrick Rhone created Dash/Plus in 2006 as a solution to keep track of his lists and notes.
Just as the Bullet Journal Method is based on the bullet, the Dash/Plus System centers around the dash (-). In this way, their basic structures are comparable. Both systems use symbols to represent some of the same actions, such as a completed or delegated task. They also use a few of the same symbols, albeit with different uses (for example, they both use arrows).
As for differences, the Dash/Plus system focuses almost exclusively on tasks, with only one additional symbol (the triangle) that indicates data points. On the other hand, the Bullet Journal system makes use of additional symbols that cover things like events, notes, and priorities. Moreover, whereas the Dash/Plus system is a standalone note-taking method, the Bullet Journal’s bullet system is part of a larger organizational framework that’s meant to not only improve productivity but also your overall quality of life.
Now that you understand the basic components of the Bullet Journal Method, let’s discuss the essential role of reflection in the method and how it’s integrated into the system.
Carroll explains that, unlike other productivity systems, the Bullet Journal Method encourages you to not only record information but also re-engage with it. Rather than passively listing tasks and reminders, you actively assess what you’ve written through a process he calls migration (which we’ll refer to as transferring).
(Shortform note: Although the Bullet Journal Method may be unique in the specific way it encourages you to re-engage with information, it’s not the only productivity system to have that functionality. Evernote, for example, is a digital app that helps you record information from a diverse set of file types—including notes, voice recordings, photos, and documents—and organize and search them with ease. Such effortless access to information incentivizes you to re-engage with the records you store.)
Carroll describes transferring as moving content from one part of your journal to another (or one journal to another) through daily review, monthly review, and yearly review. The purpose of this relocation is to encourage you to reflect on every entry you record, which helps you spend your time and energy with intention. Without this built-in reflection, you’re likely to lose track of not only what you’re doing but also why you’re doing it. And if you don’t understand the purpose behind your actions, you’re at higher risk of making bad decisions that misalign with your purpose.
(Shortform note: Carroll doesn’t explicitly claim that transferring guarantees reflection, but his argument implies that transferring requires you to pause and consider the purpose of each entry before moving it. While it could certainly provide opportunities for reflection, it’s also possible that in building the habit of transferring, you could fall into a reflexive pattern of moving entries without re-evaluating them. Therefore, to fully benefit from this aspect of Bullet Journaling, don’t take these reflection opportunities for granted and be mindful as you transfer content.)
Having nailed down the basics about creating and reflecting on your journal, let’s talk about how you can customize your journal to fit your needs.
In addition to the four core components—the index, daily record, monthly overview, and future planner—Carroll explains that you’re free to create other collections for your journal (which we’ll refer to as “customized sections”). Customized sections are optional journal components in which you can explore new topics or dig deeper into information you record within the four core components. While you can create whatever suits your needs, Carroll mentions that some common customizable sections include plans for projects (personal, such as a bathroom renovation, or professional, such as a new ad campaign), habit trackers, budgets, and class notes.
Customized sections, Carroll argues, are an integral part of the Bullet Journal Method’s flexibility. There are no limits to what you can create as long as it serves a purpose. For example, don’t track all the movies you’ve watched just to track them. Only record information that adds context and value to your life (like tracking what you watch to increase the amount of female-directed movies you stream).
What’s Valuable and What’s Not?
Carroll argues that you should only track things that serve a purpose or add value to your life. However, for many of us, something’s purpose or value isn’t always clear. What’s more, we can measure value in different ways.
In The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo suggests that you determine the value of a possession primarily by functionality and emotional attachment. In other words, it’s worth keeping if it’s useful or brings you joy in some way. However, she also acknowledges that it’s easy to get caught up in prioritizing function over all else, which results in keeping things that are useful, but that you don’t actually like—and when you don’t like something, you’re less likely to use it.
So how can this information help you with Bullet Journaling? When deciding whether the content you’ve created is valuable, consider both its functionality and its capacity to bring you joy. Even if you’re tracking information that could theoretically be useful—such as the amount of water you drink—if you aren’t excited or curious about it, it’s probably not worth keeping in your journal.
Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals of Bullet Journaling and added your customized sections, Carroll suggests putting the method into practice to become truly productive. One of the primary challenges in mastering productivity that he discusses is learning to set proper goals.
Goal setting is a fundamental component of productivity. However, Carroll argues, if we don’t have continued personal investment in the goals that we set for ourselves, we’re likely to lose motivation and ultimately face disappointment.
(Shortform note: According to a popular theory of goal-setting developed in the 1990s, personal investment is just one of five principles of successful goal setting. The other four principles are the goal’s specificity, level of challenge, and level of complexity, as well as the presence of feedback.)
Unfortunately, Carroll says, we tend to set goals based on misguided parameters that lack meaning, which makes personal investment difficult or impossible. In particular, we choose goals based on others’ experiences (like aiming to save for a house because that’s what your peers are doing), goals that are reactionary (like deciding to run a marathon because your friend said she thought you couldn’t), and goals that are too lofty (like trying to open a tattoo parlor with no prior experience).
(Shortform note: Setting goals based on the meaningless parameters Carroll lists isn’t the only goal-setting obstacle we can run into. In Goals!, Brian Tracy outlines crucial goal-setting pitfalls to avoid to ensure you choose relevant and fulfilling goals. Specifically, he advises that you steer clear of goals that are too vague or unquantifiable, goals that fail to push you out of your comfort zone, goals that have no time frame for completion, and goals that conflict with each other. Even if you avoid the misguided parameters Carroll notes above, you likely won’t successfully meet fulfilling goals if you fall victim to any of these pitfalls.)
To help you be more intentional about choosing goals that genuinely motivate you, Carroll suggests a series of exercises that encourage you to explore what sparks your curiosity, prioritize what matters most, and devise a plan for how to take action. First, he recommends that you brainstorm a list of personal and professional goals and add them to a goals-focused customized section.
(Shortform note: If you’re not sure how to get started with brainstorming, there are several methods you can try. The first is to write down every goal you can think of in stream-of-consciousness fashion. Another is to ask yourself goal-specific questions to inspire additional steps or ideas—for example, if your goal is to knit a scarf, asking yourself what specific skills you need can lead to a preliminary goal of mastering the garter stitch. Or, if you prefer something more visual, you can try mind mapping, which involves drawing a “map” that starts with one central goal and branches out to related goals.)
Next, Carroll suggests that you set timelines for your goals by categorizing them as short, mid, or long term. This helps you reflect on the effort required to accomplish them, which is important for maintaining motivation. Once you’ve categorized all of your goals according to your desired timeline, Carroll says you should prioritize them even further, choosing only a few important goals to pursue, because committing to too many goals at once can cause overwhelm and decreased motivation.
(Shortform note: In addition to overwhelming and demotivating you, setting too many goals can negatively affect your ability to prioritize. According to management experts, when we have many different goals, we’re prone to prioritizing the easiest ones. As a consequence, we ignore or abandon the goals that are more difficult to achieve—but are potentially the most worthwhile. Therefore, aim to focus on a limited number of goals at any given time.)
Carroll insists that Bullet Journaling can go beyond merely improving your productivity—it can also encourage you to live a higher-quality life. One way it can do this is by helping you let go of what you can’t control.
According to Carroll, learning to differentiate between what we can and can’t control is vital to living a high-quality life. By letting go of things outside of our influence and choosing to focus instead on how we respond to them, we can shift our mindset from reactive to responsive. Of course, Carroll acknowledges, letting go can be difficult because there are many displeasing things outside of our control: world events, other people, and even our own feelings.
(Shortform note: In explaining the importance of differentiating between what we can and can’t control, Carroll doesn’t explore why we feel such a strong need to control things. According to research, feeling as if we have control makes us trust ourselves as competent beings with agency. It also reassures us that we aren’t under the control of others. Research has shown that both of these beliefs positively affect our well-being.)
Despite this challenge, Carroll argues that it’s possible to adjust your mindset and let go of the uncontrollable. One way to do this is to use your daily record to reflect on situations after they’ve occurred. Instead of immediately reacting to a triggering uncontrollable event, first pause to allow yourself to process what happened. Then, when you’ve had time to think, write a letter to yourself in your daily record in which you express your feelings and consider your options for how to respond to the situation.
For example, your first reaction after being stood up on a date might be to send an angry text message to the person. After putting your thoughts down on paper, however, you may realize that you shouldn’t make assumptions about why they didn’t show up for the date—perhaps they had an emergency.
(Shortform note: Research on the benefits of expressive writing has provided some evidence in support of Carroll’s strategy. In one study, for example, participants who had recently lost their jobs were divided into three groups: One group wrote about their emotions surrounding their job loss, one group wrote about topics unrelated to traumatic experiences, and one group didn’t write at all. The results showed that those who specifically wrote about their job loss were re-employed more quickly, presumably because writing expressively helped them to change their perspective on the situation and move on positively.)
Another strategy Carroll recommends for adjusting your perspective is to reframe tasks that are outside of your control. He says that often, the reason tasks seem outside of your control is because they’re focused on the outcome, which you may have no power over. For example, a task like “cook a healthy meal that my kids like” is focused on the preferences of others, which you can’t control.
To shift that focus, Carroll suggests that you break such tasks down further into smaller, actionable steps. This is because smaller steps tend to focus on the process rather than the outcome and thus are within your control. For example, you could break down “cook a healthy meal that my kids like” into something smaller like “find a new healthy recipe to make this week.” This task can be completed successfully regardless of your kids’ opinions.
Outcome vs. Process Goals: Is One Better Than the Other?
Carroll encourages readers to break down outcome-focused tasks into process-focused steps. However, this suggestion seems to imply that goals focused on outcome should always be avoided. This begs the question: Is there ever any use for outcome goals?
According to experts, outcome goals are helpful if you use them in tandem with process goals, where process goals define the steps necessary to achieve the desired outcome. For example, if your outcome goal is to run a marathon, your process goals would be smaller actions you could take to work toward that achievement, such as weight training twice a week.
The benefit of setting both types of goals is that you can clarify what you hope to ultimately achieve while avoiding the overwhelm of trying to do too much at once. Additionally, you can challenge yourself to rise above what you ever thought possible while maintaining a clear sense of how to get there.
The Bullet Journal Method is a beginner’s guide to using the Bullet Journal Method: a single-notebook system designed to help you get organized, live in the present moment, and gain clarity about what’s important to you through comprehensive planning of and reflection on tasks and events. In addition to describing how the method works and what you need to get started, the book explores how maintaining a Bullet Journaling practice can improve your productivity and quality of life.
Ryder Carroll is a digital product designer from New York. Throughout his career, he’s worked with notable companies such as Adidas, American Express, Cisco, IBM, Macy’s, and HP.
After he was diagnosed with learning disabilities in high school, Carroll was determined to find a strategy to improve his focus and productivity. Following years of trial and error, he used his experience with scrapbooking, journaling, and web design to develop what he called the Bullet Journal Method. Although Carroll initially kept the method to himself, he later streamlined it and introduced it to the public through a website launch in 2013.
After the site went viral, Carroll’s method rose in popularity and was featured by the New York Times, the LA Times, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the BBC, Vogue, Fast Company, and Bloomberg, among others. When he realized just how much it had impacted people’s lives, he decided to write a book, The Bullet Journal Method, to demonstrate how you can use the method to tackle not only productivity but also many other of life’s biggest challenges.
Connect With Ryder Carroll:
Bullet Journal Social Accounts:
Publisher: Portfolio, a division of Penguin Random House
The Bullet Journal Method was Carroll’s first (and, thus far, only) book. It was published in 2018 following the success of the launch of the Bullet Journal Method website. Carroll wanted to write a book to explore how to use the method as a practice in mindfulness and intentionality rather than just productivity.
While the Bullet Journal Method is a unique system, its usefulness arguably stems from the way it combines many journaling and productivity tools into one streamlined method. To take full advantage of the method’s customizability, Carroll recommends that readers call on existing resources such as lists, calendars, schedules, habit trackers, gratitude logs, and creative journaling.
In addition, although Carroll dedicates a large part of the book to the Bullet Journal Method itself, he also pulls from a variety of philosophies to explore how the method can help you overcome challenges like maximizing time, cultivating gratitude, and letting go of what you can’t control. In particular, Carroll references the Greek and Greco-Roman philosophies of Eudaimonism and Stoicism, the Japanese concepts of ikigai and kaizen, and problem-solving techniques like sprints and rubber ducking from the field of software development.
Given that the Bullet Journal Method was already popular before The Bullet Journal Method’s publication (having already garnered significant followings on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube), the book was well-received, which helped extend the method to an even wider audience. It became a New York Times and international best seller and has been published in more than 28 languages. In addition, following the book’s publication in 2018, there was not only an 18% increase in the sale of unruled notebooks in the US from the year before but also a significant growth in the sale of other stationery products.
Overall, reviewers agree that The Bullet Journal Method provides valuable insight to both those who are new to the method and those who consider themselves veterans. This is because the book covers not only the system itself but also ways you can use it to improve your life.
As for the book’s general audience, those who enjoyed it agree that reading it would benefit everyone interested in productivity and self-improvement, whether or not they’ve used the Bullet Journal Method before. They praise how the book utilizes anecdotes and data to back up the author’s claims as well as useful diagrams to demonstrate how the method works. Additionally, they like that the book focuses on both how and why to use the method. Overall, they feel that it helped them reconnect with what truly matters to them.
On the other hand, critics of the book think it focuses too heavily on self-improvement and too lightly on the details of how to use the method. In addition, they claim the book is poorly written and that the author’s recommendations are weak and easily discernible without the help of his book. Moreover, some artistically-inclined readers say the book fails to provide creative inspiration.
Carroll’s demonstration of the Bullet Journal Method system and how to customize it is effective. He consistently pairs written descriptions of the system with relevant examples, visual aids, and diagrams that help clarify any uncertainty about how the method works. One potential exception is Carroll’s description of “threading,” a technique that’s supposed to reduce the time you spend searching for pages of related content. Even with a visual aid, it’s difficult to grasp how to implement the technique.
Meanwhile, Carroll’s discussion of how to use the Bullet Journal Method to increase productivity and improve your life has positives and negatives. On the one hand, his anecdotes and references add credibility to his ideas and make compelling arguments for why you should use his method. For example, in the section titled “Imperfection,” Carroll first introduces the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi (beauty is found in imperfection), as well as the Japanese culture’s focus on mastery over perfection, to inspire readers to see themselves and their efforts in a different light that eschews perfectionism. Then, he provides an immediate opportunity for application by describing how readers can implement these ideas into their Bullet Journal practice.
On the other hand, Carroll’s flow of ideas tends to meander and repeat, making it somewhat difficult to identify his main point. For example, in the section titled “Meaning,” Carroll alternates between the idea that we’re searching for fulfillment in the wrong places and the idea that we can find happiness by doing what’s meaningful. In doing so, he ultimately buries the main point—that fulfillment comes from doing what we find worthwhile. While readers may eventually deduce Carroll’s primary idea, the structure of his argument makes reaching this conclusion burdensome.
At surface level, the book’s organization is logical. Carroll divides it into parts that establish a foundational understanding of the Bullet Journal Method before exploring how to make the most of the practice. Specifically, he ensures that readers grasp the basic components of his method before diving into how they can tailor their journals to their needs.
However, some of Carroll’s within-part organizational choices interrupt the flow of his ideas. For example, in Part 1, although he begins intuitively by discussing how he developed the Bullet Journal Method, why readers should use it, and what to expect from the book, the organization then becomes less coherent. Instead of exploring how to get started, he backtracks to provide additional justification for why you should use his method. Then, he changes topic twice more by introducing a mind-decluttering exercise before discussing why notebooks are fundamental to Bullet Journaling and how handwriting is beneficial.
In this guide, we’ve modified the book’s original organization in three ways. First, we’ve rearranged the book’s parts to progress from concrete to abstract ideas. Specifically, we’ve switched the order of Parts 3 and 4—whereas Part 4 discusses concrete strategies for customizing the design of your journal, Part 3 more broadly discusses how to put Bullet Journaling into practice to tackle life’s challenges. Therefore, we felt that Part 3—which focuses on big-picture application—would be better positioned as a concluding culmination of the ideas presented in the book.
Second, we’ve created new subdivisions within parts that clearly separate ideas we felt were distinct. In particular, we’ve divided Carroll’s Part 3 into two (Parts 4 and 5 in our guide) to differentiate between two themes: productivity and living a high-quality life. Similarly, we’ve split Part 2 into sub-parts that divide Carroll’s ideas into two topics: how to get started with Bullet Journaling and the role of reflection in the system.
Finally, we’ve shifted the order of certain sections and ideas to better suit our guide’s revised organizational structure and progression of ideas. For example, in Part 2, instead of discussing the Bullet Journal Method’s basic components in isolation from how to create those components in your journal (as Carroll does), we’ve chosen to integrate his instructions into the description of each component.
In addition to these organizational changes, we’ve included commentary that offers counterpoints to Carroll’s arguments, expands on his claims with scientific research, and supplements his design recommendations with ideas from the Bullet Journaling community. We also compare some of Carroll’s ideas to those explored in other self-improvement and productivity-themed works, including Tiny Habits, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Goals!, The Happiness Hypothesis, and The Happiness Project.
After years spent perfecting his organizational techniques, author Ryder Carroll devised the Bullet Journal Method—a single-notebook system designed to help him add structure to his life, set goals, and gain clarity on what was important to him. In just one notebook, he could plan out his days, jot down ideas, and even create illustrations when inspiration struck.
Carroll developed the method after growing tired of his struggle to maintain focus and keep up with his responsibilities. After realizing its potential to help others, he decided to formalize, streamline, and release it to the public through online resources and the eventual publication of The Bullet Journal Method. Since then, countless individuals—from overwhelmed mothers to veterans battling PTSD—have told Carroll that Bullet Journaling has transformed their lives.
Before diving into the nuts and bolts of Carroll’s system, the first part of this guide will summarize his argument for why you, too, should start Bullet Journaling. Specifically, we’ll talk about how technology has made you busy rather than productive and why Bullet Journaling is the perfect solution. Then, in the remaining parts, we’ll explore how the method works, how to get started with your journal, how to customize your journal, and how to use the practice of Bullet Journaling to improve your productivity and quality of life.
According to Carroll, despite living in a society that glorifies productivity, research has shown that we’ve become less productive with the rise of technology. This is because although technology has revolutionized the way we live in countless ways, it has also overloaded us with information, resources, and connections. With so many things fighting for our attention, we can’t possibly focus on all of them. As our attention scatters, our productivity plummets.
(Shortform note: Carroll doesn’t explore why we’re unable to focus on so many things at once, but research suggests it may be because the brain only has two hemispheres available to manage tasks. Therefore, it can only focus on two things at the same time, making juggling more than two responsibilities an impossibility.)
Technology has also taken a toll on our ease of living. Carroll acknowledges that technology has brought us a variety of tools that simplify our daily lives. However, this infinite set of options causes decision fatigue; instead of focusing our attention on what matters to us, we waste time and energy on trivial choices. Carroll argues that despite the endless access to information that technology gives us, unlimited access comes at a cost: We feel perpetually distracted and overwhelmed. Studies show that the average American spends almost half of their waking hours in front of their screens.
Moreover, Carroll points out that even though technology has allowed us to connect with family members, friends, and others across the globe, maintaining all of these relationships requires time and energy; we become glued to our devices and social media accounts in an effort to keep up.
In short, despite our efforts to complete our task lists and accomplish our goals, our overreliance on technology makes us feel overwhelmed and stuck in a perpetual state of “busy” that doesn’t actually move us forward.
(Shortform note: Technology inhibits productivity in several ways that Carroll doesn’t cover. For example, receiving notifications interrupts our workflow and makes it difficult to re-enter a state of concentration. We also sometimes waste valuable time trying to complete tasks in the most technologically efficient way—for example, you may spend hours trying to automate a spreadsheet instead of just filling it out by hand.)
Technology Affects More Than Productivity
While Carroll’s observations about the effect of technology focus specifically on productivity, there are additional consequences of its omnipresence that he doesn’t cover.
First, because technology has made life easier, we’ve forgotten how to do things that we once considered basic and essential. For example, thanks to autocorrect tools on computers and cell phones, many people have forgotten how to spell common words. In addition, digital contact lists have practically eliminated the need to remember phone numbers.
In addition, our screen-time habits are negatively impacting our brains in a variety of ways. For instance, according to the Harvard Medical School, every time we interact with our screens rather than reality, our brains miss out on important stimulation that they normally receive from the world around us. Moreover, when we use our digital devices before going to sleep, the blue light they emit disrupts our sleep patterns and reduces the amount of deep REM sleep we experience, which negatively affects our memory and mental processing.
Finally, despite spending a lot of time connecting on social media, research shows that people are feeling more alone than ever before. In particular, the data show that those who spend the most time on social media—people under the age of 35—feel the most lonely of all age groups.
These examples show that the negative effects of technology extend beyond productivity into many areas of daily life.
According to Carroll, the solution to this productivity problem is to use the Bullet Journal Method, an organizational tool that helps you be intentional about how you spend your time and energy. It’s a system that archives your life—past, present, and future—tracking not only the day-to-day details but also your choices, your actions, and how you’ve changed over time.
(Shortform note: Although Carroll argues for Bullet Journaling as a solution, psychologists say that journaling can negatively affect your well-being if you’re not careful about how you use it. In particular, it can make you passively observe your life instead of living in the moment, focus on blame rather than solutions, get swept up in negativity, or become self-obsessed. Note, however, that these potential effects apply to journaling in general, and they may not be as relevant to Bullet Journaling specifically.)
Carroll claims that Bullet Journaling can aid you in three ways: getting organized, living in the present moment, and finding clarity on what’s important to you. Let’s discuss each of these in more detail.
According to Carroll, one of the main benefits of the Bullet Journal Method is that it can help you get organized, therefore eliminating the overwhelm that’s hurting your productivity. This is especially useful because, as mentioned earlier, there are so many possibilities vying for our attention that we simply don’t have the mental capacity to keep track of everything. In an attempt to manage it all, we resort to multitasking, which often results in spreading our notes, ideas, and reminders across any number of phone apps, sticky notes, dry-erase boards, and notebooks.
(Shortform note: Aside from overwhelm, there are other potential consequences of disorganization and clutter that Carroll doesn’t mention. According to psychologists, both physical and mental clutter can significantly hinder your ability to function. Specifically, you may suffer decreased subjective well-being, poorer eating habits and mental health, and less efficient thinking and visual processing.)
Fortunately, Carroll says, the Bullet Journal Method solves this problem by providing a single outlet to declutter your mind—and your desk. Additionally, because the method utilizes a notebook, it offers flexibility that technology can’t. Whereas tech tools either have an excess of features or narrow functionality, a notebook is customizable to your specific organizational needs.
(Shortform note: The excess of features in tech tools that Carroll refers to is a common phenomenon in product design called “feature creep” or “scope creep.” In an effort to create the best product and please the widest audience, designers sometimes unintentionally overcomplicate a product by adding too many features. Fortunately, just as Carroll describes, feature creep isn’t a problem in Bullet Journaling, as only you are in charge of the journal’s design and use.)
Another primary benefit of the Bullet Journal Method, according to Carroll, is that it encourages you to slow down and focus on the present moment. This is important because our endless distractions and urgency to keep busy make us feel like life is passing us by. We’ve become so consumed by our day-to-day lives that we’re now largely unaware of our surroundings.
(Shortform note: Research seems to support Carroll’s claim that we’re prone to living with little awareness of the present moment. One study, for example, showed that 96% of people in the UK admitted to making decisions on autopilot. What’s more, 39% say that the place where they’re most likely to slip into autopilot is at home, which is ideally where we engage the most with our lives and the people we love.)
So how can the Bullet Journal Method help you slow down? Carroll says it’s by requiring you to write by hand. Because handwriting is less efficient than typing or dictating, it forces you to pay closer attention to what you’re writing and therefore changes the way you engage with what you’re writing about, whether that’s your thoughts or the world around you.
(Shortform note: Handwriting doesn’t just change your engagement with what you’re writing—it increases it. According to research, the act of writing by hand activates more complex neural connections than typing. Furthermore, researchers say that the precise movements involved in writing by hand benefit the brain’s learning processes.)
Carroll argues that by focusing on the here and now, you can build not only stronger self-awareness but also awareness of what’s going on around you, which helps you increase your productivity.
(Shortform: Increased productivity isn’t the only positive outcome of building stronger self-awareness. Psychologists point to a variety of additional benefits of this practice, including increased empathetic responses, self-regulation, creative achievement, self-esteem, and ability to handle failure.)
According to Carroll, a final fundamental benefit of the Bullet Journal Method is that it helps you reflect on your life and get clear on what’s important to you. He argues that this is crucial because our state of perpetual busyness creates distance between our actions and beliefs. We lose sight of why we’re doing what we’re doing, essentially running on autopilot.
(Shortform note: While he observes that perpetual busyness can indicate that you’re living on autopilot, Carroll doesn’t acknowledge how hard this autopilot mode can be to recognize or point to signs of autopilot you should look for. According to psychologists, you may be living on autopilot if you have a predictable routine, tend to worry about pleasing others, feel like you constantly lose track of time, and believe you’re missing out on meaningful experiences.)
With the Bullet Journal Method, however, Carroll says you can form a regular habit of introspection by tracking your experiences and actions over time. This record gives you opportunities to reflect and clarify what matters to you—for example, the tasks you find most fulfilling. And once you’ve found that clarity, the method can aid you in setting and working toward meaningful goals that can help you become more productive than ever before.
(Shortform note: While introspection can be beneficial, it has some potential pitfalls. Psychologists say that if you don’t practice introspection in the right way, it can negatively impact your mental health. Specifically, if introspection becomes an obsessive habit, it can cause stress, anxiety, and depression.)
In addition to the advantages already mentioned, Carroll explains that the analog nature of the Bullet Journal Method provides further benefits that other tools and methods can’t offer. For example, because notebooks are 100% customizable, they foster creativity and inspiration, which are easy to lose sight of when you’re burnt out by demands on your time. The promise of a fresh page each day reminds you that life is full of possibility—every day is a blank slate, and it’s up to you to make something of it.
(Shortform note: Why is fostering creativity important? Research shows that creativity benefits us in different ways. For example, one study suggests that engaging in just one creative activity a day, such as playing music or drawing, boosts positivity. There are indirect benefits of creativity too—a 2010 survey of more than 1,500 CEOs from 60 countries and 33 industries found that executives value creativity more than any other business skill.)
Consider the role that technology plays in your life to see how Bullet Journaling can benefit you.
Thinking about the effect of technology on your own life, how has it positively impacted you? (For example, maybe it has helped you stay in contact with your grandparents who live far away.)
On the other hand, how has technology negatively impacted you? (For example, perhaps you spend too much of your workday scrolling on social media.)
Think back to a time when you didn’t have as much access to technology—it could be an earlier period of your life or even a weekend camping trip without electronics. How does that time compare to life with technology? How did you feel then versus now?
Now, specifically consider technology’s effect on your productivity. How does it decrease or increase your productivity? (For example, maybe you’ve noticed that certain apps have had a positive impact on your ability to stay organized.)
Keeping all of this in mind, how do you think the Bullet Journal’s analog method can positively impact your life? (For example, perhaps spending more of your day writing and reflecting—rather than scrolling on social media—will help you build self-awareness.)
In Part 1, we discussed how the Bullet Journal Method can help you become more organized, self-aware, and intentional in your day-to-day life. In Part 2, we’ll go over the Bullet Journaling basics, beginning with how to get started with your first journal.
According to Carroll, the only tools Bullet Journaling requires are a notebook and a pen, and there are no limits to which ones you choose. As previously discussed, one of the advantages of Bullet Journaling is that it provides flexibility that technology can’t, including in the tools you use. Whether your notebook is large or small and your pen fountain or ballpoint, Carroll says you’re free to decide what will work best for you.
(Shortform note: Even with the freedom to choose the tools you like best, you may be wondering if Carroll has any personal recommendations. In a previous interview, he mentioned that he prefers to use a dot-grid notebook. He even teamed up with the makers of one of the most popular dot-grid notebooks for Bullet Journaling—the Leuchtturm1917—to design an official Bullet Journal notebook.)
Additionally, Carroll maintains that the Bullet Journal Method is all about function over form. Although you’re free to design your journal in whatever way suits you, your choices shouldn’t interfere with the purpose behind the journal’s components, your ability to decipher your handwriting, or your capacity to maintain your journaling habits.
(Shortform note: While Carroll's suggestion to prioritize function over form has its advantages, for some, aesthetics are functional. Specifically, certain people may find that the artistic possibilities of Bullet Journaling increase their motivation to journal and encourage creativity, even if they require more time and energy. Joshua Waitzkin echoes this idea in The Art of Learning, where he argues that failing to honor what most resonates with you about a particular activity may cause you to lose your passion for it. Therefore, if your favorite part of bullet journaling is designing artistic layouts, don’t feel you have to sacrifice that in favor of purely functional designs.)
With this in mind, the next step is to set up the main organizational components of your notebook. Let’s discuss each of these in order, focusing on what they are, how to set them up in your journal, and how to use them.
Carroll explains that the Bullet Journal’s index is a hybrid between a table of contents and a traditional index. It’s a set of pages at the front of your journal that keeps a running list of all the instances of a particular topic, no matter where or how often it appears. Therefore, you’re neither limited to a certain number of pages per topic nor prevented from stepping away and returning to a particular topic at a later point in the journal.
Carroll argues that by keeping the index at the front of your journal, you can find specific pages efficiently and see an overview of how you’re spending your time by scanning the list of topics.
Carroll’s Index: What Makes It Unique?
Despite calling his index a hybrid, Carroll neither describes a typical table of contents or index nor contrasts them with his own version. So what sets them all apart?
Generally, a table of contents is a set of pages at the front of a book that lists all of its chapters or sections and the page numbers on which they begin in linear fashion. On the other hand, an index is a set of pages at the back of a book that keeps track of all of its topics in alphabetical order and the various page numbers on which you can find them.
Carroll’s index pulls specific aspects of each of these—the page-tracking function of the typical index and the placement of the typical table of contents—to create a tool that lets you track instances of a particular topic and easily find them whenever you need.
Why did Carroll choose these specific features? Although he explains the utility of page-tracking thoroughly (as previously discussed), he never justifies his decision to place the index at the front like a table of contents. While you could potentially argue that placing the index at the back risks running out of pages as your index grows, you could make the same argument for placing it at the front, since Carroll instructs you to set aside only four pages. Therefore, it’s unclear why he would choose to adopt this particular feature of a table of contents for his hybrid index.
Since the index sits at the front of your journal, Carroll suggests you set it up first. To do so, turn to the front of your notebook and number the first four pages 1–4. Then, title the first page “Index.”
Carroll explains that as you fill your journal, you’ll populate the index by listing new topics and their corresponding page numbers. For example, let’s say you decide to start a personal coding project. Once you turn to a fresh page of your journal and title your project, you’ll add it to the next line of your index followed by its page numbers (such as “Coding Project: 20–21”). And if you ever take a break from working on the project and need to come back to it on a later page in your journal, you can easily add this page number to your index (for example, “Coding Project: 20–21, 28”).
Carroll’s Index: Limited in Functionality?
As Carroll explains, the index keeps track of all the sections you add to your journal by listing their titles and page numbers. The benefit of this approach is that the clear correspondence between titles and index entries makes big-picture topics easy to find.
Unfortunately, however, this also means that the functionality of Carroll’s index is limited in one very important way: It can’t help you find anything other than the high-level sections of your journal. Whereas a traditional index keeps track of all key terms and topics, no matter where they’re found on the page, Carroll’s index only includes titles (which is more like a table of contents). Therefore, if you wanted to search for any notes related to “school,” for example, you couldn’t use the index to locate them.
As a potential solution, add important or frequent topics or keywords to your index along with section titles. That way, you can keep track of everything you’re likely to return to without overwhelming your index with too many entries.
For tasks and events more than a month away, Carroll recommends using the “future log” (which we’ll call the “future planner”). The future planner acts as a waiting list for all future tasks and events you don’t want to lose sight of. For example, if you’re currently in the month of May, your future planner might house tasks like “Buy Christmas gifts” or events like “Real Estate Conference, Oct. 10–13.”
Carroll argues that the future planner aids your planning by showing you what will require your attention in the months to come. It provides plenty of foresight, which lets you change plans and goals as your needs and values shift. For example, imagine that when examining your future planner, you notice that there are numerous weddings scheduled for the summer. Because you’ve realized this far in advance, you can avoid over-committing yourself and prioritize attendance at the ceremonies of only your closest friends.
The Benefits of Planning Ahead
Carroll praises the future planner’s ability to give you perspective and adjust your plans accordingly. However, there are additional benefits of planning ahead that he doesn’t discuss.
First, planning ahead can boost your productivity. Planning on paper holds you accountable and keeps you motivated, presumably because you’ll see your goals every time you open your journal. Additionally, spending a few moments planning ahead saves you time that you can then spend on the things that matter most.
Planning ahead can also improve your mental health in several ways. First, it can reduce stress by encouraging you to take an active (rather than passive) role in your life. In addition, it can help you live with more intention because writing out your thoughts and plans forces you to slow down and be in the present moment. Finally, planning ahead can be a significant mood booster because it reminds you of all the good experiences you have to look forward to.
According to Carroll, your future planner follows your index and spans from pages 5–8. To set it up, title the first page and add it to your index (for example, “Future Planner: 5–8”). Next, divide each of the four pages into 3 boxes, totaling 12 for the entire year. Then, label each box with a separate month.
To utilize your planner, explains Carroll, you’ll add any future tasks and events that fall outside of the current month into the appropriate boxes. Future tasks could include scheduled obligations (such as “call to wish Grandma a happy birthday”) or goals (such as “read the collected works of J.R.R. Tolkien”).
(Shortform note: While Carroll’s instructions can serve as a helpful guide, you aren’t limited to his format when setting up your future planner. Many Bullet Journalers have created variations on the traditional setup to suit their own needs that you can look to for inspiration. For example, for a more minimalist design, create a yearly calendar on a single page and color in dates that have important events or tasks rather than writing them out. Or, if you desire more space, dedicate an entire page to each month rather than dividing each page into three boxes as Carroll recommends.)
Carroll describes the “monthly log” (which we’ll refer to as the “monthly overview”) as a tool that summarizes your available time and upcoming responsibilities in the next month. The monthly overview utilizes both a calendar and task list where you can log events and track your upcoming tasks for the month.
(Shortform note: Carroll doesn’t specifically address why he chose to separate the calendar from the task list, but it’s easy to see why this might be beneficial. First, separating events from tasks prevents overcrowding on specific calendar dates, which is a common issue for traditional planners or standalone calendars. Additionally, in some cases, it may not be necessary to assign tasks to a specific day, meaning that a calendar format would be a hindrance rather than a help.)
In Carroll’s view, the benefit of the monthly overview’s overhead perspective is that it keeps you aware of both your available capacity and the way you’re allocating your time. This prevents burnout and offers opportunities for reflection.
(Shortform note: Carroll’s focus here may be time capacity, but your energy capacity is also important in deciding how to plan out your life. Even if your calendar is empty and your task list is short, you still may not have the energy to allocate to new commitments. Therefore, while the monthly overview may be a good reference point when planning, make a point to check in with your energy levels before committing to anything more.)
According to Carroll, the first monthly overview should follow the future planner. To set it up, turn to the spread of pages after the planner and number them 9–10. Then, title both pages with the current month and add them to your index (for example, “January: 9–10”).
Next, Carroll says to set up your calendar and task list. To create your calendar, list all of the calendar dates vertically along the left side of the left page, followed by the first letter of the day of the week it falls on. For visual clarity, add horizontal dividing lines between individual weeks.
Carroll explains that to populate the calendar, you’ll add events either by transferring upcoming events from your daily record during daily review (which we’ll discuss shortly) or by recording them after they’ve occurred—it’s up to you.
For the task list, Carroll says you’ll populate the page once you’ve identified relevant tasks for the month (a process we’ll discuss shortly). Just as with the calendar, you’ll continue to add to your task list as new tasks come up in your daily record.
Variations on the Monthly Overview
Just as with the future planner, you aren’t limited to the monthly overview layout and method that Carroll recommends. Although he doesn’t include specific examples of others’ variations on this element, many Bullet Journal users have created innovative designs that work better for their needs—and they may suit your preferences too.
For example, some journalers have reverted to a more traditional calendar format to track events, with tasks listed either within the calendar or below it. Others have chosen to include comprehensive habit trackers (which we’ll discuss in Part 3) as part of their monthly overview layout, tracking everything from exercise to social media usage. To customize the overview even further, some have included additional components—like bills to pay, monthly goals, and wish lists—depending on what information they prioritize as part of the overview.
In addition to these ideas, one concept that’s quite popular among the Bullet Journaling community is customizing the layout of each month’s overview according to the needs of that specific month. For example, in December, you might add a holiday shopping list to your overview. Or, in January, you could include your New Year’s resolutions. Similarly, in June, you may want to have a packing list for your summer vacation.
Carroll explains that your “daily log” (which we’ll refer to as your “daily record”) is for capturing any information, thoughts, or ideas that come up throughout the day in the form of tasks, events, and notes. According to Carroll, tasks are things that you need to do (such as “schedule doctor appointment”), events are experiences that have either already happened or are scheduled to occur (like “Greg’s birthday June 18”), and notes are facts, ideas, or observations that you want to remember (such as “Amy seemed distracted”).
(Shortform note: As previously mentioned, Carroll argues that one of the main benefits of the Bullet Journal is that it acts as a standalone organizational tool that eliminates the need for separate mediums like to-do lists, sticky notes, and productivity apps. While for some this strategy may reduce overwhelm, for others, it may only increase it. If keeping everything in one place stresses you out, a tool like the daily record—which documents tasks, events, and notes simultaneously—may not be ideal.)
Over time, Carroll says the entries in your daily records serve as data points that add context to your recollections of the past. For instance, your record of tasks acts as an archive of all you’ve accomplished, and your record of events provides insight into your experiences, especially when your memory fails. You may even notice patterns that can help you be more intentional about your choices (such as noticing that you feel better on the days you order a morning latte from Starbucks).
Similarly, Carroll says that your record of notes can remind you of details that you would have otherwise forgotten, which helps you build stronger awareness in your day-to-day life (like realizing that a friend hasn’t been as supportive as you thought).
Additional Takeaways From the Daily Record
Carroll mentions a few advantages of keeping a daily record, but there are additional benefits you can take advantage of. For example, having a record of your accomplishments can be especially useful at work when trying to justify a raise or promotion during a performance evaluation. Moreover, keeping a written record of your days could be a helpful recall tool. Research shows that our memories are often inaccurate due to imperfect perception, the impact of new experiences and emotions on how we view past events, and the inadvertent blending of two separate memories.
There is, however, a downside to maintaining a consistent record of your day that Carroll doesn’t touch on: Research suggests that we’re more prone to forget things when we write them down. This means that for your daily record to aid your memory, you might need to review your notes frequently.
Carroll says that your first daily record should follow your first monthly overview. To set it up, turn to the page after the overview and number it 11. Then, title the page with the current date. Carroll advises that you shouldn’t add any of your daily records to your index because they would overwhelm the other entries, and you’ll eventually transfer any actionables or future events from your daily records to other parts of your journal.
(Shortform note: While Carroll’s reasoning for excluding daily records from the index makes sense in the case of actionables and future events that are moved to other journal pages, it doesn’t hold true for notes and past events, which remain in the daily record. Because you don’t transfer these entries, they’re difficult to find without the help of an index if you want to look back at them.)
Throughout the day, you’ll write down tasks, events, and notes that are relevant to you, using as much space as you need. You’ll repeat the same process each day, creating new daily records as part of your nightly or morning review (which we’ll discuss a bit later).
(Shortform note: Having to set aside time to create a new daily record every morning or night could be a disadvantage for those who prefer advanced preparation or have especially busy schedules. If you’re one of these individuals, try preparing a few daily record pages in advance when you have time.)
To record information in the most efficient way in your journal, Carroll recommends using a method called “rapid logging” (which we’ll refer to as “jotting”). Jotting is a streamlined method of taking notes that focuses on only the most essential information.
For example, in a traditional notebook, an entry might look like this: “My boss said to prepare a presentation on last quarter’s profits for the Sept. 20th meeting.” Using the jotting method, it could look like this: “Presentation on Q2 profits for 9/20.” Although jotting greatly condenses the task description, it maintains all of the important information: what the presentation is about and when it’s due.
Tips for Writing Clearly and Concisely
Although Carroll defines jotting as a note-taking method meant to convey only the most essential information, he doesn’t provide specific recommendations for how to do it effectively. When it comes to writing clearly and concisely, there are several tips to keep in mind.
First, choose constructions that contain fewer words (for example, replacing “let Sam know” with “notify Sam”). Second, eliminate unnecessary words, such as “a” and “that,” which don’t add any essential information. Third, use abbreviations where possible, like “ASAP” or “TBD.” And finally, when jotting tasks, eliminate the first verb and start instead with the noun that defines the task—for example, “Homework for Friday” rather than “Do homework for Friday.”
Even with these tips, you may find that jotting isn’t working for you, as different situations sometimes call for different tools. For example, if you’re taking notes in class, you may prefer to use the Cornell Method because it systematically encourages reflection by leaving space for later notes in the margin. Depending on your specific needs, there are plenty of note-taking techniques that you can try, including mind mapping, the Outline Method, the Charting Method, and the Maria Popova Method.
Carroll explains that the practice of jotting uses bullets, which lend themselves well to capturing concise and objective thoughts. In the Bullet Journal Method, you use different kinds of bullets to organize information in a way that you can easily understand at a glance.
(Shortform note: While bullet points have long been a preferred note-taking method, their origin is heavily debated. Some say their usage dates as far back as the invention of the first movable-type printing press in the 15th century and that their shape is meant to resemble the munitions of cannons and muskets. While bullets first began as a tool for writing and publishing, their use has expanded to fields like copywriting and computing.)
In Carroll’s system, different bullet types (and in some cases an accompanying set of symbols) correspond to the different categories of information—tasks, events, and notes—that you capture while jotting. The purpose of using these symbols is to convey meaningful information in the quickest way possible. Let’s review each category:
Tasks
Carroll says the basic solid bullet (•) corresponds to tasks. Because tasks are meant to be accomplished, this bullet type acts as a sort of checkbox that you can combine with other symbols to communicate the status of each task:
Events
Carroll explains that the empty bullet (◦) corresponds to events. Events can be experiences that have already happened or ones that are scheduled to occur at a later date. Although the event category doesn’t use any additional symbols, you can combine it with notes to add details you want to remember about specific events.
Notes
According to Carroll, the dash (-) corresponds to notes. In addition to adding notes to events, you can combine them with tasks to capture further details about a responsibility.
Additional Symbols
In addition, Carroll mentions other symbols you can use to quickly add context to your entries. For example, use the star (*) to mark a priority or the exclamation point (!) to mark an inspiring idea or insight you want to remember.
Carroll says you can also create custom bullets that serve your unique situation. For instance, if you’re in a position of leadership, use a forward slash (/) to mark a delegated task. Or, choose your own symbol to indicate a personally recurring task. (For instance, a teacher might use G to indicate a task related to grading.)
The Bullet Journal System vs. the Dash/Plus System
While Carroll’s bullet system has its unique points, it draws heavy inspiration from another note-taking system called Dash/Plus. Similar to the origin of the Bullet Journal Method, Patrick Rhone created Dash/Plus in 2006 as a solution to keep track of his lists and notes.
Just as the Bullet Journal Method is based on the bullet, the Dash/Plus System centers around the dash (-). On its own, the dash signals a task you need to complete, and when you turn it into a plus (+), it signals that you’ve finished the task. To indicate that you’re waiting on a certain action before completing a task, you turn the dash into a right arrow (->). On the other hand, to show that you’ve delegated the task to someone else, you turn the dash into a left arrow (<-). In addition to these variations, the system uses a circle surrounding a dash (⊝) to signify that you’ve moved a task or pushed it forward to a later date and a triangle (▵) to signal a data point you want to remember.
In terms of similarities, both systems use symbols to show some of the same things, such as a completed or delegated task. In this way, their basic structures are comparable. They also use a few of the same symbols, albeit with different uses (for example, the use of arrows).
As for differences, the Dash/Plus system focuses almost exclusively on tasks, with only one additional symbol (the triangle) that indicates data points. On the other hand, the Bullet Journal system makes use of additional symbols that cover things like events, notes, and priorities. Moreover, whereas the Dash/Plus system is a standalone note-taking method, the Bullet Journal’s bullet system is part of a larger organizational framework that’s meant to not only improve productivity but also your overall quality of life.
Ultimately, despite their similarities in form and function, the two systems have their separate advantages. In particular, the Dash/Plus system is arguably better in a work environment due to its simplicity and task-focused nature, while the Bullet Journal system may be more suitable for day-to-day use because of its flexible use of symbols and overarching organizational framework.
Now that we’ve discussed everything you’ll need to get started with the Bullet Journal Method, let’s talk about the essential role of reflection in the method and how it’s integrated into the system.
Carroll explains that, unlike other productivity systems, the Bullet Journal Method encourages you to not only record information but also re-engage with it. Rather than passively listing tasks and reminders, you actively assess what you’ve written through a process he calls “migration” (which we’ll refer to as “transferring”).
(Shortform note: Although the Bullet Journal Method may be unique in the specific way it encourages you to re-engage with information, it’s not the only productivity system to have that functionality. Evernote, for example, is a digital app that helps you record information from a diverse set of file types—including notes, voice recordings, photos, and documents—and organize and search them with ease. Such effortless access to information incentivizes you to re-engage with the records you store.)
Carroll describes transferring as moving content from one part of your journal to another. The purpose of this relocation is to encourage you to reflect on every entry you record, which helps you spend your time and energy with intention. Without this built-in reflection, you’re likely to lose track of not only what you’re doing but also why you’re doing it. And if you don’t understand the purpose behind your actions, you’re at higher risk of making bad decisions that misalign with your purpose.
(Shortform note: Carroll doesn’t explicitly claim that transferring guarantees reflection, but his argument implies that transferring requires you to pause and consider the purpose of each entry before moving it. While it could certainly provide opportunities for reflection, it’s also possible that in building the habit of transferring, you could fall into a reflexive pattern of moving entries without re-evaluating them. Therefore, to fully benefit from this aspect of Bullet Journaling, don’t take these reflection opportunities for granted and be mindful as you transfer content.)
Carroll explains that because you start each day with a fresh daily record, you have the opportunity for daily reflection as you assess what you’ve written and transfer information to other parts of your journal. He recommends that you practice reflection twice every day—in the morning and at night—and spend as much time on this as you need, as long as the time spent is manageable enough to maintain a consistent habit.
(Shortform note: Despite recommending a daily habit of reflection, Carroll doesn’t provide tips for how to make that habit stick, which can be difficult to do when introducing something new into your routine. In Tiny Habits, BJ Fogg describes how tying a new behavior to a specific cue can help turn it into a habit. In the case of making a habit out of daily reflection, for example, you could use your cup of morning coffee as a cue to complete your daily review.)
Carroll suggests that you take a few moments at the start of your day to unload your mind and review the previous entries in your journal. If any thoughts came up overnight, add them to the current day’s daily record. For example, maybe you remembered upon waking that you have to buy milk at the grocery store.
(Shortform note: Taking part in morning reflection as Carroll suggests could be difficult for those who struggle to feel alert after waking. If this is true for you, try folding your morning review into a wake-up ritual to get you energized—like taking a walk in the sunlight, having a cup of coffee or tea, or taking a cold shower.)
Next, he says to scan recent pages for open tasks (•) or scheduled events (◦) that you haven’t yet transferred to another part of your journal. Where you’ll transfer the task or event depends on its status. For instance, if a task needs your immediate attention, transfer it to your next daily record. If it’s less urgent, transfer it to your monthly overview (changing the (•) to (>)) or future planner (changing the (•) to (<)). As for events, either copy them to the calendar of your monthly overview or to your future planner.
(Shortform note: Carroll suggests that you transfer tasks based on urgency, but he doesn’t acknowledge how difficult it can be to determine whether a task truly requires your immediate attention. It’s easy to feel as if every task needs to be addressed right away, and that can influence you to transfer more tasks to your next daily record than you can reasonably accomplish in a day. Unfortunately, the more entries you add to your to-do list, the more likely you are to have multiple unrelated goals competing for your attention—the perfect storm for stress and decreased motivation. Therefore, be cautious as you transfer tasks across your journal, and make sure not to move too many to tomorrow’s to-do list.)
Similarly, Carroll suggests that you take time to review your journal before going to bed each night. Doing so will allow you to reflect on your progress and experiences. To complete your nightly review, he advises that you briefly scan your daily record and add anything that’s missing—tasks, experiences, or notes you don’t want to forget. As you review, reflect on the importance of each item, what you can learn from it, and why it’s on your list.
(Shortform note: Although Carroll doesn’t address any specific benefits of reviewing your journal at night, research suggests that writing down your to-dos before bedtime could positively impact your sleep. In particular, one study found that people who wrote down their to-do lists before bed fell asleep nine minutes faster than those who wrote about what they had already done that day. The researchers hypothesized this was because writing down the next day’s tasks acted as a way to unload burdensome thoughts that would have kept participants awake. While nine more minutes of sleep per night may not seem like a lot, that little bit of extra time totals to more than 2,737 hours over 50 years.)
Carroll explains that just as the creation of a new daily record provides chances for reflection, the creation of a new monthly overview offers a similar opportunity as you review and transfer the previous month’s entries.
Like the morning review process, Carroll advises that you scan the pages of the last month and look for any open tasks (•) that got left behind in your daily records or last monthly overview. For any tasks that fall outside of the new month, transfer them to your future planner. Otherwise, transfer uncompleted tasks to the task list of the new monthly overview or a separate customized section of your journal. Additionally, Carroll recommends you check your future planner for any scheduled tasks or events for this month and transfer them to the task list and calendar of your new monthly overview.
Carroll adds that once again, as you review each of these entries, take time to reflect on the value each of them adds to your life. If a task isn’t worth your time or is no longer relevant, don’t waste your time transferring it—simply cross it out.
Expanding on the Monthly Review
Carroll recommends that you reflect on the value of each entry that you transfer, but he doesn’t give any practical tips for how to do this. How can you determine whether the way you’re spending your time is worthwhile?
One strategy you can use is making a list of everything significant that happened over the last month. Include not only achievements but also impactful events or changes. By thinking about the most important moments of your month, you’re indirectly deciding what your priorities are—they wouldn’t make the list if they weren’t valuable to you in some way.
Another approach to reflecting on what’s valuable to you is to conduct a time audit, which involves comparing how you wanted to spend your time at the start of the month to how you actually spent it. There will no doubt be differences, and getting a clear picture of how you’re really allocating your energy can help you see whether your priorities have changed and whether your actions truly align with your values.
Like the tradition of making new year resolutions, Carroll encourages you to reflect on the past year by reviewing your journal and transferring content to a new notebook. Regardless of whether you filled your previous notebook, he recommends that you begin a new one at the start of the year. Starting with a blank slate not only encourages reflection but also increases your motivation.
(Shortform note: Research supports Carroll’s claim that starting fresh increases motivation. For example, a series of studies found that behaviors such as Google searches for “diet” and the number of gym visits increased after salient temporal landmarks like new months, new semesters, and holidays. The researchers concluded that these apparent increases in motivation occurred because participants viewed their past imperfections as belonging to a previous time period once they reached a new temporal landmark—essentially providing a fresh start.)
As you review your journal, Carroll says you should only transfer what’s valuable to you. For example, if your previous year’s future planner is full of untouched tasks, it’s likely they’re not important enough to deserve your attention in the new year—if they were, you would have already done them. If you feel uncertain about what to transfer, Carroll recommends asking yourself meaning-focused questions like those used during your daily and monthly reviews.
Practical Exercises for Letting Go of What’s No Longer Valuable
While asking questions as Carroll recommends can be a good starting point in your yearly reflection, there are more practical exercises you can learn to let go of what’s no longer valuable to you. One strategy is to reflect on the role of desire versus duty in your priorities: Generally, unless it’s an absolute necessity, a task done out of obligation doesn’t add the same value to your life as one that you choose to do. Therefore, if a task feels like a duty rather than a desire, you can likely leave it behind.
Another strategy is to pause to write out your internal monologue when your mind feels cluttered. Once you’ve done this exercise several times in a week, read through your monologues and look for patterns of thoughts and feelings that can help you identify your values. For instance, if a certain topic comes up again and again accompanied by negative feelings, that may be a sign to let it go.
Finally, one last strategy is to make a list of your obligations, habits, hobbies, goals, commitments, and relationships. Once you have a complete inventory, try to reduce your list by 30% based on instinct. Whatever makes the cut is likely something you value; whatever doesn’t is probably something you no longer need.
In Part 2, we detailed the basic aspects of the Bullet Journal Method, including its organizational components and the fundamental role of reflection in the system. In Part 3, we’ll introduce the Bullet Journal’s customization component and explore different tools you can use to design a journal that fits your needs. These include brainstorming, lists, schedules, trackers, and long-form journaling.
In addition to the four core components—the index, future planner, monthly overview, and daily record—Carroll explains that you’re free to create other collections for your journal (which we’ll refer to as “customized sections”).
According to Carroll, customized sections are optional journal components focusing on specific topics that either fall outside of—or dig deeper into—the information you record within the four core components. While you can create whatever suits your needs, he mentions that some common customizable sections include plans for projects (personal, like renovating a bathroom, or professional, like a new ad campaign), habit trackers, budgets, and class notes.
(Shortform note: Notably, Carroll doesn’t provide many explicit examples of how to design customized sections. This is likely because he wants readers to embrace the flexibility and creativity of the Bullet Journal and feels that those who are interested in customization can find plenty of inspiration online. However, in reviews of Carroll’s book, some readers expressed that they would’ve liked to see more tips and thought that the book’s practical advice was weak. In other words, they were disappointed that the most knowledgeable Bullet Journal expert—the author himself—didn’t share more of his personal recommendations with his audience.)
Customized sections, Carroll argues, are an integral part of the Bullet Journal Method’s flexibility. There are no limits to what you can create as long as it serves a purpose. For example, don’t track all the movies you’ve watched just to track them. Only record information that adds context and value to your life (like tracking what you watch to increase the amount of female-directed movies you stream).
What’s Valuable and What’s Not?
Carroll argues that you should only track things that serve a purpose or add value to your life. However, for many of us, something’s purpose or value isn’t always clear. What’s more, we can measure value in different ways.
In The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo suggests that you determine the value of a possession primarily by functionality and emotional attachment. In other words, it’s worth keeping if it’s useful or brings you joy in some way. However, she also acknowledges that it’s easy to get caught up in prioritizing function over all else, which results in keeping things that are useful, but that you don’t actually like—and when you don’t like something, you’re less likely to use it.
So how can this information help you with Bullet Journaling? When deciding whether the content you’ve created is valuable, consider both its functionality and its capacity to bring you joy. Even if you’re tracking information that could theoretically be useful—such as the amount of water you drink—if you aren’t excited or curious about it, it’s probably not worth keeping in your journal.
Carroll says that brainstorming is a customization tool that’s particularly useful in the planning stage of projects because it encourages you to jot down ideas, identify variables, and get organized before diving into committed action. For example, in planning a bathroom renovation, you could brainstorm ideas for designs, materials, tools, and more.
As part of your brainstorming process, Carroll recommends organizing your ideas into categories. In the case of the above example, designs, materials, and tools could be potential groupings. Next, he advises that you conduct research within the categories you’ve created, like checking the availability and price points of materials available in your area. In doing so, you not only ease into the project at your own pace but also become more knowledgeable about the subject matter, which prevents you from becoming overwhelmed.
Additional Brainstorming Tips
Carroll’s suggestions for how to organize your ideas while brainstorming are useful, but how do you generate ideas in the first place? There are several potential strategies you could try, including finding associations between words, using prompts like pictures and abstract phrases, and creating hypothetical boundaries—such as time and budget restrictions—to spur creative solutions. To demonstrate, you could use the word-association strategy to brainstorm materials needed for your bathroom renovation. (For example, words that come to mind when you think of the word “material” might be “tile,” “wood,” and “glass.”)
Alternatively, if you want to try something other than the traditional notebook-and-pen brainstorming strategy, there are numerous software-based tools that can enhance your brainstorming sessions. These digital tools can make you think more creatively by helping you organize your ideas, providing visual stimulation using colorful charts and images, and enabling real-time collaboration.
As discussed in Part 2, Carroll argues that bulleted lists are a fundamental part of the Bullet Journal Method’s journaling system. Not only should you use them in your daily records, monthly overviews, and future planner, but you can also take advantage of them in different customized sections by tailoring them to your needs.
Just as with your daily record, Carroll says you can use signifiers to prioritize certain list items. In addition, you can add context to your lists by drawing columns on the right that include information about variables like location, time, and cost. For example, if you’re creating a list of materials you’ll need for your bathroom renovation, you could add a column that indicates the price of each material.
(Shortform note: Carroll offers advice for how to further customize lists, but he doesn’t speak to the specific benefits of list-making and why it’s such a helpful tool. First, lists help you prioritize—by seeing what needs to get done, you can better isolate the most urgent tasks. Similarly, by writing out a list, you can easily group related tasks, which can save you time and energy. Additionally, making lists can help you declutter your mind and clear more mental space for focusing on the present. Finally, crossing off completed items from your list can be motivating, as you feel a sense of accomplishment with each task you finish.)
Carroll says that regardless of the project you’re working on, time is an important factor to consider, so creating a schedule is a good idea. Although the design of your schedule will vary depending on the project, Carroll recommends that you base it on the most relevant variables impacting your project.
For example, if you’re creating a timeline for your renovation, you might consider the specific tasks involved, the order in which you need to complete them, and their deadlines. You may even need to consider the availability of any contractors you’re working with so that you can plan your schedule accordingly.
(Shortform note: In addition to Carroll’s recommendations for which variables to consider when designing your schedule, the project management field offers plenty of scheduling inspiration. When creating a project schedule, project managers include a variety of details that are essential to guiding their team through a project. They consider variables such as the project budget, expected task durations, potential risks that could derail the project timeline, labor and material resource availability, and task “dependencies”—which define the order in which workers must complete the project’s tasks.)
When using your journal to monitor progress toward your goals, Carroll argues that there are endless opportunities for creativity in both the design itself and in what you choose to track. As long as what you’re tracking gives you valuable insight, you can track anything from your savings goals, to the books you read, to how often you exercise each month.
Depending on what you track, Carroll recommends either creating an individual customized section or adding a tracker to your monthly overview. He says that tracking your progress through your monthly overview is especially useful for tracking your habits. To do this, first add a key for whatever habits you want to track (for example, R = Read). Then, create columns to the right of your monthly overview calendar for each habit. Finally, add a task bullet for each date of the month that you can X off on the days you complete the task.
Monitoring your progress yields valuable insights that can increase your self-awareness. One way in which you can glean these insights is by comparing your tracker to your daily records. (For example, you may realize after looking at your last daily record that you didn’t read yesterday because you were busier than normal.) Additionally, you can observe your habits over time to discover what’s working and what isn’t. (For instance, you may come to realize after tracking your reading habits that a goal of 30 minutes of reading per day is too unrealistic for your hectic schedule.)
(Shortform note: Although Carroll argues that monitoring your progress can increase self-awareness, he doesn’t explain why this is the case. Research shows that despite our best intentions, we’re terrible at self-reporting our behavior because we tend to recall things not as they really were, but as we expected or wanted them to be. This means that we can’t rely on our perception when reflecting on our behavior. Monitoring progress can help us build better self-awareness by providing objective behavioral data that aren’t tainted by our skewed recollections.)
Getting Started With Habit Tracking
Even with Carroll’s instructions for how to track habits effectively, you may still feel unsure about where to start. If you’re at a loss as to which habits to track, data show that some of the most popular habits to track as of 2021 included drinking more water, meditating, waking up early, setting priorities for the day, studying, writing in a journal, consuming no sweets or alcohol, and expressing gratitude.
Deciding which habits to track isn’t the only consideration—you also need to figure out how to track them. Depending on the habit you want to track, one method may work better than another. For example, tracking in your monthly overview may be useful for daily or even weekly habits, but it’s probably not ideal for monthly habits like paying bills or deep-cleaning your house. This is because it’s not possible to see your progress when focusing on just one month at a time. In these cases, it would be best to use Carroll’s alternative of creating an individual customized section. Create a tracker that gives a clearer overview of how well you’ve stuck to your monthly habits throughout the year.
Although the Bullet Journal Method is based on efficiency, Carroll explains that there are some cases in which you may want to utilize long-form journaling. As you fill in your daily record, you may feel that certain entries require more time and thought than a simple bullet. In this case, Carroll advises that you turn the entry’s “-” note symbol into a “+” so that you remember to expand on it during your daily review. By using long-form journaling, not only can you better articulate your thoughts, but you can also reduce stress and anxiety.
(Shortform note: In addition to reducing stress and anxiety, research shows that traditional journaling has other overall health benefits. In terms of mental wellness, journaling can increase your working memory capacity, give you a greater sense of happiness, and improve various psychological functions like emotional regulation, creativity, and sense of self. As for physical wellness, writing expressively can strengthen your immune system, lessen the symptoms of ailments like asthma and arthritis, and even help wounds heal quicker.)
In Part 3, we discussed the different tools you can use to customize your Bullet Journal according to your individual needs. In Part 4, we’ll explore several ways in which Carroll suggests you can put Bullet Journaling into practice to become truly productive. Specifically, we’ll talk about Carroll’s strategies for setting goals, pursuing continual improvement, maximizing your time, breaking down challenges, and finding inspiration when you feel stuck.
Goal setting is a fundamental component of productivity. However, Carroll argues, if we don’t have continued personal investment in the goals that we set for ourselves, we’re likely to lose motivation and ultimately face disappointment.
(Shortform note: According to a popular theory of goal-setting developed in the 1990s, personal investment is just one of five principles of successful goal setting. The other four principles are the goal’s specificity, level of challenge, and level of complexity, as well as the presence of feedback.)
Unfortunately, Carroll says we tend to set goals based on misguided parameters that lack meaning, which makes personal investment difficult or impossible. In particular, we choose goals based on others’ experiences (like aiming to save for a house because that’s what your peers are doing), goals that are reactionary (like deciding to run a marathon because your friend said she thought you couldn’t), and goals that are too lofty (like trying to open a tattoo parlor with no prior experience).
(Shortform note: Setting goals based on meaningless parameters isn’t the only goal-setting obstacle we can run into. In Goals!, Brian Tracy crucial goal-setting pitfalls to avoid to ensure you choose relevant and fulfilling goals. Specifically, he advises that you steer clear of goals that are too vague or unquantifiable, goals that fail to push you out of your comfort zone, goals that have no time frame for completion, and goals that conflict with each other. Even if you avoid the misguided parameters Carroll notes above, you likely won’t successfully meet fulfilling goals if you fall victim to any of these pitfalls.)
To help you be more intentional about choosing goals that genuinely motivate you, Carroll suggests a series of exercises that encourage you to explore what sparks your curiosity, prioritize what matters most, and devise a plan for how to take action. First, he recommends that you brainstorm a list of personal and professional goals and add them to a goals-focused customized section.
Next, Carroll suggests that you set timelines for your goals by categorizing them as short, mid, or long term. This helps you reflect on the effort required to accomplish them, which is important for maintaining motivation. To do this, he recommends that you open to the spread of pages following your goals section and label the left side “personal” and the right side “professional.” Then, divide each side into five rows that represent progressively shorter periods: years, months, weeks, days, and hours. Finally, transfer the goals from your goals section into one of the five time periods on either the personal or professional side.
Once you’ve categorized all of your goals according to your desired timeline, Carroll says you should prioritize them even further, because committing to too many goals at once can cause overwhelm and decreased motivation. First, he advises that you reflect on whether each goal is worth the effort. If it’s not, cross it out. Next, mark your highest priority personal and professional goal with a signifier (*) in each of the five rows, which will leave you with 10 goals in total. Finally, transfer the four goals you want to complete in the next several hours and days to your daily record, marking them with a signifier to ensure that they receive your focus.
(Shortform note: In addition to causing overwhelm and decreased motivation, setting too many goals can negatively affect your ability to prioritize. According to management experts, when we have many different goals, we’re prone to prioritizing the easiest ones. As a consequence, we ignore or abandon the goals that are more difficult to achieve—but are potentially the most worthwhile. Therefore, aim to focus on a limited number of goals at any given time.)
Additional Tips for Setting Goals
Carroll’s recommendations are a good place to start, but he doesn’t cover every step of the goal-setting process in detail. To help you dive a little deeper, here are a couple of additional goal-setting suggestions.
First, to help you brainstorm a list of goals for your customized section, there are several methods you can try. The first is to write down every goal you can think of in stream-of-consciousness fashion. Another is to ask yourself goal-specific questions to inspire additional steps or ideas (for example, if your goal is to knit a scarf, asking yourself what specific skills you need can lead to a preliminary goal of mastering the garter stitch). Or, if you prefer something more visual, you can try mind mapping, which involves drawing a “map” that starts with one central goal and branches out to related goals.
In addition, as an alternative to dividing your goals into just two categories (personal and professional)—which may not allow for a thorough assessment of how you intend to allocate your time and energy—you can choose to organize your goals into several more specific categories, such as career, health, family, money, spiritual, and personal. Using this strategy, you can better assess where your focus is, try to strike a balance between all areas of your life, and maximize your individual growth.
Carroll says that another key to productivity is continual improvement. When we focus on making progress one step at a time, we’re not only more likely to succeed but can also enact large amounts of change gradually.
(Shortform note: Why are small adjustments more conducive to behavioral change? In Tiny Habits, BJ Fogg argues that change is more successful when we’re feeling positive, and positivity is more easily cultivated when we experience the small successes that come from gradual change.)
Despite the benefits of focusing on continual change, Carroll argues, we often make the mistake of trying to enact big, immediate changes. While it’s understandable to want to improve, great accomplishments require great effort, and such enormous undertakings can cause us to feel overwhelmed and even paralyzed by fear. What’s more, he adds, when we can’t make the changes we were hoping for, we tend to see it as a personal failure.
(Shortform note: Although Carroll observes that we often try to make sweeping changes, he doesn’t explore why this might be the case. Experts say that the reason we attempt to enact big, immediate changes is that we psychologically view change as a straightforward progression. In reality, however, change isn’t linear. Instead, we progress through a series of stages in a back-and-forth fashion, repeating certain steps again and again until change successfully occurs.)
To shift your mindset to continual improvement, Carroll recommends that you break down large goals into smaller, self-contained projects. Doing so can help you see your progress and therefore motivate you to keep moving forward.
(Shortform note: Motivation isn’t the only benefit that comes from tracking your progress. According to the American Psychological Association, frequently monitoring progress toward your goals directly increases your chances of success. What’s more, those chances increase even more if you record your progress or report it publicly.)
For each of your goals, Carroll recommends creating a separate customized section in which you can break it down into different projects—whatever makes sense for the particular goal. For example, if your overarching goal is to learn to speak Portuguese, you could break it down into a series of smaller projects beginning with memorizing the most-used words in the language.
To determine the appropriate tasks for each self-contained project, Carroll advises that you ask yourself simple questions like “What small step can I take to move forward right now?” The easier the step is, the more likely you are to follow through. To continue the example, you could break down the project of memorizing the most-used words in Portuguese into smaller tasks like learning verbs, nouns, adjectives, and so on.
(Shortform note: Carroll’s recommendation to break projects down into actionable steps is especially helpful when you’re not sure how to achieve a goal. In other cases, however, it may make more sense to divide goals using a simple unit of measurement like time or quantity. For example, if your goal is to organize your garage, you could commit to spending 30 minutes per day decluttering until it’s finished. If your goal is to learn to make bread, you could plan to bake one loaf every week for a year.)
According to Carroll, true productivity requires that we take full advantage of the time we have. He says that while we only have so much time available, we have the power to make our time more valuable by being mindful about how we spend it.
(Shortform note: Carroll suggests that we can make our time more valuable—but what does “valuable” actually mean in this context? Would everyone agree on what is a “valuable” use of time? Arguably not—for example, for some, time is worth the most when they use it to make money, which is evident in Western culture’s use of the phrase “time is money.” For others, time is most valuable when spent with loved ones, or when pursuing a hobby. It’s therefore down to you to decide what constitutes a valuable use of your time.)
Sometimes, however, it feels as if this is easier said than done. In addition to the endless task lists and distractions that cause us to feel perpetually busy and lose track of time (as previously discussed), there are moments when we worry that we don’t have enough time left and are wasting it away. Especially in Western culture, we fear death and the change that comes with it.
(Shortform note: Although Carroll mentions Western culture’s fear of death, he doesn’t explain what causes these fears and how they impact perception and behavior. While almost every culture experiences some extent of anxiety surrounding death, they differ in how they manage it. Western cultures are considered “death-defying,” which means they have a strong aversion to death. On the one hand, this helps people in Western cultures by causing them to do anything it takes to stay alive and therefore pour more energy into leaving a lasting legacy. On the other hand, it influences negative and even potentially destructive behaviors, such as avoiding confrontation with dying loved ones or participating in risky activities like skydiving, as acts of defiance.)
Fortunately, time doesn’t have to be your enemy. Carroll says that to increase the impact of your time, be more strategic about how you spend it. He recommends two methods to help you do this: time boxing and scheduling.
According to Carroll, time boxing is a method in which you allot a specific amount of time to complete or make progress on a task. (For example, if you need to write a blog post for a client, you would block off 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and commit to finishing the blog post within that window.) Carroll argues that this method is beneficial because it forces you to remain focused to accomplish your goal within the allotted time period. Not only does this prevent your responsibilities from dragging on unnecessarily, but it also frees up time to spend on other things you want to do.
(Shortform note: In his explanation of time boxing, Carroll focuses exclusively on its advantages. However, there are some disadvantages to be aware of when choosing whether to use the strategy. One downfall of time boxing is that it forces you to stop working on a task once the allotted time has passed, and this can be disruptive if you’re in a state of flow. Additionally, time boxing can pressure you to rush tasks that require time and focus, therefore reducing the overall quality of your work. Finally, it’s not always easy to select an appropriate amount of time to work on a task—too long and you lose focus, too short and you don’t accomplish what you intended.)
Second, Carroll explains that scheduling is a method in which you plan to complete the most challenging tasks during your most productive time of day. (For example, if you know you work best in the morning, plan to do the most difficult task of the day first.) By working with your energy levels rather than against them, Carroll argues, you can complete challenging tasks more easily and therefore build motivation to work on other projects.
(Shortform note: While it can be useful to know your most productive time of day, it’s not always easy to recognize. Although Carroll doesn’t give any tips for how to determine when you’re most productive, there are resources that can help. For example, chronotype theory, which assigns each person to one of four animal-based categories based on their internal clock, can give you insight into your productivity patterns and help you plan your day-to-day schedule more wisely.)
Another fundamental component of productivity is learning to face our challenges. Carroll argues that the key to overcoming obstacles is breaking them down into smaller, more manageable components that empower us to take action.
However, Carroll says that despite having the power to make choices that can alter our circumstances, we tend to see them as entirely outside of our control and therefore feel powerless. For example, being obligated to pay down student debt can make you feel powerless over your financial situation because having high interest rates outside of your control hinders your ability to save money.
(Shortform note: While Carroll’s argument that we always have the power to act is an attractive theory, it may not always be realistic or straightforward. Victims of systemic oppression, for example, don’t necessarily have access to the same level of resources and opportunities as the average person. Therefore, although everyone has the power to make choices, the impact of those choices may not be as significant for those who face high levels of inequality.)
To take your power back and address your challenges head-on, Carroll recommends that you create a new customized section and use the “Five Whys” method. The founder of Toyota, Sakichi Toyoda, created the method to uncover problems and find solutions.
The method: Choose a problem and ask why it’s occurring five times. For example:
(Shortform note: In addition to uncovering the root of a problem, you can use the Five Whys method to help you discover your underlying motivation. Instead of asking “why?” to solve a problem, you can instead ask “why do I want this?” to find the purpose of a goal.)
Carroll says that by asking these questions, you can see beyond the superficial to everything that’s involved in the problem. What’s more, once you’ve broken the problem down into parts, you can start to find solutions targeting each component. For instance, if you don’t have time to exercise, you could wake up earlier, meal prep on the weekends, bike to work, and so on.
(Shortform note: Although Carroll suggests the Five Whys for uncovering the root causes of a problem, he doesn't mention the Five Hows, which is an accompanying technique used to develop a solution to that problem. Just as with the Five Whys, you can begin with an initial solution and ask yourself “how?” to brainstorm the details of that solution. For example, if your solution to having no time to exercise is to wake up earlier, by asking “how?” you can identify an action that will realize that solution, such as “go to bed earlier the night before.”)
When it comes to productivity, Carroll argues that the right tools can help us find inspiration and pick up momentum when we feel stuck. When working toward our goals, it’s common to feel as if we’re not moving forward due to things like lack of motivation or imperceptible progress. For example, while training for a marathon, you may begin to feel stuck when you don’t see consistent progress in your mile time.
(Shortform note: In addition to preventing us from reaching our goals, feeling stuck can have negative psychological consequences. In particular, feelings of stagnation often mask more severe feelings of anxiety. They can also cause irritability, lethargy, frustration, or even numbness. What’s more, feeling stuck can worsen our tendency to procrastinate because we desperately want to escape our difficult feelings so focus on more pleasurable things.)
Carroll recommends two strategies for finding inspiration and getting unstuck. The first is to explain your problem or challenge to someone else. By describing your problem in detail to another person, you’ll likely begin to see it from a different perspective and uncover potential solutions.
However, because there may not always be someone available to talk to, Carroll suggests using your journal to recreate the experience. To do this, begin a new customized section and pretend to write a letter to someone—whomever you feel like. As you write, take time to explain your problem as if they’re there in front of you. Importantly, Carroll says you should assume the person has limited information so that you’re forced to describe every aspect of the problem. Talk about what it is and why it’s happening, the solutions you have and haven’t tried, and what you want the outcome to be.
The second of Carroll’s strategies is to divert your attention from your current problem to a mini-project that can inspire fresh ideas and motivation. He says the mini-project should be related to something you’re curious about (rather than an obligation), unrelated to your current problem or project, and possible to complete in two weeks or less. To plan out the mini-project, Carroll advises that you choose a goal from your goals-focused customized section and break it down just as he described when discussing continual improvement.
(Shortform note: Neuroscience research seems to support Carroll’s recommendation to divert your attention to find inspiration. According to experts, the brain thrives on wandering into new and unexpected ideas and experiences. This is because the more information you expose to your brain, the more connections it can make. By temporarily shifting gears and focusing on an entirely different project, you’re giving your brain the opportunity to stumble into innovative ideas.)
Talking Your Way to a Solution
Others disagree with Carroll’s claim that you can recreate the experience of explaining a problem to someone by writing in your journal. For instance, in Consciousness Explained, cognitive philosopher Daniel Dennett argues that simply thinking about problems isn’t as effective as talking about them out loud. He theorizes that the reason for this is that thinking doesn’t engage as many parts of the brain as speaking, and therefore you’re less likely to come up with solutions without real discussion.
Research in the field of neuroscience provides some support for this theory. During conversations, our brains experience neurochemical reactions that change our body’s chemistry. What’s more, we can influence each other’s nervous systems in a positive way, increasing understanding, trust, compassion, and cooperation. In other words, by having conversations with others, we can create an environment that’s highly conducive to problem-solving. This may mean that Carroll’s journaling alternative won’t be as effective as conversing with a real person.
In Part 4, we talked about how to use your Bullet Journal to become more productive, particularly in terms of setting and working toward goals, maximizing your time, and overcoming obstacles.
In Part 5, we’ll continue to explore Carroll’s suggestions for putting your Bullet Journaling into practice. This time, however, we’ll go beyond productivity and focus on strategies for living your best life. To begin, we’ll discuss how to search for what you find meaningful, cultivate gratitude, and let go of what you can’t control.
Fulfillment is important to living a high-quality life, and according to Carroll, what makes us feel fulfilled is doing what we find meaningful. Because meaning isn’t objective and changes over time, it’s impossible to attain using logic or reason. Carroll says you can find meaning by following your curiosity—if you feel curious or excited about something, it’s a sign that you’ll be fulfilled if you decide to pursue it.
(Shortform note: Curiosity may be one way to find fulfillment, but there are other strategies you can try. For example, you could focus on helping others, reflect on which of your past experiences felt the most meaningful, practice gratitude for what you have, or nourish your relationships with others.)
Carroll claims that, unfortunately, we tend to search for fulfillment in the wrong places, preventing us from living our best lives. He says that culture has misled us to believe that we can achieve fulfillment through action. In particular, he argues there’s a widespread belief among millennials that they can achieve fulfillment through self-improvement. Because of this, they’re spending twice as much as boomers on things like gym memberships, online courses, and skincare, but they don’t feel any more fulfilled.
(Shortform note: Although Carroll doesn’t explore the specific ways in which culture has misled us with regards to finding fulfillment, one contributing factor could be the rise in messaging that focuses on “following your passion” and “finding your purpose.” These phrases have pressured people, especially millennials, into feeling like failures when they don’t discover those things quickly. As a result, they see fulfillment as a goal they need to dedicate all their time and energy to rather than something they’ll discover naturally through experience.)
Additionally, he argues that society has convinced us that fulfillment and happiness are one and the same, or that the ultimate goal in life is to be happy. Carroll says that companies take advantage of this mindset and market pleasure as a form of fulfillment. Because humans are built to prioritize pleasure, this leads us to spend time and energy searching for whatever makes us feel good.
Because true fulfillment comes from doing what we find meaningful, Carroll claims these strategies—chasing self-improvement and pleasure—don’t give us the results we’re looking for. Simply doing things because our culture pressures us to do them doesn’t lead to fulfillment. What’s more, happiness isn’t a state of being that can be achieved but an emotion that comes and goes. Carroll argues that by constantly pursuing happiness, we lose sight of the things that may actually bring fulfillment.
Attracting (Rather Than Pursuing) Happiness
In addition to losing sight of what could truly make you feel fulfilled, research shows that pursuing happiness can make you less happy. Studies show that seeking out happiness can become self-defeating because the more we value happiness, the more likely we are to feel disappointed when we don’t experience it. Therefore, we shouldn’t prioritize happiness as our ultimate goal.
That being said, there may be certain changes you can make in your life to attract more happiness without actively pursuing it. In The Happiness Hypothesis, Jonathan Haidt explores some of the different conditions that make us happier, including having a sense of autonomy, maintaining meaningful connections with others, making progress toward goals, and spending money on things we find intrinsically valuable. Focusing on enriching these aspects of your life may ultimately make you happier than you’d be if trying to pursue happiness itself.
Carroll says that you can use your Bullet Journal to guide you in your search for meaning. To do this, he recommends visualizing what your life would look like in two possible futures: one based on familiarity, comfort, and permanence, and the other based on newness, risk, and growth.
(Shortform note: The exercise that Carroll recommends here is common, but there are plenty of others that can also help you think about meaning and purpose. For example, you could write your life philosophy in 100 words or less or pretend to describe yourself to a stranger. You could also write out the schedule for your ideal life with a focus on what you’re doing, where you are, and who you’re with.)
As you begin to visualize, Carroll suggests writing an obituary for each possible future in a new customized section and asking yourself what your life would have looked like if you had chosen one over the other. Focus especially on what you might have accomplished living in that way. Then, Carroll continues, write a letter to yourself on the next spread of pages that addresses the emotions you felt while considering each life. Once you’ve finished, decide which one appeals to you most, as well as which accomplishments excite you most, and add them to your goals.
(Shortform note: There are many other interpretations of the obituary exercise, and each has its own tweaks that you may find useful. For example, another version of the exercise asks you to write within a gravestone template for a touch of authenticity. It also focuses on a wider set of questions to help you more clearly visualize your life, such as how you made the world a better place, how others will remember you, what you said “no” to throughout your life, and who will miss you the most.)
To get the most out of life, Carroll recommends taking time to appreciate our achievements and experiences because doing so helps us better understand their value. This is especially important because due to our busy lifestyle, we tend to lose sight of meaningful moments that make our lives worth living.
(Shortform note: Carroll’s argument for appreciating our day-to-day achievements and experiences is supported by research. Studies show that not only do we overestimate our ability to remember present moments, but when we take time to document and revisit those mundane parts of our lives—such as a random music playlist, a recent conversation, or a question from a school exam—we also experience more joy in reminiscing than we would expect.)
Additionally, the way we conceptualize productivity prevents us from seeing a deeper meaning in the tasks we complete. It’s difficult to recognize the value of what we’re doing when we view productivity solely as a list of completed tasks. Intentionally cultivating gratitude helps reconnect us to that deeper meaning.
(Shortform: Motivational speaker Tony Robbins defines this conceptualization of productivity as “movement,” because it’s all about moving through an endless list of tasks that keeps you busy rather than working toward things that matter to you.)
Carroll says there are two primary ways you can use your journal to cultivate gratitude. The first is being deliberate about celebrating when you complete a task. In doing so, you build a sense of accomplishment rather than getting swept up in your remaining responsibilities. Specifically, the author recommends tailoring your celebration to the magnitude of the task you completed (like taking a much-deserved break after completing a small task) as well as keeping track of your achievements by writing them as events in your daily record.
(Shortform note: Carroll may not draw a line between celebrating and rewarding yourself here, but psychologists say that understanding the distinction can help us foster different types of motivation. When we celebrate our success through rest and reflection, our focus is on appreciating the process. Therefore, it helps us cultivate intrinsic motivation—or motivation that comes from within. On the other hand, when we reward our success with external prizes like gifts or money, our focus is on the outcome. This cultivates extrinsic motivation—or motivation that comes from outside sources. While both types of motivation can be good, intrinsic motivation is what fosters joy and appreciation for our efforts, regardless of outcomes.)
The second way to cultivate gratitude, continues Carroll, is to take time out of your day to consider what you’re grateful for. Spending even a few minutes reflecting on this can help you see things from a new perspective, and according to research, practicing gratitude can improve your relationships, health, self-esteem, and ability to empathize.
Carroll gives two recommendations for implementing a gratitude practice in your journal: Write the things that you’re grateful for in your daily record during your nightly review, or write gratitude entries in a customized section in your journal that you can add to over time.
Developing Your Gratitude Practice
Writing down what you’re grateful for is just one of many strategies you can use to cultivate gratitude. In The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin explores additional ways you can bring more gratitude into your daily life. For example, you can make a deliberate effort to remind yourself of life’s fragility—such as by reading memoirs, watching documentaries, or even visiting graveyards—or practice pausing to reframe your perspective in difficult moments.
However, as you focus on developing your personal gratitude practice, be aware that it has some drawbacks: First, it can trigger unwanted social comparisons as you compare what you have to be grateful for to what others have. Second, if you live in a collectivist culture that prioritizes community over the individual, feelings of guilt and indebtedness over experiencing joy when others don’t can overshadow feelings of gratitude. Finally, people struggling with depression can end up feeling like a failure if they’re unable to find things to be grateful for.
Carroll says that learning to differentiate between what we can and can’t control is vital to living a high-quality life. By letting go of things outside of our influence and choosing to focus instead on how we respond to them, we can shift our mindset from reactive to responsive. Of course, Carroll acknowledges, letting go can be difficult because there are many displeasing things outside of our control: world events, other people, and even our own feelings.
(Shortform note: In explaining the importance of differentiating between what we can and can’t control, Carroll doesn’t explore why we feel such a strong need to control things. According to research, feeling as if we have control makes us trust ourselves as competent beings with agency. It also reassures us that we aren’t under the control of others. Research shows that both of these beliefs positively affect our well-being.)
Yet another obstacle in our way, according to Carroll, is our fear of change; although we understand that change is inevitable and often uncontrollable, we are nevertheless afraid of it and often resist it.
(Shortform note: According to psychologists, despite our fear of change, humans are highly capable of adapting thanks to resilience. Rather than something you’re born with, resilience is a skill that you can develop over time by working on four core components—building connections with others, maintaining overall wellness, developing healthy ways of thinking, and finding purpose.)
Despite these challenges, Carroll argues that it’s possible to adjust your mindset and let go of the uncontrollable. One way to do this is to use your daily record to reflect on situations after they’ve occurred. He argues that by putting your thoughts on paper, you can see things more clearly and prevent yourself from acting irrationally.
(Shortform note: How exactly does writing help you clarify your thoughts? Writing allows you to frame your ideas in a cohesive way, prioritize the most important information, reconcile different viewpoints, and solidify your argument. All of these are important when deciding how to respond to a situation.)
Instead of immediately reacting to a triggering uncontrollable event, Carroll suggests that you pause to allow yourself to process what occurred. Then, during your nightly review, write a letter to yourself in your daily record, using it as a safe space to express your feelings and consider your options for how to respond to the situation.
For example, your first reaction after being stood up on a date might be to send an angry text message to the person. After putting your thoughts down on paper, however, you may realize that you shouldn’t make assumptions about why they didn’t show up for the date—perhaps they had an emergency.
(Shortform note: Research on the benefits of expressive writing has provided some evidence in support of Carroll’s strategy. In one study, for example, participants who had recently lost their jobs were divided into three groups: One group wrote about their emotions surrounding their job loss, one group wrote about topics unrelated to traumatic experiences, and one group didn’t write at all. The results showed that those who specifically wrote about their job loss were re-employed more quickly, presumably because writing expressively helped them to change their perspectives on the situation and move on positively.)
Another strategy Carroll recommends for adjusting your perspective is reframing tasks that are outside of your control. He says that often, the reason tasks seem outside of your control is because they’re focused on the outcome, which you may have no power over. For example, a task like “cook a healthy meal that my kids like” is focused on the preferences of others, which you can’t control.
To shift that focus, Carroll suggests that you break such tasks down further into smaller, actionable steps. This is because smaller steps tend to focus on the process rather than the outcome and thus are within your control. For example, you could break down “cook a healthy meal that my kids like” into something smaller like “find a new healthy recipe to make this week.” This task, in contrast, can be completed successfully regardless of your kids’ opinions.
Outcome vs. Process Goals: Is One Better Than the Other?
Carroll encourages readers to break down outcome-focused tasks into processed-focused steps. However, this suggestion seems to imply that goals focused on outcome should always be avoided. This begs the question: Is there ever any use for outcome goals?
According to experts, outcome goals are helpful if you use them in tandem with process goals, where process goals define the steps necessary to achieve the desired outcome. For example, if your outcome goal is to run a marathon, your process goals would be smaller actions you could take to work toward that achievement, such as weight training twice a week.
The benefit of setting both types of goals is that you can clarify what you hope to ultimately achieve while avoiding the overwhelm of trying to do too much at once. Additionally, you can challenge yourself to rise above what you ever thought possible while maintaining a clear sense of how to get there.
In this final part of the guide, we’ll examine the last three ways in which Carroll argues you can use Bullet Journalling to live a happy and fulfilling life: by building self-awareness, gaining clarity on the purpose behind your actions, and embracing imperfection.
In our pursuit of living the best quality life possible, we can’t forget about the world around us—after all, our lives don’t exist in a vacuum. Carroll argues that because our actions can affect others, we have a responsibility to build self-awareness, increasing the likelihood that we’ll influence others in a positive way.
(Shortform note: Despite Carroll’s argument that we have a responsibility to become more self-aware, research suggests that very few people are. In one study that assessed managers’ perceived versus actual leadership effectiveness, only 10 to 15% were accurate in their self-assessments. In other words, only a fraction was truly self-aware.)
At the same time, Carroll acknowledges that it’s easy to forget how greatly our actions impact others. Whether positive or negative, what we put out into the world has consequences that affect the quality of our lives and the lives of those around us. What’s more, research shows that negativity travels especially easily—when we’re exposed to it, we can unintentionally spread it to the people around us.
(Shortform note: The fast spread of negativity is especially evident on social media. A recent study, for instance, sought to discover whether people engage with more positive or negative news on Twitter. The results showed that although the majority of users’ personal content is positive, negative news draws more attention. Not only do news organizations tend to tweet more negative news, but people also share that news more broadly.)
Carroll recommends three ways that you can use your journal to build self-awareness:
First, Carroll says that a part of building self-awareness and positively impacting others is learning to be kind to yourself through self-compassion. In being kind to yourself, you’re more likely to be kind to others.
(Shortform note: Why are we more likely to be kind to others when we’re kind to ourselves? According to research, when we have self-compassion, we’re not only more caring and accepting people but also grant ourselves and others more freedom and autonomy.)
To practice self-compassion, Carroll suggests that you imagine you’re talking to a kind and encouraging friend as you reflect on entries in your journal. Like a friend, your journal can provide you with evidence to combat your negative thoughts and self-doubt. During your daily reviews, he recommends that you look at your daily record and gratitude entries, which can encourage you through evidence of your accomplishments and experiences.
(Shortform note: Although self-compassion can help you combat negative thoughts, it’s not meant to alleviate suffering entirely. According to researcher Kristin Neff, the goal of self-compassion is to embrace yourself with the support and comfort needed to bear your pain. What’s more, for some people, pain actually increases when they begin practicing self-compassion, because opening yourself up to love also makes you more vulnerable to your trauma.)
Carroll says you can also use your journal to get a clearer picture of your relationships. He explains that you should be aware of who you spend your time with, as not only do you influence them, but they also influence you. One way to do this is to take notes on your interactions with people in your daily record, noting both who inspires you and who drains your energy.
(Shortform note: Once you take notes on your interactions with others, what should you do with that information? To evaluate the quality of your relationships as you reflect on them, ask yourself questions such as “Do they invest as much time and energy as I do?”, “Is it easy or difficult to connect with them?”, and “Do we listen to and encourage each other?”)
Finally, Carroll argues that continual learning is one of the best ways to encourage self-awareness, personal growth, and positive impact. By making learning an important part of your life, you can grow in ways that positively influence the people around you.
(Shortform note: According to experts, the relationship that Carroll observes between learning and self-awareness works the other way around, too. Specifically, lifelong learning and personal development depend heavily on our awareness of who we are. Without self-awareness, we’re at greater risk of feedback-avoiding behavior that negatively impacts the way we gather, perceive, and learn from information.)
Carroll says you can better integrate learning into your life by making it a part of your daily review. As you reflect on your day, ask yourself questions that help you determine what you’re currently learning and what you want to know more about. Additionally, he recommends that you create a customized section in your journal where you can list the things you want to learn and brainstorm actions you can take toward learning them. Once you’ve determined which steps to take, turn them into tasks to add to your daily record, monthly task list, future planner, or another customized section.
(Shortform note: While Carroll’s strategy of setting learning goals has the benefit of being direct, there are more subtle changes and additions you can make in your day-to-day life to encourage learning. Some examples include reading often about a variety of topics, surrounding yourself with intelligent and talented people, taking time to teach or mentor others, and joining discussion groups that expose you to new ideas and perspectives.)
To live our best lives, Carroll argues that we must make a deliberate effort to pause and reflect on the why behind our efforts. This is because when we run on autopilot and act without intention—which we so often do—our actions and experiences lose their context. (This is especially true for responsibilities that aren’t enjoyable, such as doing the dishes or paying bills.) And without context, our lives can start to feel meaningless.
(Shortform note: You may wonder why running on autopilot makes us lose sight of meaning. Mindfulness experts suggest that it relates to two systems in the brain that govern how we spend our time and energy. While the exploration and growth system focuses on meaning, possibility, and connection, the habitual survival system—the brain’s default system—encourages us to repeat familiar behaviors in the name of survival. Without deliberate effort to pursue what really matters to us, we default to what feels safe and comfortable, even if it isn’t meaningful).
Carroll says there are a couple of ways you can use your journal to gain clarity on why you’re doing what you’re doing:
The first strategy Carroll recommends is to create a customized section dedicated to finding clarity. Its purpose is to help you rediscover the reasons behind your efforts.
To do this, Carroll explains, scan your daily records for the most difficult tasks. When you find one, write how completing that task makes you feel on the left side of the spread (for example, “I hate meal planning for the week because it’s so frustrating to have to decide what I want to eat all the time”). Then, on the right side, write down how that task ultimately benefits you despite how you may feel about it (for example, “Planning ahead makes it easier to choose healthier options and prevents me from exceeding my grocery budget”).
If this is particularly difficult, Carroll suggests focusing instead on how completing that task benefits the people around you (for example, “Meal planning allows me to cook a little of something that everyone in the family likes, which makes them happy”). He acknowledges that although this exercise may not make these tasks any more enjoyable, it can make them easier to bear.
Additional Ways of Reframing Tasks
Carroll’s suggestion focuses on just one way you can alter the way you think about difficult tasks. However, there are additional ways you can reframe them so that they’re easier to manage.
An alternative to focusing on the benefits of a task is to focus on choice. Instead of thinking about difficult tasks with the mindset of “I have to,” think “I choose to.” Although unpleasant responsibilities tend to feel like obligations, at the end of the day, it’s something you’ve chosen to do for one reason or another. (For example, you may hate mowing the lawn, but maybe you choose to do it anyway so that your child has a place to practice soccer.) Whatever the reason behind your action, bringing it to the forefront of your mind can give you a sense of autonomy that will help you see past the burden of the task.
Another way to change your mindset surrounding difficult tasks is to think about why they’re important or how they fit into the bigger picture. For example, you may dread folding laundry, but forgoing that step will leave you with wrinkled clothes. While that may not seem like a big deal, it becomes significantly more problematic when you need to make a good first impression, such as in a job interview or on a first date. Keeping these details in mind when dealing with difficult tasks can provide enough justification to keep you motivated.
The second strategy Carroll recommends is to track your progress through your journal transfers. Because it can be hard to see the significance in a given task initially, he says that observing your progress over time gives you the distance needed to see things from a different perspective. For example, although you may dread making student loan payments each month, looking back to see how much you’ve paid off can give you a sense of accomplishment and motivate you to keep going.
(Shortform note: There are a couple of different measures you can use to observe your progress as Carroll suggests. On the one hand, as demonstrated in the student loan payment example, you can consider your progress by looking at how far you’ve come. This strategy is especially useful when you’re only part of the way toward reaching your goal. On the other hand, you can take the opposite approach and look at how close you are to finally accomplishing your goal, which is ideal when you need a final push of motivation.)
Even with these two strategies, Carroll acknowledges that you may still struggle to find meaning in certain tasks. If that’s the case, it’s likely that those things aren’t adding value to your life, and you should either let them go or find an alternative task if necessary. For example, if you can’t see the purpose behind your daily morning run, consider cutting it out of your routine or finding an alternative activity that inspires you, such as yoga.
(Shortform note: Sometimes, letting go of a task, or even finding an alternative, isn’t an option; we simply have to do things we don’t want to do. For situations like this, it can be helpful to find other ways to manage your responsibilities. For example, you can learn to set a limit on your daily unpleasant tasks. Whether that’s only doing these tasks at a certain hour of the day or only scheduling a certain number of tasks, establish a boundary you can stick to. Similarly, make a habit of evaluating your current task load before taking on more. Using these strategies can make necessary tasks more bearable and help you avoid burnout.)
Carroll says that a final hurdle to living our best lives is our focus on perfection. He argues that it’s only when we embrace our imperfections and focus on continual improvement that we’ll see a change in the quality of our lives. Specifically, instead of striving to reach perfection, we should see ourselves as students in the process of learning and free to make mistakes.
(Shortform note: Although Carroll argues that embracing imperfection will improve the quality of your life, he doesn’t provide specific examples of how it will help you. According to mental health experts, embracing imperfection leads to higher resilience to failure, increased self-esteem, less judgment of others, improved emotional well-being, and healthier relationships.)
Despite recognizing the impossibility of perfection, we still hold ourselves to unrealistic expectations in many aspects of our lives, like in our health, relationships, or goals. What’s more, we tend to see perfection in terms of all or nothing—either we’re perfect or a failure, with nothing in between.
(Shortform note: Why do so many people fall prey to perfectionism? While unrealistic expectations may be to blame, there’s more to the story. Psychologists say that society’s increase in social media use, as well as greater academic and professional competition, have caused a spike in perfectionistic tendencies over the last 30 years.)
What’s more, Carroll argues, in trying to achieve perfection, we end up sabotaging our potential. When we don’t meet our impossibly high standards, we experience self-loathing, abandon our plans, and return to old, counterproductive behaviors.
(Shortform note: While high standards of perfection may be self-sabotaging as Carroll states, some argue that raising our standards to a reasonable degree is necessary to achieve our goals. By having higher expectations for ourselves, we raise our level of performance to meet them, and better performance naturally leads to greater achievement.)
Carroll recommends two primary ways to change your mindset and avoid perfectionism. First, use your daily, monthly, and yearly reviews to track your progress by noting what you’ve accomplished and learned as well as how you can improve moving forward. (For example, maybe you managed to read two books last month, but this month you’d like to aim for five.) Then, record new goals and tasks based on your reflection.
(Shortform note: Carroll suggests that we can combat feelings of self-loathing by focusing on progress rather than perfection. However, this strategy places exclusive focus on our actions and sends the message that our worth comes solely from our achievements. As a more self-accepting alternative, Brené Brown, author of The Gifts of Imperfection, recommends overcoming perfectionism by practicing self-compassion and changing the way we respond to feelings of shame and judgment. With this strategy, we can embrace imperfection regardless of what we do or don't accomplish.)
Additionally, Carroll suggests that you create a customized section in your journal that focuses on imperfection and acts as a space where you can let go and focus on the present moment. While you can use the space however you want, he recommends focusing on activities that will make your notebook feel flawed: Draw with your eyes closed, write with a different pencil grip, or scribble random shapes and designs.
(Shortform note: While Carroll’s suggestion could be useful for the average person, those who struggle deeply with perfectionism would likely have a hard time getting started because of their stubborn resistance to flaws. Because of this, they may benefit from something like the Wreck This Journal series, which encourages creativity and mess-making through a series of guiding prompts that ask journalers to poke holes, color outside the lines, and even deface photos.)
Reflect on what you’ve read to see how Bullet Journaling might improve your life.
After reading about the Bullet Journal Method, how do you think it has the potential to improve your productivity? (For example, perhaps you struggle with time management and think the time blocking method could help you get more done.)
Similarly, how do you think it could improve the overall quality of your life? (For instance, maybe you’ve realized you aren’t as self-aware as you’d like to be, and you feel that taking notes on your interactions with friends could positively impact your social life.)
With those considerations in mind, name three to four goals you can set for yourself to improve your productivity or overall quality of life. (For example, you could set a goal to use the time blocking method to finally finish that painting commission you’ve been procrastinating on.)
What is one specific action you can take to ensure that you make progress toward each goal? (For instance, you could commit to blocking off one hour of your day tomorrow to work on your painting.)