Bullet Journal

[scribe]

Anyone tried this? It's a minimalist journal/todo system that you can use any notebook for - I'm mentioning it here because @Ilkyway very generously gave me a Leuchtturm notebook at the London Bihnfest this Easter, and it's perfect for bullet journalling!

Bullet Journal ? The analog system for the digital age

Lots of people use a Midori Traveller's Notebook or of course the ubiquitous Moleskines, but I like the Leuchtturm's dotted paper.

Pictures of my Leuchtturm here: Bullet Journal update – the stationery porn edition! | Anne Lyle

[marytattoo]

I'm on Tapatalk so can't link, but, there is a thread further down this sub-forum in may about bullet journals.

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[Rocks]

Thanks for the links, scribe! I love your blog post, and just bookmarked the bullet journal site.

[Mausermama]

Anyone tried this? It's a minimalist journal/todo system that you can use any notebook for - I'm mentioning it here because @Ilkyway very generously gave me a Leuchtturm notebook at the London Bihnfest this Easter, and it's perfect for bullet journalling!

Bullet Journal ? The analog system for the digital age

Lots of people use a Midori Traveller's Notebook or of course the ubiquitous Moleskines, but I like the Leuchtturm's dotted paper.

Pictures of my Leuchtturm here: Bullet Journal update – the stationery porn edition! | Anne Lyle

I have seen this posted somewhere on the forums before, although I forget where. I love this system and have been attempting to recreate it, but I'm using my Filofax Notebook (large size). I used to be quite the devotee of keeping paper lists, but somewhere in the iPhone era I slipped away from them and became less productive as a result. I'm so enjoying the renaissance of productivity with my return to good old fashioned pen and ink.

Although I have a Field Journal Notebook, I haven't employed this method with it simply because I can't handle the weight load of the FJN on a daily basis. As of right now, my FJN is serving as a repository for knitting notes and prayers.

Thanks so much for linking to it again! It's good to go back and review the methods!

[Aeon]

I tried this out about a year ago. Didn't work the way the creator uses it, but i was able to make some tweaks:

- No monthly spread. A traditional month on two page calendar works best for me.
- Weekly instead of daily entries. Re-writing undone tasks each day became tedious. I realized there is very little i must do each day, but a lot of things i needed to accomplish in a week. Seeing it all at a glance was very helpful. If I have a particularly busy day, I'll create a spread for just that day.
- I combine the GTD context indicators to subdivide my tasks. @Errands, @work, @contact, @computer, @home are ones i use most often. This helps me to quickly see what tasks i can do at a particular point in time.
- Use symbols however they make sense to you. When i first started i had a dozen symbols but now i only use the check mark, exclamation point, the forward arrow, the strikethrough, and another arrow symbol to denote previously migrated tasks. The other symbols were in the end unnecessary 99% of the time.
- i don't journal or take notes within my bullet journal because my brain likes separation of tasks from thoughts.
- I do use an index and numbered pages for notes though. That was an organizational game changer for me. I just keep this separate from my to do list.

Overall I wouldn't say I'm a Bullet Journal user anymore, but i have adopted a lot of the method and made it work for me. If you'd like, I can take a pic of my planner with my weekly spread if you want to see what it looks like.

[scribe]

I agree the method benefits from tweaking to suit your way of thinking. Personally I use it in a very GTD way, in that I have a small day-to-day bullet journal that goes everywhere with me; for forward planning (an area where the creator of the system agrees that Bullet Journal is weak) I have two larger hardback notebooks that stay at home and which I use for medium- and longer-term projects.

I do this because I don't want to put everything into a notebook that I'll burn through in a couple of two months and thus have to keep copying projects that I know I won't be able to start until next year! I guess a Filofax would be a good answer to that, but I find them rather bulky - my little X17 takes up almost no space and the refills are about the same price as Filofax paper. Also, what if you lose it? Aargh!

[monisbrett]

I used a Day-timer for years, then Filofax for my work/life scenario to the point where I created a lot of templates and documents to make work easier. Then last year I moved to a tablet but I found it wasn't as satisfying and immediate as having a notebook in hand to access all parts of my life. So I tried bullet journaling this autumn and I find it very satisfying. I enter each job as I go and use the bits of journaling that work for me and adapt those that don't. I prefer a grid calendar, not a list but I like the list of tasks that they suggest. I put in book lists, to do lists, thoughts, knitting ideas, shopping lists, daily work pages etc. It's as eclectic and mixed up as my life-work world and I'm very happy with it. I glue in pertinent pages like travel itineraries etc. and decorate with washi tape and stickers. All in all I'm finding it very satisfying both for it's organisation and creative potential. My only problem is finding a journal in my preferred size. I started with the large Leuchtturm 1917 (145 x 215) but found it too big which is a shame because like all the features and their Pocket Size is too small. I'm currently using a Clairefontaine 11x 17 cm which is the perfect size for me (basically 6.5" x 4.25" - 4.5"), but I had to add an index, page numbers, back pocket and elastic closure. I would love a notebook in this size with all the Leuchtturm features. Does anyone have suggestions, ideas?

[BajaMandy]

I would love a notebook in this size with all the Leuchtturm features. Does anyone have suggestions, ideas?

I don't have it in front of me (for measurements) - but you might like the Midori Passport size. The 'regular' size Midori is a little too long and check-book sized for me. I like the Passport size - it fits well in a pocket or bag, the refills are cheap (on Amazon) and there are places that make Midori knock-offs, so you might be able to get it even cheaper. There are refills that have lined, dotted, or (my favorite) grid paper, pockets that you can put in (open or ziplock-style zip) and you can put more than one notebook in the Midori. I'm currently carrying two, with open (kraft paper) pockets and a plastic zip style pocket as well.

[garrily]

The dimensions of the Leuchtturm you described are for the Medium, which is A5. The large, which they call the Master Classic, is A4. The Pocket is A6. You might try looking for a B5, which is kinda in between but with a slightly different height to width ratio. I also suggest Baron Fig's Confidant - it is exactly the size of an iPad Mini.

[WenV]

Thanks to this thread, I became interested in finding out what this new system is about. And after much reading and watching, started trying it out mainly for day to day task management (haven't bothered yet with the monthly setup, Index, etc.) to test the waters. Must say, I am impressed as I have been more productive since using this system (partially) 7 days ago. I tried to rely on my iPhone native apps for tasks management but this was not always successful. If I dismissed a reminder, often I would forget to complete it later and wouldn't realise it till I scroll through my entire task lists again. Sometimes this could delay completion significantly. Not efficient nor effective. Now, waiting for my new notebook to arrive so that I can start my bullet journal system properly.


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[WenV]

@BajaMandy, I'm interested to find out how you use your Passport sized Midori for bullet journaling. I have recently ordered the same for myself but it wouldn't arrive for another 3-4 weeks. Hence, I'm strategising in my mind now how would I best utilise this notebook for both work and personal life. I'm considering using separate notebooks for each but not sure if this is creating extra work for me... Still thinking it through. Any feedback would be appreciated. Many thanks!


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[bermudajes]

@WenV, I did the same thing, only I just started yesterday. I have to admit it seemed intimidating at first, but decided it wouldn't hurt to just try it out on scrap paper for a few days to see how it goes. I, too, will be getting a notebook and probably diving in to the whole setup on September 1st!

[Ilkyway]

Maybe instead of useing two notebooks use two colors? When I seperated notes into work- and private sections I came to a point where I overlooked private things as I only looked at the "important" work section.

Ilkyway

[WenV]

That's a good point too, Ilkyway...I will give this suggestion a go this week. What are people's strategy for recording tasks that can only be done a few days or a week later? Do you still record it as per usual but put a 'done by' date next to it? Many thanks for your helpful feedback and suggestions


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[Ilkyway]

Here is how I deal with these things: If it is for a specific day and one task: it goes into my calander. If it is for a specific day and many taks I wright the next free page numbe on that day in the calander (see page 29 for example) and use that page to wright everything down that needs to be done that day. If it is a time spanne I put it in the calander the first day of that spann knowing that I can "move" it if I need to. Again, a specific page in the Buletyournal-part can handle any accesive info/tasks. For example: for the upcoming London trip I have a LONDON page in my bullet journal where I put everything from hotel-adress, flight-numbers and things I DO NOT WANT TO FORGET. This way the page sits there ever since I planed the trip and was filled up as needed.

Hope this is of any help. Note that I have a spererate calander book in my Midory where I have a month on two pages as that is normaly enough for all my dates that I need to put in. Everything more specific can go in the Bullet-Journel-Book. By the way: my index is at the end of the book as this way I do not have to guess how much pages I need for the index. As soon as the contet "meets" the index, that book is "done".

Ilkyway