Getting Started - Bullet Journal PDF

3/9/2017 Getting Started Bullet Journal
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Rapid Logging
Note-taking and traditional journaling take time; the more complex
the entry, the more e ort is expended. ᰈ�e more e ort expended,
the more of a chore it becomes, the more likely you’ll underutilize or
abandon your journal. Rapid Logging is the solution. Rapid Logging
is the language in which the Bullet Journal is written. It consists of
four components: topics, page numbers, short sentences, and bullets.
CONTINUE TO TOPICS
Topics and Pages Numbers
ᰈ�e rst step to Rapid Logging is to add a topic on the top outer
corner of the page. A topic is simply a short descriptive title. Give it
a little thought, as that can help you clarify your entry. Once that’s
done, be sure to number the page. As you start lling your Bullet
Journal, get into the habit of titling and numbering your pages before
you add content.
CONTINUE TO BULLETS
Bullets
Rapid Logging relies on the use of short-form notation paired with
Bullets. Every bulleted item should be entered as short objective
sentences. ᰈ�e Bullets will help organize your entries into three
categories: Tasks, Events, and Notes.
CONTINUE TO TASKS
Tasks
Tasks are represented by a simple dot “•” and include any kind of
actionable items like “Pick up dry cleaning”. ᰈ�e task bullet does a
lot of heavy lifting in the Bullet Journal so it has three additional
states:
X = Task Complete
> = Task Migrated
< = Task Scheduled
CONTINUE TO EVENTS
Events
Events are represented by an “O” Bullet. Events are date-related
entries that can either be scheduled (e.g. “Charlie’s birthday”) or
logged after they occur (e.g. “signed the lease”).
Event entries, no matter how personal or emotionally taxing, should
be as objective and brief as possible when Rapid Logging. ᰈ�e Event
“movie night” bears no more or less weight than “best friend moves
away.” ᰈ�at being said, once you’ve rapid logged an Event, feel free
to write about it at length on the next available page.
1. logging 2. modules CONTINUE TO NOTES

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Notes
Notes are represented with a dash “–”. Notes include: facts, ideas,
thoughts, and observations. Notes are entries that you want to
remember, but aren’t immediately or necessarily actionable. ᰈ�is
Bullet works well for meeting, lecture, or classroom notes.
CONTINUE TO SIGNIFIERS
Signi ers
Signi ers are symbols that give your Bullets additional context. A
handful of useful examples are listed here; feel free to come up with
your own as you get more comfortable.
Priority
Represented by “*”; used to give a Task priority. Placed to the left of March, 9
a Bullet so that you can quickly scan your pages to nd most
important entries. Call landlord
Plan vacation
Inspiration Tak Lit Item
Dinner with FM next month
Represented by an exclamation point; most commonly paired with a
Take in laundr
Note. Great ideas, personal mantras, and genius insights will never
The dre i lue and lack
be misplaced again!
The gm i cloed aturda
Explore
Represented by an eye; used when there is something that requires
further research, information, or discovery.
2
CONTINUE TO MODULES
Modules
Meet the building blocks of the Bullet Journal
A good way to look at the Bullet Journal is as a framework. ᰈ�is
framework consists of modules. Modules are methods designed to
help collect and organize speci c kinds of entries. ᰈ�e power of the
Bullet Journal is that you can mix and match these modules to best
suit your needs. Let’s take a look at the four core modules: ᰈ�e
Index, Future Log, Monthly Log, Daily Log.
CONTINUE TO INDEX
ᰈ�e Index
ᰈ�e rst few pages of this book are your Index. ᰈ�e Index is where
the Bullet Journal really comes together. As you start to use your
book, simply add the topics of your Collections and their page
numbers to the Index, so you can quickly nd and reference them at
any point.
Collections that span a series of consecutive spreads are indexed as
such: “Topic Name: 5-10.”
Some Collections are recurring and can be spread throughout your
Bullet Journal. ᰈ�ese topics can be indexed as such: “Topic Name: 5-
10, 23, 34-39, …”
CONTINUE TO THE FUTURE LOG
ᰈ�e Future Log
ᰈ�is Collection is used to store items that either need to be
scheduled months in advance… or things that you want to get
around to someday. Set up your Future Log by graphing the pages
by the amount of months you’ll need. Two equally-spaced horizontal
lines across facing pages creates a six-month calendar, for example.
CONTINUE TO THE MONTHLY LOG
ᰈ�e Monthly Log
ᰈ�e Monthly Log helps you organize – you guessed it – your month.
It consists of a calendar and a task list. To set up your rst Monthly
Log, go to the next available spread of facing pages. ᰈ�e left page
will be your Calendar Page; the right will be your Task Page.
ᰈ�e Calendar gives you a birdseye view of the month. To set it up:
title the page with the current month’s name. Now list all the dates
of that month down the left margin, followed by the rst letter of
the corresponding day. Monday the 14th would be “14M.” Leave
some room in the left margin of the page to add Signi ers.
You can use the Calendar Page to schedule Events and Tasks, record
Events after they happen, or both. Regardless, entries here should be
as short as possible, as this page is designed for reference only.
ᰈ�e Task Page is a list of both Tasks that you want to tend to that
month, and un nished Tasks that have migrated from the previous
month.
CONTINUE TO THE DAILY LOG
ᰈ�e Daily Log
ᰈ�e Daily Log is designed for day-to-day use. At the top of the page,
record the date as your topic. ᰈ�roughout the course of the day,
simply Rapid Log your Tasks, Events, and Notes as they occur. If
you don’t ll a page, add the next date wherever you left o and
you’re ready to continue.
Tips: Don’t set up Daily Logs way ahead of time. Create them as you
go or the night before. You never know how much space you may
need any given day.
CONTINUE TO MIGRATION
Migration
Putting it all together
Migrating content is a cornerstone of Bullet Journaling. Once you’ve hit your
second month of journaling, take a glance at your previous entries. See any
unresolved Tasks? “X” out your completed Tasks and assess whether the remaining
1. logging 2. modules 3. migration 4. faq open Tasks are still relevant. Top  Facebook 10K+  Pinterest 10K+  Twitter
If a Task has become irrelevant, strike out the whole line, including the task Bullet.
If the Task still needs your attention, migrate it: turn the “•” into “>” to signify that
you’ve migrated that Task, then add it to the Task Page of your new Monthly Log.
You also have the option of migrating scheduled Tasks and Events. When you’re
setting up a new month, migrate any entries scheduled for that month from your
Future Log into your new Monthly Log. Scheduled items are placed on the
Monthly Log’s Calendar Page.
It may seem like a lot of e ort to have to rewrite items over and over, but that’s
intentional. ᰈ�is process makes you pause and consider each item. If an entry isn’t
even worth the e ort to rewrite it, then it’s probably not that important. Get rid of
it.
ᰈ�e purpose of migration is to distill the things that are truly worth the e ort, to
become aware of our own patterns and habits, and to separate the signal from the
noise.
F.A.Q.
More tips and tricks
Now what?
Congratulations, you’ve made it all the way through! Start by getting a notebook
and trying out the system for a least two months. Also, check out the
Bulletjournalist Blog and the Library. Lastly, sign up for the newsletter.
Who, what, where etc…
ᰈ�e Bullet Journal® was created by Ryder Carroll. To nd out more about him or
the backstory, check out the about section.
What notebook should I use?
ᰈ�e short answer is: your favorite notebook. ᰈ�e long answer is, use a high quality
notebook that will last. You can also purchase the custom Bullet Journal notebook
available from the store. It features numbered pages, an index, a bullet key, and 3
bookmarks.
ᰈ�e two main things to keep in mind are size and quality. If it’s too big you’ll never
take it with you. If it’s too small it will be impractical. Be sure to get something
that’s rugged enough to keep up with you. I love that I can refer back to years worth
of my old Bullet Journals.
Life Cycle:
I nd that starting with a fresh book on the rst of the new year will help you
catalog them much easier. Even if your book is only a quarter full, there is
something inspirational and motivating about beginning the new year with a blank
slate.
Pen vs. Pencil?:
My advice is: use what makes your handwriting more legible and doesn’t fade. One
of the great bene ts of Bullet Journaling is that over time, you assemble a library of
notebooks. ᰈ�is library is a wonderful thing to revisit years later.
Identi cation and security:
Even though a lot of Bullet Journals can be intensely personal, I highly recommend
adding a very visible note in the front of the book for people to contact you should
you lose it. Leaving your rst name and your phone number only should do the
trick. Cash rewards are a great incentive, but so are personalized messages. My
Bullet Journal fell out of my bag on a train to New York during rush hour, and it
was returned to me.
Recurring tasks:
As for recurring tasks, you can create ‘tags’ (two letter abbreviations – i.e. soccer
practice = SP ) for those and add them to your monthly calendar events page.
Another option is that you take an entire page for each day, and jot the recurring
tasks at the top of the page.
Is there an app, and can I build one?
ᰈ�ere is no Bullet Journal app. If you’re interested in building one, please contact
me via the contact page and I’ll be happy to chat. Otherwise, please note that all
rights are reserved.
Sign up for the newsletter!

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