I have always been intrigued by bullet journaling but never thought I had the time or the consistency. I like the minimalism in your approach and see that the journals I've been looking at had a lot of artistic expression which I do in other areas of my life and have no real need for in an organizational system (unless I have random time to doodle). What I'm looking for is a system that will help me wrangle my ADHD brain and help me juggle the many projects I have going at any given time. I tend to get overwhelmed with so many wonderful things that I want to do and not enough organization or time to do them. I would love to hear you talk about organizing for neurodiverse brains like ADHD brains and harnessing creativity without spending a crazy amount of time on the process. I am also going to watch your video about incorporating digital tools since I often coordinate with others digitally and I, um, lose physical objects often. I think one of my hesitations is the question: What if I lose the notebook? By the way, I heard about you on the youtube channel How to ADHD in a video from a few years back. Thanks for putting all of this out here on your channel since my budget is tight right now. You're awesome!
Thank you for the excellent reminder to get back to the basics of the BuJo and how it is used as a focusing tool for the important stuff of life. Taking those brief moments on a daily, weekly, monthly basis to sift out what is new/interesting/ or a shiny distraction.
Two things to thank you for here. 1, to you and Louise, thanks for the reminder / idea to re-purpose the future log (my digital calendar is much more useful for the old purpose) for a collection place for those sparks of ideas. Not only is it good to have a place to find them again, it helps to be able to put them down. They can be weighty to carry if you are afraid you might forget them. 2) Thanks for the reminder that it is OK and in fact good to adjust your process in light of new tools and light experience.
Thanks Ryder. My challenge is there are some items on my Someday/ Future Log list that I never feel excited about but are so important that I feel guilty about my lack of progress on them. For example, house DIY projects, family holiday planning, music instrument practice, and retirement plans and projects. Even during monthly reviews, I shy away from them. I have a busy, happy work and family life and have used Bujo for years. But this is something I would really appreciate help with! Thank you.
this is a great question and you're definitely not alone on this. It is hard to look at the whole list at once without being overwhelmed, so sometimes it helps to look at a piece at a time. For some this is helpful: Look at which small to medium sized house project would make the most difference to your everyday living. Then, sit down (with yourself or someone) and talk through a few of the steps. It helps to be as specific as possible ("choose paint color" "ask friends for carpet installer recommendations"). Sometimes, walking it through will help calm things down and it becomes more realistic to plug into your schedule. Another approach is to identify what of those things on your list really matters to you right NOW/this YEAR. And then promise to revisit the list again at a specific time. Sometimes the approach is to let something go entirely and be honest with ourselves. Sometimes we avoid the task because it's just something we don't care about, or we feel obligated and our mind is resisting. Podcaster Kendra Adachi will say, "Make it matter, make it easy, or let it go" - maybe that can help you here
Wow Ryder, you are in fire recently with all those great videos. I was disconnected to the Bullet journal in the last few months using my Todoist application but it was so easy to procrastinate and reschedule tasks days after days where in my bullet journal, just because I would have to rewrite them, I was more prone to complet them. Someday is named in honor to GTD method in my opinion and I saw another related term that I love which is "Master tasks list" which is more oriented on action again in my opinion. Thank you again. I really think I will fall back in love with the Bullet journal method because of you. :)
I love this! I've recently cluttered two pages ahead of my current bujo page with a few sticky notes because the thoughts & lists don't fit in my daily running journaling that I've adapted for my own. I'm reminded with your video that I need to just create custom collections for them so they can have a static home! Here's my question/request: We are getting close to closing out another year and I always like to do a few pages of revisiting what worked and what didn't for the year, corral unfinished tasks and ideas, and do some goal setting. I'd love to see some of your ideas on how you do this! Or, if that's better left to the very end of the year of start of the new year, how about some ideas for keeping the holidays manageable and enjoyable?
I think I'll put a someday list in the last few pages of my current BuJo volume, so that all through the remaining months of the year, it will feel like I'm getting closer to all those cool somedays.
Loved your video! It helped me to focus on what to do with these random ideas that pop up. Currently, I write them on the same pages as my daily log which I've made as a signature for a month's worth of daily tasks - one side has lines and the other side is blank for the random stuff, which includes the things I'd like to do SOMEDAY. Hmmmm.... I need a key to make the Someday stuff easy to find so I can migrate it monthly - maybe a tiny triangle! I look forward to watching more of your vids.
Can you write another book pls? So you can put what you just talked about in it. All the new little ways, tricks and tips. I refer back to the book you already wrote constantly and watch and rewatch your videos. This has been life changing and I look forward everyday to spending time in my bullet journal. It is something that is just mine, my space, my life and projects or just my thoughts with fun collections. I used to get hung up on all the art and aesthetics, before I realized for me, that wasn't important as getting down to basics and what my real needs were. Clean, minimal and my favorite pens. So, because I am a visual and hands on person, a new book or work book, would be ideal and absolutely fantastic. Here's hoping!
Omg ! Ryder! So many women overcreate the bullet journal. So sad UA-cam deleted the german transcript I made years ago. I wanted to explain how simple your BuJo is! Hopefully we can still spread the word and show the simplicity. Cheers
Thanks a lot for this! Brilliant information and love the concept, still re-reading your book and I’m understand more and more each time! Congratulations for the idea to inspire other people around the world! Massive thanks!
I really like getting these practical tips on this channel so regularly! I find these answers to the questions from commenters more relevant to me. My question: What to do, if you want to bring into your new journal a lot of old collections? They became very relevant and you want to have them on hand all of the time, but it's a lot of copying and will take a lot of pages, which will shorten your time with that bujo.
Thank you for your explaination. I want to ask about my struggle to tackle and track multiple projects ini my work. In your previous videos, you told about to use dedicated index about working projects, but I need some examples to make it work and integrate with future log, monthly log, and daily log. If you can show us some examples , It would be appreciated. Thank you.
Thank you, Ryder! In a world with so many styles and ways to overcomplicate my bullet journaling, I really appreciate when you get us back to basics. Hence my question: can you share how to use bullet journaling for note-taking; e.g., during a meeting or class? I know you mention this to some extent in your book, but I feel I still need some clarification here. Thank you!
I'm not Ryder, but I can share how I do this :) I start with a subset of my regular bullets: mostly dashes for notes, peppered occasionally with task bullets, and simple lightning bolts for ideas - as well as indicators like the urgency asterisk, and the magnifying glass to indicate a research topic. I then utilise indentation heavily, to indicate sub-notes on different topics. I also take my notes on a given class or book in a custom collection which should then be indexed for easy access. Hope this helps!
Can you please show us an example of how you use custom collections for a project or upcoming exam? Do you use other apps for certain collections? and what do you think about "The Second Brain" and the PARA Method?
Hi all! greetings from Colombia, I read the book and I loved it, I have been experiencing the methodology since February and It has been a lovely journey through myself. I have a question... I struggle a lot with the idea of mixing work and personal life, so I have a resistance to mixing my thoughts, my work tasks, and meetings notes, it's anyone else struggling with this? how did you manage that discomfort and how do you manage your work in your bujo?
I just bought the new Bullet Journal pen! It looks so elegant! Can’t wait for it to be delivered here in Montreal. I would have liked a short video to see it better and to visualize the writing experience . But it’s okay, I guess it will only make for a bigger surprise! Is it possible to use with other brands than Leuchtturm1917 ink refills? Thanks a lot Ryder and your team for all the learning we find here!
Thank you so much for videos. Been a fan since 2015 and love the new content. One thing I’ve struggled with and want to ask- Context: When doing daily logs, I have done a few different methods for my work week. One is where I do a brand new daily log, one day at a time, I wrote all my list of things I need to do and events I have, all getting it on paper. The other one is where I do a 2 page spread with space for each daily log pre planned, that way I can schedule in thing that aren’t due for 2 to 3 days out on those days. More like a daily log on a week spread. Q: My question is, do you recommend doing a daily log one day at a time or planning it out in the future like I have tried before? The reason I ask is because although it’s nice to plan things out to see a week at a glance, I unfortunately Begin treating my daily logs just as a to do list only, rather than the mindfulness practice that I have come to understand it to be.
In the past, Ryder has always strongly advised against pre-planning daily logs, because we never know if we will need three lines or three pages for our rapid logging through the day. We *do not* want to have to edit our scribblings there based on space allotted. A weekly log can be a nice thing to have if it provides value, and that can certainly be divided into a calendar for the week - but it should be distinct from the space where we give ourselves indefinite room for real-time rapid logging, or what I've heard some refer to as their 'dirty dailies.' Your point about mindfulness practice there is the critical point - we need mental room to achieve that aspect, it's what sets our bullet journals apart from a mere dayplanner ^_^
Thank you for the great videos and explanations! I often describe my Future Log as a brainstorming session for this reason. One question I have: Do you ever struggle with distinguishing a task from an event? Sometimes I’m not sure what to categorize something. For example, returning a book to the library feels like both a task and an event to me. How do you work out how to distinguish between the two?
In recent video Ryder saids the difference is in the realization time, although of meetings and events as a birthday, if was realized in the past also is an event. Also the things with a definite time for doing as a yoga class or other classes. I hope this help a little.
@@CrimsonKas So do I. ^_^ In the video about BuJo and digital calendar Ryder maid some clarifications bc said that task could become a event in our digital cal, it depends of your choices, maybe you saw that yet
It's always a great pleasure to watch you, Ryder! Thanks for the new video! Question: I'm struggling with timing. Every day I set myself a list of to-do things, but nothing is done till the end of the day. And I copy this to-do list, and the next day brings the same frustration in the evening that I didn't accomplish anything. I've tried to set up the time frame during the day, but that didn't help. How to implement the time frames in bullet journaling?
There's so many ways to use a notebook. And no perfect way. Seems to always be a work in progress. But I guess that's part of the appeal. I used to make someday custom logs all the time. Putting them in the future log makes more sense as my future logs have always been left empty. Daily and weekly and monthly logs and reflection is where it's at. With a few custom logs when you need them.
what would you sugest for someone who is not as busy with there life as others but still wants to bullet journal how to make the spreads or layouts work for them I mostly use it as a way to keep track of my house hold tasks thank you for your videos and ideas
I have a question that has left me stuck in my BuJo journey. I like to write out morning journal notes and/or prayers. These are not bulleted items. They are written as paragraphs. When I use BuJo, daily log items seem to get lost. I could use a separate notebook, but then I will have up to three notebooks to keep track. Do you have a suggestion of how to incorporate regular journal type entries in the BuJo?
Flip to the last page of your BuJo. Turn your BuJo upside down. Now you have pages you can use for your journal. Number these pages starting with a B (B1, B2, B3) so you can index them or reference them elsewhere if needed (e.g., a journal entry gave you an idea you want to act on). Because you flipped your journal, it will still feel like you are writing normally. You also don't have to worry about wasting pages because you incorrectly estimated how many pages you needed. When your traditional BuJo entries meet your journal entries, it is time to start a new BuJo.
What is the next step I should take, with regard to my bujo practice, after I discover a pattern in my daily logs suggesting that I should take my life / career in a different direction? Is there a particular custom log you recommend I set up to process this potential shift in my life?
Interesting theme and a simple way to use a “gtd” approach on bujo. I’m struggle with the dates. What is the best way to manage a task that must be scheduled in advance (like one week from today, i.e. “Call client x on October 30?” Thanx
Just starting my first Bullet journal on Nov 1st 😊 I’m really exiting but I no I have to learn more, and it won’t be perfect and it’s OK. Question regarding the collection! Do we need to create a separate book for those or it’s included into the current bullet journal? Thank you Isabelle
Hey Ryder and thanks for everything! Do you still recommend migrating tasks from yesterday to today, or is it better to migrate them straight to the monthly log?
Something I have been struggling with in my bujo-practice is planning for the near future. Setting up a weekly log isn't working for me, the space I need isn't enough or too much at times. During my daily logging tasks come up that need to be done tomorrow or the day after. (But I haven't set up those days yet..) So my question is: How to plan for the near future (tomorrow and the day after that).
How do you recommend I capture and enter thoughts in my bujo while working in emergency room environment? I don't carry my bujo there to avoid bring home unwanted 'samples or specimens'. I have very limited time (lucky to get full minute at a time) during my frenetic 12 hour shift (lunch time is rare treat). I have a digital voice recorder for (non-work related) idea capture along with my phones camera (capturing work maintenance item and device error messages for 'later' follow up) I try to do end of day compilation of scrap pieces of paper, transcribe voice notes and captured images but it's not cohesive and cumbersome. Thanks in advance for your consideration and to this community!
Hi, thanks for the great content and for sharing Bujo! I have a question regarding Collections, bullets within them and how to resurface them / keep them relevant from month to month. Because they are spread throughout the Bujo, I constantly forget about collections and their bullets within. I tend to lose focus from these. How do I keep these collections and their bullets relevant from month to month migration? Thanks
I have a habit of scanning my index at the beginning of each month; this reminds me of all of my collections. I also note relevant collections in my future log and monthly logs. For example, when I create my "gift ideas" collection, I reference it in my November and December future log since those are the months I do my holiday shopping. I have a "Task Dump" collection where I collect things I need to do but not necessarily now (very similar to the Someday Ryder discussed in this video). Every monthly log contains a reference to this list (e.g., "Current Task Dump: pg 57). If you have collections you want to keep active each month, you can list them either on your monthly log, or as the first page of notes after your monthly.
Ryder, do you have a personal knowledge management (pkm) system using something like the Zettelkasten method? Do you have any tips for how someone could integrate that concept with their bujo practice? Thanks!
Just started with #BuJo ... my daily list has become a giant list of tasks between home/work/personal... and it gets to be a long list. How do I keep it all organized?
Thank you! I have another question: where and how do you store your meeting notes? I think you do this in your daily log but if I write in a meeting (eg a webinar where I learn something new) I often write too much. And I don’t want to clutter ma daily log. Thank you for your answer!
Hi Ryder, After reading “Getting things done” by David Allen, I am trying to add not only captures but also sub-bullets in order to make items actionable, without creating a custom collection, what ideal way could there be to track progress toward action of the captured ideas, informations, tasks. Migration allows me to track the items completion but not if it was effective in achieving the desired outcome. I hope I made sense. Thanks.
The custom collection is the easiest way so it is all together. I'm trying to think of why you want to avoid a custom collection and I'm coming up blank because of how threading in a BuJo works. There is a video on threading on this channel. In short, it is using page references to tie components in a collection together (e.g., you filled up the page you set up as the collection, so you create a second page later in your BuJo, start it with a page reference to the previous collection page, then return your first page and end it with a reference to your new page... now your collection pages have threads connecting them). Is it because you want to record tasks daily? If so, you treat the collection as the master list of tasks and info. When you copy a task to your daily log, you reference the collection (e.g., "Apply for grant, see pg 22") Are you not wanting to copy a block of notes from your daily to the collection? If so, draw a colored box around the notes and reference the notes page in you collection (e.g., "contractor mtg notes - red box pg 124") If you are wanting to note effectiveness of something towards your goal, you can write notes/observations in your daily, color box it, and note the page in your collection. You could essentially turn your collection into an index for all tasks, notes, observations, etc. related to that one project/goal
Thanks for another great video. I have a question relating to combining work and home life activities in a single journal as I currently run one for each which I find challenging. My work life contains lots of meetings with note taking and actions to be done, with the latter managed through outlook. However my random thoughts or light bulb moments get lost in the content of my work journal, but switching journals mid flow just disrupts what I’m doing. Any advise on the best way to combine or other tips to make my journaling more effective ?
How can I incorporate tasks from my different roles into my BJ without getting overwhelmed? (Home, phd student, part time job, startup founder). Thank you! Deena
So is the weekly list that you make just the tasks you think of before the week starts and then each day you may add new tasks to your day that will be carried over to the next week? I thought all tasks were added to the weekly running task list, but maybe I'm misunderstanding.
The weekly list I make is based on a few things - the tasks I migrated from the week before, the relevant tasks from my future log, and other tasks i think of throughout the week. I also know people who add a "Next" section on their weekly list so they have a place to put the tasks they think of for the following week. does that help?
@@bulletjournal yes that helps so much. That is actually what I ended up naturally doing throughout the week so I’m glad it’s in line with what you are saying. Thank you!
I try bullet journaling the past 2 years but it only lasts for about a month or two. I tried doing them artsy i tried to only do the fundamentals but nothing seems to stick. My life is really chaotic and so are my bujos i started. I dont have any big goals at the moment i only want my life a little bit more organized. Like tidy my room more often do more self care. Bujos felt alsways more like a hobby. And i tend to loose interest in hobbys pretty easy and fast. Can a bujo help me with this? It just seems like one more thing to think about. Maybe someone has some tips for me.
Hi Kiki! This is totally understandable and I'm sure many people can relate to this feeling. For me, it helps to have one clear intention for WHY I am bullet journaling, or what I'd like my life to feel like. Then it helps prioritize what I'm doing, or help me feel like the tasks that I find unpleasant actually matter (I don't really LIKE to do the dishes but I do want to show care for my partner, so it helps me stick to doing it). All I can say is to identify what makes the process enjoyable and easy for you - maybe that's always having your notebook out, or setting a daily alarm to jot things down into it, or doing it along side something you do everyday like a coffee or a morning skin routine?
You can do a eating log either as a separate collection or as part of your daily log. Just write down what you are eating and when you are eating it. Put down as much detail as you want, i.e. handful of M&Ms or 25 M&Ms. This has helped me not only keep track of what I am eating, and how often I am snacking between meals. I has also helped me recognize when I am eating because I am hungry or when I am eating for another reason, for example when I am stressed or bored.
Hi there you mentioned that you’re using the future log differently than what you designed it for originally, can you tell me how you’re using it differently? I know you said there is a link in the video to explain this, but I watched all the videos in the link and I can’t see or find the explanation of how are using the future log now. Very curious and sounds interesting. Thank you. Does anyone know the answer to this?
As he said in the video, he is not using Future Log for logging future events anymore, because he uses digital tools for that. However, he uses it to put ideas and future tasks(?), so that he can return to them in the month he thinks he would have time to dedicate to them. That's what I understood from the video. Feel free to correct me.
Ouch! I did that once. It sucks. If it is lost, all you can do is start a new one, and scour texts, emails, etc to recover what you can. The good news is that a lot of the conceptual notes you took will probably allow you to remember a lot of key information because the act of writing notes help memory. It might just take a while for current experiences to trigger all the individual scraps of information (and when you remember something, note it in your new journal). If it was really important, you will be able to remember it or recover it. I learned my lesson and I make sure to regularly archive my BuJo. The official BuJo app includes a tool that allows you to take pictures of every page in your BuJo so you have a digital backup. I have a habit of archiving monthly. This has an added benefit of being able to access information from previous BuJos no matter where I'm at.
How can Bullet Journalists share their calendars with their partners? Digital calendars make this easy. You can just set up a shared online calendar. But in the offline world of BuJos this is more difficult. Do you know anything that might help?
The BuJo isn't meant to be your only tool. Your BuJo is YOUR record of events, notes, tasks, etc. But you have to use other tools when you have to coordinate with others. My family has a Family Calendar. Each person is responsible for recording their own events on it. Each person is responsible for checking it when trying to schedule something that will affect someone else. So, my BuJo has the dates of things I will be doing or be involved in. I refer to the Family calendar anytime I need to see what others are doing. My end of day/week reflection includes copying over my events to the family calendar. I don't copy my meetings (my spouse is at work too, my kid is at school, my mtgs don't affect them). But I do copy when I have something scheduled with friends so my family knows not to plan on me being home for dinner.
Mr. ryder, are you an engineer; it is okay I know it is not reverent. interesting how you combined computer engineering and bullet journaling. It sound like it. but, can't see if it is true or not. TY. Take cARE
Do you have a method of dealing with a thought that has become repetitive and intrusive? Journalling works when the thought is temporary and you just need to get it out, but if it starts coming up repeatedly it sometimes just seems to give the thought or emotion more space to live in and stay there.
Schedule a time to deal with the thought or emotion. E.g., "I need to focus on my report right now. At 4PM I will focus on what is going on with..." Telling your mind that you will deal with the issue at a set time will often get your mind to ease up a bit. When 4PM rolls around, spend some time with the thought, try to work through it. Intrusive thoughts have to be dealt with, but you can stop them ftom intruding on your whole day.
I think it’s really important to clarify with yourself what kind of thought it actually is. Is it a negative idea about yourself, a catastrophic concern about the future, or just a random unpleasant feeling? Sometimes our thoughts can give us insight into what we are feeling or not addressing more deeply. They can even be a distraction from the real problem (trauma, lack of self love, etc.) But in cases of OCD, PTSD and even ADHD, the persistence of the thought can simply be due to the repetitive interaction we’re having with a meaningless thought. If that’s the case, that the thought is just an irrational fear, or random unpleasant thought then pushing it away and journaling about it are both counterproductive. You need to be totally indifferent to it. Observe it. Don’t wish it away, but don’t question it. Daily meta meditations have helped me a lot in this case. Journaling made me hyper focus even more on it. In order to determine what actually matters and let go of suffering we must stop identifying with thoughts. Focus on your values, and be indifferent to constant mental chatter. It’s very hard at first but you can build new neural pathways that help you focus. I hope that helps somewhat. ❤
I understand your feeling, but essentally calling him greedy (probably not what you meant to do, but it is how it comes across) isn't the best way to get what you want. You would be better off sending him a private message explaining specific reasons why you are intrested in joining, explaining it is out of your price range, and then asking if there is something you could do to get free or discounted access. My understanding of the pricepoint was to encourage investment in using the BuJo method and discourage people from joining who aren't really devoted to improving their practice (people who will comment on the method but have never actually tried it). There are other ways to demonstrate investment without paying (probably part of the reasoning behind giving away memberships to those who ask questions that prompt a video). I'm sure you have something to offer that could get you access. Good luck!
@@stunnell You are right. I'm not calling him a greedy person but I feel the pricing is a bit greedy. If I really wanted it I could have contacted him. But ... he has priced himself out, IMO! Has Ryder communicated your understanding anywhere officially? I still don't understand the entire rationale behind your argument. I see where you are coming from and good for you for paying for the course. And, Ryder can price whatever he wants as a creator. As a customer, I can decide to purchase, criticise or ignore it.
@@ryanbrownx1 lol, I used to be a teacher. It was really hard to make exceptions publicly. But, I almost always made exceptions that were asked for privately.
I have always been intrigued by bullet journaling but never thought I had the time or the consistency. I like the minimalism in your approach and see that the journals I've been looking at had a lot of artistic expression which I do in other areas of my life and have no real need for in an organizational system (unless I have random time to doodle). What I'm looking for is a system that will help me wrangle my ADHD brain and help me juggle the many projects I have going at any given time. I tend to get overwhelmed with so many wonderful things that I want to do and not enough organization or time to do them. I would love to hear you talk about organizing for neurodiverse brains like ADHD brains and harnessing creativity without spending a crazy amount of time on the process. I am also going to watch your video about incorporating digital tools since I often coordinate with others digitally and I, um, lose physical objects often. I think one of my hesitations is the question: What if I lose the notebook?
By the way, I heard about you on the youtube channel How to ADHD in a video from a few years back. Thanks for putting all of this out here on your channel since my budget is tight right now. You're awesome!
Thank you for the excellent reminder to get back to the basics of the BuJo and how it is used as a focusing tool for the important stuff of life. Taking those brief moments on a daily, weekly, monthly basis to sift out what is new/interesting/ or a shiny distraction.
Two things to thank you for here. 1, to you and Louise, thanks for the reminder / idea to re-purpose the future log (my digital calendar is much more useful for the old purpose) for a collection place for those sparks of ideas. Not only is it good to have a place to find them again, it helps to be able to put them down. They can be weighty to carry if you are afraid you might forget them. 2) Thanks for the reminder that it is OK and in fact good to adjust your process in light of new tools and light experience.
NGL, I'm watching because I'm captivated by Ryder's brilliant blue peepers. Oh, and for the BuJo inspiration.
Thanks Ryder. My challenge is there are some items on my Someday/ Future Log list that I never feel excited about but are so important that I feel guilty about my lack of progress on them. For example, house DIY projects, family holiday planning, music instrument practice, and retirement plans and projects. Even during monthly reviews, I shy away from them. I have a busy, happy work and family life and have used Bujo for years. But this is something I would really appreciate help with! Thank you.
this is a great question and you're definitely not alone on this. It is hard to look at the whole list at once without being overwhelmed, so sometimes it helps to look at a piece at a time. For some this is helpful: Look at which small to medium sized house project would make the most difference to your everyday living. Then, sit down (with yourself or someone) and talk through a few of the steps. It helps to be as specific as possible ("choose paint color" "ask friends for carpet installer recommendations"). Sometimes, walking it through will help calm things down and it becomes more realistic to plug into your schedule.
Another approach is to identify what of those things on your list really matters to you right NOW/this YEAR. And then promise to revisit the list again at a specific time.
Sometimes the approach is to let something go entirely and be honest with ourselves. Sometimes we avoid the task because it's just something we don't care about, or we feel obligated and our mind is resisting. Podcaster Kendra Adachi will say, "Make it matter, make it easy, or let it go" - maybe that can help you here
I write these in the Future list. When all tasks are done, I watch there. Removing a paint splatter for example. It can wait.
Wow Ryder, you are in fire recently with all those great videos. I was disconnected to the Bullet journal in the last few months using my Todoist application but it was so easy to procrastinate and reschedule tasks days after days where in my bullet journal, just because I would have to rewrite them, I was more prone to complet them. Someday is named in honor to GTD method in my opinion and I saw another related term that I love which is "Master tasks list" which is more oriented on action again in my opinion. Thank you again. I really think I will fall back in love with the Bullet journal method because of you. :)
I love this! I've recently cluttered two pages ahead of my current bujo page with a few sticky notes because the thoughts & lists don't fit in my daily running journaling that I've adapted for my own. I'm reminded with your video that I need to just create custom collections for them so they can have a static home! Here's my question/request: We are getting close to closing out another year and I always like to do a few pages of revisiting what worked and what didn't for the year, corral unfinished tasks and ideas, and do some goal setting. I'd love to see some of your ideas on how you do this! Or, if that's better left to the very end of the year of start of the new year, how about some ideas for keeping the holidays manageable and enjoyable?
I think I'll put a someday list in the last few pages of my current BuJo volume, so that all through the remaining months of the year, it will feel like I'm getting closer to all those cool somedays.
Loved your video! It helped me to focus on what to do with these random ideas that pop up. Currently, I write them on the same pages as my daily log which I've made as a signature for a month's worth of daily tasks - one side has lines and the other side is blank for the random stuff, which includes the things I'd like to do SOMEDAY. Hmmmm.... I need a key to make the Someday stuff easy to find so I can migrate it monthly - maybe a tiny triangle! I look forward to watching more of your vids.
0:58 - Poor Kevin. I hooe he finds a new job and a more positive outlook on life!
I really like the idea that Daily log is your inbox.
Can you write another book pls? So you can put what you just talked about in it. All the new little ways, tricks and tips. I refer back to the book you already wrote constantly and watch and rewatch your videos. This has been life changing and I look forward everyday to spending time in my bullet journal. It is something that is just mine, my space, my life and projects or just my thoughts with fun collections. I used to get hung up on all the art and aesthetics, before I realized for me, that wasn't important as getting down to basics and what my real needs were. Clean, minimal and my favorite pens. So, because I am a visual and hands on person, a new book or work book, would be ideal and absolutely fantastic. Here's hoping!
Omg ! Ryder! So many women overcreate the bullet journal.
So sad UA-cam deleted the german transcript I made years ago. I wanted to explain how simple your BuJo is! Hopefully we can still spread the word and show the simplicity. Cheers
Great tool to make focus and learn inside of my mind, Thank a lot 👍
Thanks a lot for this! Brilliant information and love the concept, still re-reading your book and I’m understand more and more each time! Congratulations for the idea to inspire other people around the world! Massive thanks!
I really like getting these practical tips on this channel so regularly! I find these answers to the questions from commenters more relevant to me.
My question: What to do, if you want to bring into your new journal a lot of old collections? They became very relevant and you want to have them on hand all of the time, but it's a lot of copying and will take a lot of pages, which will shorten your time with that bujo.
could you cut out pages from your old bullet journal and glue them into your new one?
Thank you for this :) - I will check out the rest of the videos too. That is a brilliant idea.
Thank you for your explaination. I want to ask about my struggle to tackle and track multiple projects ini my work. In your previous videos, you told about to use dedicated index about working projects, but I need some examples to make it work and integrate with future log, monthly log, and daily log. If you can show us some examples , It would be appreciated. Thank you.
Thank you, Ryder! In a world with so many styles and ways to overcomplicate my bullet journaling, I really appreciate when you get us back to basics. Hence my question: can you share how to use bullet journaling for note-taking; e.g., during a meeting or class? I know you mention this to some extent in your book, but I feel I still need some clarification here. Thank you!
I'm not Ryder, but I can share how I do this :) I start with a subset of my regular bullets: mostly dashes for notes, peppered occasionally with task bullets, and simple lightning bolts for ideas - as well as indicators like the urgency asterisk, and the magnifying glass to indicate a research topic. I then utilise indentation heavily, to indicate sub-notes on different topics. I also take my notes on a given class or book in a custom collection which should then be indexed for easy access. Hope this helps!
@@maya.the.earthling thank you for sharing how you do it
Can you please show us an example of how you use custom collections for a project or upcoming exam? Do you use other apps for certain collections? and what do you think about "The Second Brain" and the PARA Method?
Hi all! greetings from Colombia, I read the book and I loved it, I have been experiencing the methodology since February and It has been a lovely journey through myself. I have a question... I struggle a lot with the idea of mixing work and personal life, so I have a resistance to mixing my thoughts, my work tasks, and meetings notes, it's anyone else struggling with this? how did you manage that discomfort and how do you manage your work in your bujo?
I just bought the new Bullet Journal pen! It looks so elegant! Can’t wait for it to be delivered here in Montreal. I would have liked a short video to see it better and to visualize the writing experience . But it’s okay, I guess it will only make for a bigger surprise! Is it possible to use with other brands than Leuchtturm1917 ink refills? Thanks a lot Ryder and your team for all the learning we find here!
Thank you so much for videos. Been a fan since 2015 and love the new content. One thing I’ve struggled with and want to ask-
Context:
When doing daily logs, I have done a few different methods for my work week. One is where I do a brand new daily log, one day at a time, I wrote all my list of things I need to do and events I have, all getting it on paper. The other one is where I do a 2 page spread with space for each daily log pre planned, that way I can schedule in thing that aren’t due for 2 to 3 days out on those days. More like a daily log on a week spread.
Q:
My question is, do you recommend doing a daily log one day at a time or planning it out in the future like I have tried before? The reason I ask is because although it’s nice to plan things out to see a week at a glance, I unfortunately Begin treating my daily logs just as a to do list only, rather than the mindfulness practice that I have come to understand it to be.
In the past, Ryder has always strongly advised against pre-planning daily logs, because we never know if we will need three lines or three pages for our rapid logging through the day. We *do not* want to have to edit our scribblings there based on space allotted. A weekly log can be a nice thing to have if it provides value, and that can certainly be divided into a calendar for the week - but it should be distinct from the space where we give ourselves indefinite room for real-time rapid logging, or what I've heard some refer to as their 'dirty dailies.' Your point about mindfulness practice there is the critical point - we need mental room to achieve that aspect, it's what sets our bullet journals apart from a mere dayplanner ^_^
Thank you for the great videos and explanations! I often describe my Future Log as a brainstorming session for this reason. One question I have: Do you ever struggle with distinguishing a task from an event? Sometimes I’m not sure what to categorize something. For example, returning a book to the library feels like both a task and an event to me. How do you work out how to distinguish between the two?
In recent video Ryder saids the difference is in the realization time, although of meetings and events as a birthday, if was realized in the past also is an event. Also the things with a definite time for doing as a yoga class or other classes. I hope this help a little.
@@marlenem5204 Thank you for the reply. That’s pretty much how I’ve been distinguishing them. Sometimes I overthink things, though.
@@CrimsonKas So do I. ^_^ In the video about BuJo and digital calendar Ryder maid some clarifications bc said that task could become a event in our digital cal, it depends of your choices, maybe you saw that yet
Thank you very much for picking and answering my question. Will I be contacted regarding the membership - and if so, where? Thank you in advance
Hi Louise, please can you contact support@bulletjournal.com so we can set you up? Thanks for the great question 😊
I'm in love with the concept from the day one. I wanna know how students can make the full use of it? Any ideas from the creators himself?
What a great way to store @Someday's in a BuJo. Thanks! I have a question: How can I handle recurring tasks/appointments on paper in my BuJo?
It's always a great pleasure to watch you, Ryder! Thanks for the new video!
Question: I'm struggling with timing. Every day I set myself a list of to-do things, but nothing is done till the end of the day. And I copy this to-do list, and the next day brings the same frustration in the evening that I didn't accomplish anything. I've tried to set up the time frame during the day, but that didn't help. How to implement the time frames in bullet journaling?
There's so many ways to use a notebook. And no perfect way. Seems to always be a work in progress. But I guess that's part of the appeal. I used to make someday custom logs all the time. Putting them in the future log makes more sense as my future logs have always been left empty. Daily and weekly and monthly logs and reflection is where it's at. With a few custom logs when you need them.
what would you sugest for someone who is not as busy with there life as others but still wants to bullet journal how to make the spreads or layouts work for them I mostly use it as a way to keep track of my house hold tasks thank you for your videos and ideas
I have a question that has left me stuck in my BuJo journey. I like to write out morning journal notes and/or prayers. These are not bulleted items. They are written as paragraphs. When I use BuJo, daily log items seem to get lost. I could use a separate notebook, but then I will have up to three notebooks to keep track. Do you have a suggestion of how to incorporate regular journal type entries in the BuJo?
Flip to the last page of your BuJo. Turn your BuJo upside down. Now you have pages you can use for your journal. Number these pages starting with a B (B1, B2, B3) so you can index them or reference them elsewhere if needed (e.g., a journal entry gave you an idea you want to act on).
Because you flipped your journal, it will still feel like you are writing normally. You also don't have to worry about wasting pages because you incorrectly estimated how many pages you needed. When your traditional BuJo entries meet your journal entries, it is time to start a new BuJo.
Hi Ryder, I'm going in to university early next year, and am looking for inspirations for BuJo Spreads for students :)
What is the next step I should take, with regard to my bujo practice, after I discover a pattern in my daily logs suggesting that I should take my life / career in a different direction? Is there a particular custom log you recommend I set up to process this potential shift in my life?
Interesting theme and a simple way to use a “gtd” approach on bujo. I’m struggle with the dates. What is the best way to manage a task that must be scheduled in advance (like one week from today, i.e. “Call client x on October 30?” Thanx
Just starting my first Bullet journal on Nov 1st 😊
I’m really exiting but I no I have to learn more, and it won’t be perfect and it’s OK.
Question regarding the collection! Do we need to create a separate book for those or it’s included into the current bullet journal?
Thank you Isabelle
Hey Ryder and thanks for everything!
Do you still recommend migrating tasks from yesterday to today, or is it better to migrate them straight to the monthly log?
You mentioned in the video another video for what you use instead of the future log. What video is that please?
Something I have been struggling with in my bujo-practice is planning for the near future. Setting up a weekly log isn't working for me, the space I need isn't enough or too much at times. During my daily logging tasks come up that need to be done tomorrow or the day after. (But I haven't set up those days yet..)
So my question is: How to plan for the near future (tomorrow and the day after that).
What do you to your previous bujo notebooks? After how many years before your discard it? Thanks you
every person does this differently. some discard, but I keep all of mine :)
How do you recommend I capture and enter thoughts in my bujo while working in emergency room environment?
I don't carry my bujo there to avoid bring home unwanted 'samples or specimens'.
I have very limited time (lucky to get full minute at a time) during my frenetic 12 hour shift (lunch time is rare treat).
I have a digital voice recorder for (non-work related) idea capture along with my phones camera (capturing work maintenance item and device error messages for 'later' follow up)
I try to do end of day compilation of scrap pieces of paper, transcribe voice notes and captured images but it's not cohesive and cumbersome.
Thanks in advance for your consideration and to this community!
Hi, thanks for the great content and for sharing Bujo! I have a question regarding Collections, bullets within them and how to resurface them / keep them relevant from month to month. Because they are spread throughout the Bujo, I constantly forget about collections and their bullets within. I tend to lose focus from these. How do I keep these collections and their bullets relevant from month to month migration? Thanks
I have a habit of scanning my index at the beginning of each month; this reminds me of all of my collections.
I also note relevant collections in my future log and monthly logs. For example, when I create my "gift ideas" collection, I reference it in my November and December future log since those are the months I do my holiday shopping.
I have a "Task Dump" collection where I collect things I need to do but not necessarily now (very similar to the Someday Ryder discussed in this video). Every monthly log contains a reference to this list (e.g., "Current Task Dump: pg 57). If you have collections you want to keep active each month, you can list them either on your monthly log, or as the first page of notes after your monthly.
Ryder, do you have a personal knowledge management (pkm) system using something like the Zettelkasten method? Do you have any tips for how someone could integrate that concept with their bujo practice? Thanks!
Just started with #BuJo ... my daily list has become a giant list of tasks between home/work/personal... and it gets to be a long list. How do I keep it all organized?
Thank you!
I have another question:
where and how do you store your meeting notes?
I think you do this in your daily log but if I write in a meeting (eg a webinar where I learn something new) I often write too much. And I don’t want to clutter ma daily log.
Thank you for your answer!
Hi Ryder,
After reading “Getting things done” by David Allen,
I am trying to add not only captures but also sub-bullets in order to make items actionable, without creating a custom collection, what ideal way could there be to track progress toward action of the captured ideas, informations, tasks. Migration allows me to track the items completion but not if it was effective in achieving the desired outcome. I hope I made sense. Thanks.
The custom collection is the easiest way so it is all together.
I'm trying to think of why you want to avoid a custom collection and I'm coming up blank because of how threading in a BuJo works.
There is a video on threading on this channel. In short, it is using page references to tie components in a collection together (e.g., you filled up the page you set up as the collection, so you create a second page later in your BuJo, start it with a page reference to the previous collection page, then return your first page and end it with a reference to your new page... now your collection pages have threads connecting them).
Is it because you want to record tasks daily? If so, you treat the collection as the master list of tasks and info. When you copy a task to your daily log, you reference the collection (e.g., "Apply for grant, see pg 22")
Are you not wanting to copy a block of notes from your daily to the collection? If so, draw a colored box around the notes and reference the notes page in you collection (e.g., "contractor mtg notes - red box pg 124")
If you are wanting to note effectiveness of something towards your goal, you can write notes/observations in your daily, color box it, and note the page in your collection.
You could essentially turn your collection into an index for all tasks, notes, observations, etc. related to that one project/goal
What are some effective ways to integrate the Bullet Journal with the Second Brain?
Thanks for another great video. I have a question relating to combining work and home life activities in a single journal as I currently run one for each which I find challenging. My work life contains lots of meetings with note taking and actions to be done, with the latter managed through outlook. However my random thoughts or light bulb moments get lost in the content of my work journal, but switching journals mid flow just disrupts what I’m doing. Any advise on the best way to combine or other tips to make my journaling more effective ?
I do this using a different colour pen for personal - very effective
How to integrate online project management such as Notion with the analog BuJo?
How can I incorporate tasks from my different roles into my BJ without getting overwhelmed? (Home, phd student, part time job, startup founder). Thank you! Deena
So is the weekly list that you make just the tasks you think of before the week starts and then each day you may add new tasks to your day that will be carried over to the next week? I thought all tasks were added to the weekly running task list, but maybe I'm misunderstanding.
The weekly list I make is based on a few things - the tasks I migrated from the week before, the relevant tasks from my future log, and other tasks i think of throughout the week. I also know people who add a "Next" section on their weekly list so they have a place to put the tasks they think of for the following week. does that help?
@@bulletjournal yes that helps so much. That is actually what I ended up naturally doing throughout the week so I’m glad it’s in line with what you are saying. Thank you!
I try bullet journaling the past 2 years but it only lasts for about a month or two. I tried doing them artsy i tried to only do the fundamentals but nothing seems to stick. My life is really chaotic and so are my bujos i started. I dont have any big goals at the moment i only want my life a little bit more organized. Like tidy my room more often do more self care. Bujos felt alsways more like a hobby. And i tend to loose interest in hobbys pretty easy and fast.
Can a bujo help me with this? It just seems like one more thing to think about. Maybe someone has some tips for me.
Hi Kiki! This is totally understandable and I'm sure many people can relate to this feeling. For me, it helps to have one clear intention for WHY I am bullet journaling, or what I'd like my life to feel like. Then it helps prioritize what I'm doing, or help me feel like the tasks that I find unpleasant actually matter (I don't really LIKE to do the dishes but I do want to show care for my partner, so it helps me stick to doing it). All I can say is to identify what makes the process enjoyable and easy for you - maybe that's always having your notebook out, or setting a daily alarm to jot things down into it, or doing it along side something you do everyday like a coffee or a morning skin routine?
Is there a nice PDF available of that flow chart from 3:26
Could I use Bullet Journalling to keep track of my diet without constantly having to calorie count?
You can do a eating log either as a separate collection or as part of your daily log. Just write down what you are eating and when you are eating it. Put down as much detail as you want, i.e. handful of M&Ms or 25 M&Ms. This has helped me not only keep track of what I am eating, and how often I am snacking between meals. I has also helped me recognize when I am eating because I am hungry or when I am eating for another reason, for example when I am stressed or bored.
Hi there you mentioned that you’re using the future log differently than what you designed it for originally, can you tell me how you’re using it differently? I know you said there is a link in the video to explain this, but I watched all the videos in the link and I can’t see or find the explanation of how are using the future log now. Very curious and sounds interesting. Thank you. Does anyone know the answer to this?
As he said in the video, he is not using Future Log for logging future events anymore, because he uses digital tools for that. However, he uses it to put ideas and future tasks(?), so that he can return to them in the month he thinks he would have time to dedicate to them.
That's what I understood from the video. Feel free to correct me.
Thank you... this is a helpful insite
My Question is: how do you deal with and recover from losing your current Bullet Journal?
Ouch!
I did that once. It sucks. If it is lost, all you can do is start a new one, and scour texts, emails, etc to recover what you can. The good news is that a lot of the conceptual notes you took will probably allow you to remember a lot of key information because the act of writing notes help memory. It might just take a while for current experiences to trigger all the individual scraps of information (and when you remember something, note it in your new journal). If it was really important, you will be able to remember it or recover it.
I learned my lesson and I make sure to regularly archive my BuJo. The official BuJo app includes a tool that allows you to take pictures of every page in your BuJo so you have a digital backup. I have a habit of archiving monthly. This has an added benefit of being able to access information from previous BuJos no matter where I'm at.
How can Bullet Journalists share their calendars with their partners? Digital calendars make this easy. You can just set up a shared online calendar. But in the offline world of BuJos this is more difficult. Do you know anything that might help?
The BuJo isn't meant to be your only tool. Your BuJo is YOUR record of events, notes, tasks, etc. But you have to use other tools when you have to coordinate with others.
My family has a Family Calendar. Each person is responsible for recording their own events on it. Each person is responsible for checking it when trying to schedule something that will affect someone else.
So, my BuJo has the dates of things I will be doing or be involved in. I refer to the Family calendar anytime I need to see what others are doing.
My end of day/week reflection includes copying over my events to the family calendar. I don't copy my meetings (my spouse is at work too, my kid is at school, my mtgs don't affect them). But I do copy when I have something scheduled with friends so my family knows not to plan on me being home for dinner.
@@stunnell Thank you for sharing. This is a good starting point for me to come up with a strategy.
Mr. ryder, are you an engineer; it is okay I know it is not reverent. interesting how you combined computer engineering and bullet journaling. It sound like it. but, can't see if it is true or not. TY. Take cARE
Do you have a method of dealing with a thought that has become repetitive and intrusive?
Journalling works when the thought is temporary and you just need to get it out, but if it starts coming up repeatedly it sometimes just seems to give the thought or emotion more space to live in and stay there.
Schedule a time to deal with the thought or emotion.
E.g., "I need to focus on my report right now. At 4PM I will focus on what is going on with..."
Telling your mind that you will deal with the issue at a set time will often get your mind to ease up a bit.
When 4PM rolls around, spend some time with the thought, try to work through it. Intrusive thoughts have to be dealt with, but you can stop them ftom intruding on your whole day.
I think it’s really important to clarify with yourself what kind of thought it actually is. Is it a negative idea about yourself, a catastrophic concern about the future, or just a random unpleasant feeling?
Sometimes our thoughts can give us insight into what we are feeling or not addressing more deeply. They can even be a distraction from the real problem (trauma, lack of self love, etc.) But in cases of OCD, PTSD and even ADHD, the persistence of the thought can simply be due to the repetitive interaction we’re having with a meaningless thought. If that’s the case, that the thought is just an irrational fear, or random unpleasant thought then pushing it away and journaling about it are both counterproductive. You need to be totally indifferent to it. Observe it. Don’t wish it away, but don’t question it. Daily meta meditations have helped me a lot in this case. Journaling made me hyper focus even more on it. In order to determine what actually matters and let go of suffering we must stop identifying with thoughts. Focus on your values, and be indifferent to constant mental chatter. It’s very hard at first but you can build new neural pathways that help you focus. I hope that helps somewhat. ❤
My problem with bullet journals is that I write so much that I'd fill a whole journal in a few weeks.
perhaps you can journal in a separate notebook, and then return to your Daily Logs to write down 2-3 key insights from your session?
I want to join the community but Ryder has priced it way above my threshold. Feel a bit greedy there!
I understand your feeling, but essentally calling him greedy (probably not what you meant to do, but it is how it comes across) isn't the best way to get what you want. You would be better off sending him a private message explaining specific reasons why you are intrested in joining, explaining it is out of your price range, and then asking if there is something you could do to get free or discounted access.
My understanding of the pricepoint was to encourage investment in using the BuJo method and discourage people from joining who aren't really devoted to improving their practice (people who will comment on the method but have never actually tried it). There are other ways to demonstrate investment without paying (probably part of the reasoning behind giving away memberships to those who ask questions that prompt a video). I'm sure you have something to offer that could get you access. Good luck!
@@stunnell You are right. I'm not calling him a greedy person but I feel the pricing is a bit greedy. If I really wanted it I could have contacted him. But ... he has priced himself out, IMO!
Has Ryder communicated your understanding anywhere officially? I still don't understand the entire rationale behind your argument. I see where you are coming from and good for you for paying for the course. And, Ryder can price whatever he wants as a creator. As a customer, I can decide to purchase, criticise or ignore it.
@@stunnell Damn! Seeing a teacher's pet after a really long time.
@@ryanbrownx1 lol, I used to be a teacher. It was really hard to make exceptions publicly. But, I almost always made exceptions that were asked for privately.