Bullet Journal

Here’s something slightly random and the exact opposite of technical, the Bullet Journal.

I’ve tried just every to-do/productivity app/site out there. OmniFocus, Things, Trello, Evernote, Org Mode to name five. But, I never stick to them. They start of well enough, yet end up cluttered with things I’m never going to do. Or things I sort of did. Or things that are too nebulous to be meaningful. I’d also love to say I follow GTG or, well, any productivity system, but the all require commitment to a process, and I fall off the wagon in short order.

Like most people in the Modern Era I (feel like) have too much to do. If I don’t make a effort to keep track of what I need to do, things quickly fall through the cracks. Doubly so for things I want to do. The things for me get pushed aside in favor of the things others want of me.

Bullet Journal is simple, and commitment is limited. And it’s completely analog. Paper, plain old paper. Never crashes, never runs out of batteries.

I’ll keep the details light. The Bullet Journal site has an excellent write up and intro video.

The system is simple, everyday you write down your to-dos and events. You add notes as things come up and check off things that get done. Things that don’t get done get moved forward or crossed out if they no longer matter. You have bigger to-do lists for the current month and the future. You create lists as needed for projects.

That’s pretty much it but, of course, it’s paper you can tweak to work any way you like. For example, I’ve added a weekly to-do which isn’t part of the base system.

For me it works very well, there’s something about putting pen to paper that’s more real than letters on a screen. I take them more seriously, I get more done, I stick with it. Maybe it’s what you’re looking for too.

Bullet Journal sells a custom notebook if you want to get fancy, but all you need to give it a try is a few pieces of paper.