
Bullet journal: A simple productivity system that just uses pen and paper - smalera
http://qz.com/701309/people-are-falling-in-love-with-a-simple-productivity-system-that-just-uses-pen-and-paper/
======
bellebethcooper
Hello, I'm the author of this article, and just wanted to add something here:
for anyone who finds the Bullet Journal method overwhelming, there's another
system called Strikethru that might appeal more. It's still based on pen and
paper, but is designed to be a bit less complex and doesn't use an index at
all.

Here's the official Strikethru site:
[http://striketh.ru/#welcome](http://striketh.ru/#welcome)

And here are a couple of blog posts I've written about my own process that
might be useful. I generally use a mixture of ideas from Bullet Journal and
Strikethru.

[http://blog.bellebethcooper.com/strikethru-
notebook.html](http://blog.bellebethcooper.com/strikethru-notebook.html)

[https://exist.io/blog/strikethru/](https://exist.io/blog/strikethru/)

And finally, I wrote another article recently that looked at both these
systems, as well as some other less-developed analogue methods that you might
find useful: [https://foundrmag.com/analog-methods-for-getting-things-
done...](https://foundrmag.com/analog-methods-for-getting-things-done-
superpower-your-productivity-with-pen-and-paper/)

------
luxpir
Great concept. Tempting, but the digital version I set up saves a bit of
drudgework with the pen and could be a little more private. [0]

I like the bullet signifiers. I split events and tasks into calendar and todo
list, but the bullets could work in a long, timestamped single file. Perhaps
using # to comment out lines that are complete. Might make more sense than the
archiving I do by moving to the bottom of the todo list. Actually, my calendar
events comment out the done lines, so perhaps the todo really should too.
Anyway, good share.

[0] [https://github.com/luxpir/plaintext-
productivity](https://github.com/luxpir/plaintext-productivity)

~~~
jiiam
Nice, but IMO it falls, as the Bullet Journal, into the category of beauty
over result. I just think that simpler, less structured systems provide
comparable results in terms of getting things done, while wasting less effort
on the nonessential aspect of system.

As for alternatives, my favourite is t
([http://stevelosh.com/projects/t/](http://stevelosh.com/projects/t/)). Truth
be told, it may be way too simple. But yet again, _complexity needs to be
justified_.

As a side note, remember that you can do for organizing tasks an argument
similar to xkcd's on automation:

[https://xkcd.com/1205/](https://xkcd.com/1205/)

[https://xkcd.com/1319/](https://xkcd.com/1319/)

~~~
luxpir
Suspect we're singing from same hymn sheet. Not sure if you read the linked
blog post but the idea was to cut complexity and to push back against the
creation of endless to-dos into a pit of unending pain. A no-cruft list, with
some kanban features, but zero-code was the plan.

t is not more simple than a plain text file. It invariably contains hundreds
of lines of code and encourages you to throw tasks into an invisible task-pit.

So yeah, I think it's a case of whatever works for the individual, but pruning
and preening an organisational system, constant reviewing and decision-making
about the list itself; that's not what I had in mind.

Cheers for looking :)

------
jonmc12
From a workflow perspective, this is basically a practical tickler system (but
also integrates notes/collections). Ticklers can be very helpful for removing
anxiety about things falling through the cracks, but requires staying in the
habit or they become useless. Another once popular system was 43 folders.

imo, the major innovation of GTD and related systems is the inclusion of
context beyond do/due dates - specifically the notion of resource availability
and alignment towards explicit long-term goals. Done right, this can bring
clarity to 'next action' in a way that decreases the incremental cognitive
load to select a task to complete - hypothetically making it easier to act in
a state of flow and stay in the habit.

Everyone's different, and if any system works for a while thats a win. If you
talk to a productivity coach / trainer they will probably share experience
that the GTD-type systems have the best impact on busy professionals long-
term. When someone figures out how to remove the cognitive overhead of both
organization and task selection in a contextual todo-list, I believe its going
to change the way many people work.

------
edtechdev
Here are some critiques of this technique:
[http://blog.sandglaz.com/demystifying-the-bullet-journal-
why...](http://blog.sandglaz.com/demystifying-the-bullet-journal-why-analog-
task-management-sucks/) [http://joshmedeski.com/bullet-journal-didnt-
work/](http://joshmedeski.com/bullet-journal-didnt-work/)

I personally just use Google Tasks for deadlines, Google Keep for shopping
lists, etc., and a private Google Doc for notes (like a private blog/journal).
And of course there are kanban board tools like Trello for collaborative
productivity/projects.

~~~
mattmanser
I don't see the points of the 'critiques'.

Everyone needs their own system, it'll work for some, but not for others. I
find I actually need analogue feedback for my system to work. I need to
physically cross things off.

For example I tried a workflow on computer like you and it wasn't satisfying,
crossing off tasks wasn't rewarding enough. Clicking a little tick box is not
as psychologically rewarding as crossing off on a list with a pen.

So now I use a small pad that each day I write a list of things to do on, and
cross them off. Then throw away the list at the end of the day. I can plan
ahead a little bit by flipping pages, or defer a task using the same method.

For keeping track of everything and for planning, I use Asana, set up in a
getting things done style (using projects for inbox, next actions, projects,
someday/maybe).

So a combination of digital and analogue.

The other great thing is that because I make a new task list everyday I'm more
realistic about what I can get done. If I have a bad day, I can reflect why
before I throw it in the bin, and then I'm over it, it's done. It's liberating
to me, because failing to do things previously upset me and long to do lists
haunted me. Plus I can slip little chores in without putting them in Asana.

It's the first system I've managed to stick to in a decade and it's working
great for me. The only thing I haven't solved is the work/life split. Having
all of them on the same Asana/to do list feels wrong, but I don't want to
manage two sets of Asana/lists.

Back to the critiques, one of your critiques didn't even bother to try the
technique, personally I find that disgusting, trashing someone else's work
without even trying it.

------
jxy
The charm of pen and paper is simplicity and restriction. It is simple to
implement this /bullet journal/ in a plain text file, but then... you want to
add a timestamp; you want to add more markups; you want to add links; you want
to add tags; you want to add code snippets; you start to move around your file
aimelessly for an hour;... You whole text file life scheme blows up in front
of you and you don't even know what hits you.

Think of why people like type writers? Simplicity and restriction! You are
forced to focus on writing down what's on your mind.

Is there a solution on our over powered computers? Yes. Use ed, the text
editor!

~~~
r3bl
I'm in love with todo.txt ([http://todotxt.com/](http://todotxt.com/)) as my
preferred level of features vs. simplicity.

I have two desktop "clients" (one of them is an app with a Pomodoro client
implemented, and the second one is GNOME extension), they cooperate with each
other nicely using two files (one is called todo.txt and the second one is
done.txt, where the tasks I have finished get archived), I sync those two
files via ownCloud and I can access my to-do list on my phone.

I always have those files with me, and, since they're nothing more than text
files, I can do whatever I want with them.

~~~
thirdsun
Interesting. But it seems as if there's only one official iOS app available.
If we're using an open format like text files, wouldn't it be useful to be
able to change apps/clients easily? Similar to a feed reader - I use Feedbin
as the backend to collect and manage my feeds. However as a client I often
switch between Reeder, Unread or Mr. Reader. I'd like to see something like
Feedbin for Todos/GTD - how portable is the data if the official apps seem to
be the only ones using the Todotxt data?

~~~
satai
No such problem with Android. Several apps and some other apps support
todo.txt for some features (pomodoros, for example). Maybe some kind of
cultural difference?

------
Kurtz79
I really like it, I have been basically using a much dumber "system" (I guess
everyone tend to come up with something similar intuitively, when the need of
having a minimum of organization arise) where I just list the task for the day
in a notebook page in order of priority, strike the ones that I manage to
finish and carry the rest to the next day.

It is inefficient and limited, but the advantage of having a physical list
sitting in front of you that can be effortlessly updated and referenced as a
glance trumps most more "advanced" methods using a computer. This seems like a
smart extension of that very basic method.

Like diets, the best productivity systems are the ones are those you are able
to keep indefinitely without too much effort, the moment that organizing the
task organizer becomes a task itself, the less likely you are to stick with
it, IME.

------
rydercarroll
Howdy, Ryder here - the creator of the Bullet Journal. Let me know if you have
any questions.

~~~
danielvf
No questions, just thanks for writing this up years ago! I've been using it
ever since.

~~~
rydercarroll
Wonderful to hear!

------
rsaarelm
I've been using a bullet journal inspired system for a while now. Picked up
the numbered pages, mostly sticking to one topic per page and maintaining the
index for the particularly interesting pages. Also there's the note-taking tic
of writing everything as single-line bullet points which makes it easier to do
quick stream-of-consciousness capture. The notebook is filled chronologically,
each page gets a date marked on the margin. The note pages are useful for
thinking aloud about problems even if I never read them again later.

Instead of the planning calendar, I've got a daily done things calendar. Each
month gets a dedicated page, and the page gets a one-line summary of what I
accomplished that day. This builds up a long-term log of what I've been doing
with minimal daily effort. Didn't really figure out the more complex calendar
systems in bullet journal and I use a digital calendar to track appointments.
The journal is more of a thinking tool than a time management tool.

The final bit is TODO lists inspired by the autofocus system. All active TODO
items must live on a single notebook page. Once the page is full, open items
must either be abandoned or migrated to the next TODO page. This keeps the
list from going stale and works very well with analog notebook pages. I can
get an immediate view of the current work situation by just looking at the
live TODO page.

------
shanecleveland
I really wish I could start and stick to something like this. I once worked in
a newsroom with a reporter who had the best/simplest list for story ideas. He
just used a legal pad and wrote new ideas on each line. He then had a system
of symbols to signify importance, status, etc. I've strived for something like
that since then, but I have not been successful at sticking to it.

------
hexagonc
I tried to hack together my own personal stack overflow or Q&A system using a
directory of text files and Sublime Text (any other text editor that has
regular expression searching also work). Basically, each fact or note that I
wanted to be able to retrieve would be stored as semi-structured text that is
easy to search using regular expressions. For example, when I was first
learning web development, I saved a note like this in my note file:

    
    
      {
        [how do you create a simple image button in html and css]
        -> style:
           .simple-button {
                background-image: url(...),
                background-repeat: no-repeat,
                background-position: center,
                background-size: 100% 100%,
                width: 100px,
                height: 100px,
                display: inline-flex
           }
    
           <div class = 'simple-button'></div>
      }
    

I had a directory called "knowledgebase" which had numerous files with
similarly structured notes. In order to find the note above using keywords, I
would just do a search of the knowledgebase directory in Sublime Text using
the regular expression:

    
    
      ^\{\s*\[.+button.+css.*\]
    

At first I was pretty excited about the method because it actually saved me a
few times when I needed to find some boilerplate Linux bash scripts and vim
keyboard shortcuts. Unfortunately, the small bit of initial success left me
wanting to add more features to the extent that I was never satisfied with the
notation for structuring questions and answers. First I used the system for
simple notes and Q&A. Then the notation had to support hierarchical notes,
like a tree. Eventually, decided I was going to write a program to parse these
Q&A files and expose them as a mobile application that I could search via
voice. This seemed like a pretty good idea until I decided that what I
_really_ needed was to not only be able to search notes by voice but also
create them. The whole project kept growing until eventually I dropped the
whole note taking thing and turned my attention to the general problem of NLP
for question answering.

If I had simply been satisfied with the original, simple process and stuck to
it these last couple of years, I'd have a pretty comprehensive and useful
knowledgebase by now. I realize that I'm too lazy to keep such a system up to
date but hopefully I can adopt something similar as a commenting convention in
my source files to make code fragments searchable.

------
agrafix
You could probably do this with emacs org-mode pretty well too

~~~
coredog64
How did I know that someone would come in here to comment that emacs could
already do this?

[https://xkcd.com/378/](https://xkcd.com/378/)

~~~
DigitalJack
To be fair, they weren't saying it already did it. They were saying emacs (org
mode) would be a useful platform for implementing it. Very different.

------
chevas
I did a comparison of Bullet Journal and Consol:
[https://www.consol.io/5-reasons-why-youll-like-consol-if-
you...](https://www.consol.io/5-reasons-why-youll-like-consol-if-you-like-
bullet-journal/)

------
yiyus
I already have calendars and agendas where I can write. I do not see how using
a plain notebook and writing a calendar by hand every month is going to
improve my productivity.

I am sure this method has its benefits and, looking at some comments, it is
helping many people. But I think that all these manual tasks like the
calendar, writing the page numbers, or keeping an index distract me and do not
let me to see what really is the added value of this method.

~~~
piva00
I've used in the past and it's actually no distraction at all, it's something
you do on the 1st day of the month and forget about it, doesn't take more than
20 minutes in total for a whole year (to number pages, write the calendar and
all).

Surely it doesn't distract at all from the core of keeping tabs on what you're
doing and in the day-to-day usage.

------
Karunamon
I always find myself hoping that someone will come up with an e-ink notepad of
some kind with multiple pages. If you've ever used a BoogieBoard, you get what
I'm looking at. The killer for me, and the reason I never use a paper notepad
is because it can't be cleanly erased.

~~~
ksenzee
Have you tried FriXion pens? They erase more cleanly than a pencil. Of course,
"erase" is a relative term here, since the ink reappears if you put your
notebook in the freezer. But unless you're worried about someone resurrecting
your erased items it might work for you.

~~~
rhinoceraptor
I've heard horror stories where someone wrote an exam with one of those pens,
it was stored in the professor's car where it got hot in the sun, and the ink
disappeared since the ink 'erases' via heat from the rubber eraser.

~~~
kondro
And it comes back again if you put it in the freezer.

------
gravypod
I'd keep my pen and paper if my hand writing was legible.

I wish there was a way top clean up my hand writing.

~~~
tdubhro1
Recently I decided to do something about my handwriting, and I went from
barely-legible scrawls to being able to write in any of a dozen fonts in the
space of a few weeks (less than an hour practice a day). If you want to fix
your handwriting, start by slowing down, and try to write just a few sentences
in a nice, consistent style.

Think of it not as writing, but as doodling, just with letters being your
doodles. Once you've played around like that for a few hours, look up some
penmanship resources and try to mimic some writing styles. If you really get
into it, try some calligraphy, it's a lot of fun. People regularly comment and
compliment my handwriting now. (But if I go back to top-speed, it becomes a
scrawl again.)

~~~
8_hours_ago
Can you recommend any penmanship resources?

~~~
emdd
Yes, please. My children have better penmanship than I do.

------
ivan_ah
This reminds me of a the dash-plus system for note taking:
[http://patrickrhone.com/dashplus/](http://patrickrhone.com/dashplus/)

------
satysin
I like Wunderlist. I just pop everything I need to do into that and it is nice
and simple. I could probably use it better but tbh just having a central list
of everything I need to do is pretty helpful.

Sometimes I find over complicating your todo list just means you end up
spending more time on your todo list, time you could spend on actually doing
items in the list.

Also the pomodoro technique is pretty good for smaller tasks. Obviously not
everything can be broken down to work with it perfectly but for about 80% of
tasks it does work well imho.

------
chillacy
So every time you want to note something important you have to add it to the
index? Denormalization at its finest, I suppose. The index reminds me of a
page table.

~~~
bellebethcooper
The index is really only for things you want to find again later, like
important meeting notes. For your every day task lists you can leave those out
of the index.

If the process of indexing doesn't appeal, however, you might prefer the
Strikethru system I mentioned in my other comment.

------
znpy
I tried the bullet journal and it didn't fit me.

What instead fit my needs was some simple printable agenda.

I used the ones at [http://philofaxy.blogspot.it/p/diary-
inserts.html](http://philofaxy.blogspot.it/p/diary-inserts.html)

The good thing is that it costed me as extremely little.

------
kybernetyk
Looks interesting. If you can decipher your own handwriting that is. (Which I
can't).

------
21echoes
I don't quite follow. The system is: write down what's happening that day
(todos, events, meeting notes), and then if it's something you want to
reference later, add it to the index? That's it?

------
0mbre
Love the index technic! Every notebook that I use rapidly becomes unbrowsable.
Go find those notes you took on the phone with a client last week in the
middle of all the scribbling.

------
kinai
Not sure about the rest of humanity but I got a memory for that...never
understood why people waste their time on productivity apps and other nonsense

~~~
NobleLie
How do you remember what you failed to remember?

How do you even evaluate your memory if youve never catalogued your thoughts
for a few years (or less or more) ?

------
Ezhik
Oooh, I tried this before. Never quite got far with it, but it sure went far
since then, with the Kickstarter and all.

------
imron
Someone should make an app for that ;-)

~~~
s3r3nity
Check out Workflowy - it has done wonders for me in terms of implementing
bullet-journal principles for my work tasks.

[https://workflowy.com/](https://workflowy.com/)

------
rawTruthHurts
The future is the past.

