Bullet Journal

The Bullet Journal Method

by Ryder Carroll

I'm so fast, I need glasses to see where I'm going...
Wanna super fast summary of this great book?
Well, here it is!

You'll discover:

  • Fast Track Bug Out Bags - one of the best weapons in your kick-arsenal
  • The Sword of One-Thousand-Cuts - when and where to use it for most effect
  • The HOM Assassination Plan
  • Zombie tasks and how to defeat them
  • Flaw Portaling - I think it will melt your brain in a good way
  • Yeah, and other stuff too.

If you want to get rid of crap hanging over you, figure out what would make your life more complete, and actually feel like you're progressing towards something rather than just a grinding hamster wheel then this article is for you.

ANYways, let's get stuck in...

Quick Links




Bug Out Bag

To stop me falling down the research rabbit hole, I'm gonna do this article in 3 passes.

  1. do in 1 page summary. It's Wednesday and I've got only 1 hour to summarize before everybody gets up.  So bug out criteria  so I can walk away early if need be:
    1. Intro with picture
    2. Conclusion with task
    3. lotsa points in middle
    4. Shortcuts: - steal from the website then fill in from the book. Watched the 5min video
    5. Stole format from Backlinko
    6. Still want the bit on sprints
  2. Get working, going to do on a 1week trial basis.

Hopefully get most of the benefits immediately.

Information

From the website video:


Journal
  1. Initial setup
    1. Brain Dump
      1. Imodium for the mind
      2. at end of journal
      3. Ideas
        1. Me: Roles
        2. What want, 5 whys
        3. Maybes
        4. Information overload cant see all
        5. Next significant step
        6. Bug out bag
        7. Sprints
        8. Easiest wins - reframe to make initial task impossible to fail
        9. Pretend to be 90 -  what regrets?
          1. What is "death" of each age? Child, teen, party, marriage, children, teens, leave home, etc
          2. what regrets of each age?
        10. Start again at each age - what advice?
        11. Decision fatigue - what decisions each day? How streamline?
        12. Task invaders
        13. Tasks
          1. Currently working on
          2. SHOULD be working on
            1. Consequences if neglected
            2. Regular? How long can neglect?
          3. WANT to be working on
        14. Seinfeildian lists
        15. Sub-tasks
      4. Write for future self
  2. The Promise
    1. What I want
  3. Index
    1. At start, contents pages, good to have L and R (ie a "spread")
    2. Number pages thru book
    3. Have list of stuff, then indent for sub-stuff eg subgoals
      1. if getting too much indenting, may need separate collection page,  can just go start a new collection page
      2. good to list where brainstorm page is (even tho back of book)
    4. Over time gives you overview of where you spend your time, what you TRULY rather than what you think you value. 
  4. Future Log
    1. Next spread, chop into 12 wks (he 6mths but this a sprint)
    2. (maybe a year overview, then 90day)
    3. Put into index/contents too
  5. Monthly log
    1. L page days on lines 1-30, and MTWTFSS, lines of week
    2. R page task list
      1. stuff floating in head
    3. put into index
    4. Tracking:
      1. Use key and symbol eg G for gratitude done this day, U for actually remembered to use this system this day, I for set intentions start of day, L for Lessons. 
      2. Systems
        1. Score: Can put on monthly and get score for each.
        2. Seinfeildian
        3. Agile Sprint
        4. Envelope Budget
        5. Gantt
  6. Daily
    1. Date at top, page at bottom
    2. Do each day as go along cos don't know how long will be. Scheduled will be in monthly?
    3. Each entry a task, an event (to happen, or a memory that want), or a note, so put bullet of dot, circle or dash for each, and maybe a star if important and exclaimation if cool. Me: Task, Schedule (and put in time), Memory, Idea. TSMI.
    4. ?Daily intention at start of day
      1. Wanna do
        1. Also gonna include the Law of Attraction stuff here - what was the questions to ask? What have I not spotted yet that shows money has been coming easily, enjoyably and plentifully to me?
    5. Daily reflection at end of day
      1. What not done - zombie tasks/obligations, hommonsters
      2. lessons, thoughts about events
        1. Lessons can be warnings about obstacles discovered and workarounds, shortcuts discovered, cool shit that uncovered. (O, S, C)
        2. Can feel like shit after, so...
      3. summary, good, bad, gratitude
        1. slows down time
      4. Ie: Z, H, L (OSC), G zombies, homs, lessons (Obstacles, Shortcuts, Cool), gratitude.
      5. Prep for next day
      6. (Can do these as part of migration step as well)

    6. Extends as far as want, can be half pages or whatever.
    7. Don't draw in ahead. Anything ahead goes in monthly or future log.
    8. End of day, or whenever feel like it, can re-shuffle so eg goes to future log 
  7. Migration
    1. What to put in next monthly log
      1. At end of month look at future page, previous monthly page, daily page, brainstorm page
      2. Migrate over the new tasks for  month.
        1. Look at the daily tasks and cross out completed
        2. Completes: tick em' off.
        3. Incompletes:
          1. Get rid of ZOMBIE tasks - tasks that have died but still in list, sucking at your brain.
            1. Zombie tasks are ones that just faded away
            2. Zombie obligations are ones that you should do... until you actually analyse them and realize there's no payoff, no consequences, no... anything.
          2. What are HOM Monsters (tasks that Hanging Over Me)?
            1. Why procrastinating on this stuff?
            2. Assassination Sprint?
        4. Bottomless Task list
          1. Finish criteria - and keep that promise
            1. time, criteria, etc
          2. Cross the buggers off on month list so can see done
        5. Good stuff
          1. Put right arrow beside stuff that transferring, then put into new month
          2. If due months from now, put into left arrow and put into future log instead.
        6. In monthy, prioritize the buggers
        7. And put other bits in the appropriate collection
      3. Yearly - good to get new journal
  8. Collection / Project
    1. Fresh spread
    2. Title
    3. Put into index with page number
    4. Stack is cluster of collections
    5. Threading: 
      1. Often have fragments of collections thru journal.
      2. So as do new collection or fragment, on start of fragment put where the previous fragment page number was so easily find where came from
      3. Also go back to the previous fragment, at the end of it put page of where this fragment is.
      4. This way if go back to 1st fragment, easy to read through and follow logic of topic
    6. Examples
      1. Goals
      2. Random ideas
      3. Project ideas
      4. Particular projects
  • Projects
    1. Thoughts
      1. Projects can be just distractions with no value
      2. Research can be rabbit hole of procrastination
      3. Interuptions and rabbit holes prevented with bug out bag
      4. Viability test
      5. What sacrificing to make room for this?
      6. Time estimate at start. Will be laughably wrong.
      7. Micro-tasks to fit in whereever.
      8. Failure gives shortcuts
        1. Only need 50% to pass
        2. In investing, 5% is adequate, 100% is delusional.
        3. What minimum to be considered a success
        4. Make hard to fail. Rig the system. CHEAT.
      9. How improve value to world, myself
      10. How enjoy process? Or select only ones that enjoy process of.
      11. Comfort zone - only need to go to slight edge, otherwise won't go there again
      12. Build up endurance initially, not as much woosh and bang.
    2. Begin
      1. Pick something that appeals.
      2. Can just do fast without overanalysis.
      3. Why do this? What outcomes?
        1. Desired imperfections: what get job done and still look flawed?
          1. The don't do list.
      4. How long generally take to do a project? How many fit in this year?
    3. Goals
      1. Even if achieve a hundred dollars instead of a million - who cares?
      2. Goals collection
        1. One day I'll...
      3. 5-4-3-2-1
        1. Sort goals into these categories
        2. 5 year goals
        3. 4 month goals
        4. 3 week goals
        5. 2 day goals
        6. 1 hr goals
        7. Prioritize ABC and select and put into journal
        8. DONT revisit this until goals are complete cos distract.
      4. Don't multi-task mid task.
        1. Attention residue
        2. Zeigenarken effect with waiter
      5. Me: Do balance roles, so even spread of tasks through life.
        1. Otherwise neglect areas and they WILL impinge.
        2. Whack a mole.
    4. SPRINTS
      1. Bug out bag.
        1. So can finish almost before start
        2. EXTERNAL results
      2. MVP to test if makes happy
      3. Easy begin, minimal cost
      4. smash-outable tasks
      5. impact-confidence-ease/enjoy
        1. Impact: Why do it
          1. positive vs negative
          2. real world vs emotional - both impt
          3. short / long term, in day
          4. self/others
        2. Minimum definition of success
      6. Time estimate:
        1. over-estimate the time
      7. Pre-emptive strikes on hurdles
        1. but balance just-in-time vs just-in-case
        2. balance over-preparation with just getting done.
        3. prioritize the ones that scare you/that actually impact.
        4. (RISK prevent/during/damage control)
      8. Task invaders
        1. Some bad - find soln
        2. Some feedback
        3. Some provide shortcuts or better options
        4. Some irrelevant.
          1. Zombie
          2. Hom
          3. Flaw Portal During
          4. Flaw Portal After
      9. Testing vs Failing
        1. only small so no hurt feelings
        2. Lessons learned
        3. Small steps, pg 183 of 327 - Sword of 1000 cuts. Each cut minimal risk/effort/time
        4. Flaw Portaling
          1. Before task, anything above the bug out bag is a flaw portal ie a shortcut to results that if dropped gets you there sooner. Nice to have but is on way.
          2. During and after task, anything perfect can only give incremental results. Anything imperfect or unexpected creates portal to new methodology.
  • HOM Monster Assassination Plan
    1. HOM Monsters are those tasks that have been hanging over you for ages (Hanging-Over-Me Monsters)
      1. Make a list of them.
        1. What are the payoffs?
          1. What good will happen when they're complete?
          2. What bad will happen if just deleted?
            1. If hard to answer, why did you take on the task in the first place? (Shows hidden payoffs)
          3. 5 whys. 1st payoff: why? then why that? then why that? 5x.
        2. Which ones are Zombie Tasks and Zombie Obligations?
          1. ZOOP, gone. Put on the "Don't do list".
        3. Easier Alternative ways to the payoff?
          1. Bug out bag - shrink the bastard. Don't do it "properly", do it "resultingly".
          2. How enjoy process.
          3. Don't overthink this stuff.
        4. Wanna do 1000 cuts or a sprint?
          1. For defined negative stuff ie HOMs do sprint with 1000 cuts inside it
            1. For undefined positive projects eg Make Money do 1000 cuts with sprints inside it
          2. Sprint
            1. Define the Assassination Mission, task list
              1. What's the finish line? Bug out Bag? Easy Wins?
          3. 1000 Cuts
            1. Multiple shallow slices, bug out of each task
              1. Best if "I got 20" not "I got 20 but didn't do the last 5". ie want blue sky tasks not ceilinged tasks.
                1. Tracking: 


  • Tools
    1. Bug out bag
      1. sprint criteria so can finish almost immediately with a really crap result
      2. Prevents rabbit holes

    3. Search for meaning
      1. Question Filters:
        1. Why am I doing this? Payoff? Zombie/homs?
        2. We actually don't  know what makes us happy. Pretty crappy at it.
          1. viability tests - family fun times, million multi-tasks/balls juggle
        3. We really over-estimate over-frightened of the pain of change.
          1. so small changes don't scare us as much so small incrimental improvements won't block us as much.
      2. Exercise
        1. 10min write down what happen if go down comfortable path on now - each stage of life over next 30yr. What happens as each phase of you "dies", what regrets.
        2. 10min write down what happen if chose alternative path.
        3. Write as if written by future you. "I regretted never taking up tap dancing in my 50s". Then write a message to the future you when re-read this in 2-3yrs time.

      1. Incompletes:
        1. Why





    Step by Step Instructions

    Here is where I hold your hand and walk you through the next 15 minutes.
    1. Number bottom right of every right page, so actually numbering spreads
    2. Brain Dump
      1. Go to back of notebook and dump ideas
        1. Bug Out Bag
          1. Current Homs
          2. Current Projects
        2. Flaw Portals
          1. Sig Soln
          2. Roles
          3. Phases of Life

    3. Promise
      1. First page: Capture Attention
        1. Bug Out  Bag
          1. Ignore
        2. Flaw Portal
          1. Formulas
            1. Backlinko
            2. Wanna
    4. Index
      1. Spread  2 and 3
        1. Bug Out Bag
        2. Flaw Portals
    5. 6 Month
      1. Spread  2 and 3
        1. Bug Out Bag
          1. L Schedule
          2. R Projects and Homs
        2. Flaw Portals
    6. 1 Month
      1. Spread  2 and 3
        1. Bug Out Bag
          1. L schedule
          2. R Projects and Homs
        2. Flaw Portals
          1. Score: Can put on monthly and get score for each.
          2. Seinfeildian
          3. Agile Sprint
          4. Envelope Budget
          5. Gantt
    7. 1 Week
      1. Spread  2 and 3
        1. Bug Out Bag
          1. Divide into 8
            1. Intention at top: 
            2. Tasks in middle: TSMI, Task, Schedule, Memory, Idea
            3. Review at bottom: Z, H, L (OSC), G zombies, homs, lessons (Obstacles, Shortcuts, Cool), gratitude.
        2. Flaw Portals
    8. Project Collection
    9. HOM collection
    10. Dailies

    In Summary:


    So here's been a bunch of ideas and a mega-brief walkthru to get you started. Where are YOU going to start? Will you create a HOM Monster Assasination Plan? Or does a Signature System sound more appealing?

    Whereever you want to begin, grab a piece of paper right now and start scabbling down whatever  ideas are in your head.

    And if you make a billion dollars from this, send me a packet of white chocolate Tim Tams.

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