The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future

Beautifully insightful. Simple and yet incredible profound. I’ve very new to journaling - this book is a source inspiration and structure.

I enjoyed reading through the book, and thought there were some really useful takeaways. I have heard of the BuJo method before, so it was useful to run through and get a detailed breakdown of what it is and how it can work for you. One thing I will say is that I am a digital first person, all of my writing, planning, activity takes place online. I’m not sure that BuJo is easily transferable to the digital medium so it ultimately may not be as useful to me as it is to others.

I have always wished I could have just one notebook for everything but never thought this would be possible. I had a notebook for work stuff, another for my writing, another for favourite quotes, yet another for my reading list, a diary, & more besides! Everything had always felt disconnected & all the notebooks took up quite a lot of space on my shelves & in my drawers! Now, here at last, I have a way to keep everything in one notebook. Not only that, but the simple system connects everything, not only on the page, but in the way I think. I find the journaling practice of simplifying tasks is now something I do automatically when faced with a complicated challenge. The author’s advice to read through the whole book before beginning my own bullet journal proved a valuable one. There’s a lot to take in, but Carroll has a gift for conveying his ideas & system in a way that seems to seep into you. Really it just makes a whole lot of sense. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone looking to organise their life a little better, & more importantly, to anyone who wants to find greater clarity of thought.

A really useful compilation of ideas and tips from the creator of bullet journals himself. I had been improvising completely with my journal, and wanted to get some better structure in, so I decided to buy the book and see what he has to say. It is well presented, with clear sections and headings, indexes and diagrams. You can flip through and find interesting information scattered throughout, or if you are looking for something specific, there is a table of contents. The writing is light and easy to understand. The book itself is much bigger than expected and a bit heavy, but it is hard cover and quite decorative on the bookshelf.

I am new to bullet journaling and embarking on my first one. The system was recommended to me by a friend, and whilst researching it and becoming more and more convinced it was the system for me, I discovered that the creators book was due for release. Brilliant timing thinks I; I can get the book AND a notebook all at the same time. I wish I had just bought the book for a fraction of the cost and bought the notebook elsewhere. The book is brilliant. I like Ryder's writing style. It made the book captivating, and very easy to read; I consumed it in just 3 evenings. It thoroughly explains the system, both for novice users, and for those that want to take their bullet journaling to the next level. There are lots of personal, and real life examples within from contributors, which illustrate beautifully just how flexible and useful this system is; not just as a tool for organising and planning your life, but also as a tool for reflection and personal growth. It really is what you make of it, and it can be as simple or as complex as you need. Anything can be incorporated it. I'm really quite blown away by it's scope and have an enormous sense of 'finally, a system that works like my brain!' The big draw back, is the Leuchtturm1917 notebook that came with it. It is the recommended notebook on the official bullet journal website and one that comes highly rated by many bullet journallers. It is a beautiful looking notebook. So beautiful it almost feels criminal to deface it with ink! Yet I'm struggling to understand why it has got such a good reputation. I can only assume that at some point in the last couple of years, the paper quality has changed enormously. The pages are very thin. When I say thin, I mean you can see a page with writing on it, through at least two pages. Therefore the ghosting on each page is terrible. I honestly can't remember the time I used any notebook where it was this bad. It makes the notebook completely unfit for purpose as a bullet journal. I've tried a few pens on a test page (see photo, showing the reverse of that page). All the pens I've tried were recommended highly by experience bullet journallers as pens suitable for bullet journaling in the Leuchtturm1917, with either minimal or no bleed through or ghosting. Wondering whether the issue was perhaps just the notebook that came in this set, I checked the Leuchtturm1917 reviews, but it would appear to be a very widely experienced issue. That being the case I'm really struggling to understand why this hasn't been addressed, and why Ryder Carroll would include the Leuchtturm1917 in this set. Very disappointing. With a great notebook, this review for the The Bullet Journal Method Collector’s Set would easily have been a five star, but with that notebook, I feel I'm being generous to give it a 3. Buy the book, but look elsewhere for a notebook that is up to the job!

A great introduction to bullet journalling. Very clear and thorough.

Clear. Helpful. In praise of the analogue vs the digital. Not a magic solution because there aren’t any but a great method.

I've been a consumer of time management, life hack, prioritization, organizing, organizing for ADD, mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral systems and books for literally decades. Throughout it all, I've been remarkably productive ---I've been an exec at a major entertainment company, a writer, an Emmy winning producer, a novelist with a Big Five, and on leadership committees for various arts organizations. I've struggled with prioritization my entire life, something invisible to most who know me. This system has been an eye-opener. I was initially put off by the "BuJo" nickname, by a photo of the young author in his buttoned-up persona, and by the rigidity of the artwork and look of the journal examples. As if I didn't know better than to judge only the surface of things! I'm embarrassed by this admission!. Well, I got over myself and gave this thing a chance. Hello! I now put it up with the only other time management tool I recommend: How to Get Control of Your Time and Life by Alan Lakein. Like that book, Ryder Carroll's system isn't just about managing time, it's about really understanding what you want from life, where you are going, and how you actually spend your time. . And if the surface look of the examples does not speak to you, look past the tiny handwriting and instead, seek out variations on youtube and find what works for you. I could not recommend this more highly. This book is nothing short of profound.

The book is not necessary to bullet journal but I found it motivational and clarifying as a beginner to this excellent way of journalling.

Great way to organize your journaling but the book is fleshed out with some very insightful philosophical observations.

The text is good, although, I think you can pick-up most of the material from the free YouTube videos. I was a bit disappointed that I paid extra for the hardcover version, because I like my books to lie flat instead of fighting to hold them open, and this book turned out to be the same as the softcover version (the "perfect binding" method) just attached to the hard cover. I also heard that by paying more for the hardcover version you get a bullet journal notebook as a part of the set - but maybe it's not the case with Polish Amazon. Also, the cover was slightly scratched. Hence, 4 stars.

📝it's interesting that I read this book right after reading "Make Time." The Bullet Journal Method points out that we can't make time—we can only take it. Although we can't create more time, we can improve the quality of the time we use. This book not only teaches you how to bullet journal but, more importantly, provides insights into why you should do it and how it will benefit you. It will teach you about setting goals, focusing not on pursuing happiness but rather on meaningful tasks and objectives. A must read for those struggling with time management and consistency. ✍️ My Top 3 Quotes In the end it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years. - Abraham Lincoln We must take it upon ourselves to grow. We grow by learning. And we learn by daring to take action. There will always be risk because we can't control the outcome. This is the way of life and it's unavoidable. What is avoidable however is being perpetually haunted by all the things that could have been if you have only dared. Begin by giving yourself permission to believe you're worth the risk. - p.129 f Happiness is the result of our actions then we need to stop asking ourselves how to be happy. Rather we should be asking ourselves, How to be. - p.141

My bullet journal didn't "bullet". I bought an "official" Leutchtturm brand bullet journal, which was the most expensive journal I ever bought, but the quality was undeniable. Great binding, and probably the silkiest, creamiest paper I ever had the pleasure to try to write with in fountain pen ink. I had watched Ryder Carroll (the author of the book, and the accredited "creator" of the bullet method) on YouTube--the free ones--and read what tips and tricks came with my notebook, as well as any other tips and tricks I could find without signing up for Ryder Carroll's very expensive Bullet Journal workshops. Even if I could afford such a workshop, I don't think I care that much to make a journal the entire focus of my life. Which would indeed happen since I have such terrible organizational skills that this would HAVE to be my main focus. Which is why a system that was actually written by a man, who supposedly has ADHD like I do (late diagnosis) felt completely overwhelmed. Since I am now essentially retired and have actual physical reasons every day tasks can seem daunting, I was doomed to give up this attempt at journaling, along with every other journal or diary I've tried. Oddly enough, I do have been using a pocket calendar to write down all appointments, events, important-to-do's, my monthly spending, etc. So I CAN and do keep track of things that I need to keep track of. If you've ever seen Mr. Carroll on video--he comes across as such a positive and personal fellow, that you DO believe you can stop wasting time staring out the window at squirrels trying to climb over the bird feed baffle, and get things done now that I don't even have a job to worry about. I did read enough of the book, in bits and pieces so as not to scare myself, that my main takeaway is that I can use whatever works for me and leave the rest. Others may have bullet journals that would rival The Book of Kells, while others just pick up a notebook from the Dollar Tree and dig out a No. 2 pencil stub from under a couch cushion. Really over all, the method makes sense to me. I'm not sorry I bought the book. I got it on sale, and taken in small bits, it's less overwhelming. It's also nice to have something written to refer back on easily, without having to try to find it online or something. Unfortunately, I ripped out those pages in my beautiful Leuchtturm Bullet Journal that I mapped out and dated prematurely and those pages filled with complete nonsense because when I feel I have to write something of substance, I can't think of anything. Or as this review reveals, I ramble a lot. It was not easy to rip out those pages. As I said earlier, those things are bound very well. But Ryder says I can use ANY notebook. So, yeah, if you think you might want to try to a way to become more organized or keep track of present or future goals, and a record of your accomplished (or not accomplished) goals and achievements--get the book. Watch a few videos and what online information you can get without spending a bunch of money before you have any idea of your level of commitment. Borrow the book from the library (I did and didn't read it for the whole time I had it). Then, if you think Bullet Journaling might work for you, THIS is the book to get. It will be a basic guide for you, including ways you can personalize your journal so it works best for you. Many other guides, not written by Mr. Carroll, may be overwhelming for beginners not used to keeping any kind of journal or scrapbook or anything of the kind. You don't want to feel bad from the get go that you can't decorate your pages with your watercolor sketches of all the plants you found on that morning's nature walk. Neither do you want someone to tell you that you CAN'T.