The Bullet Journal Method Book Summary - The Bullet Journal Method Book explained in key points
Listen to the Intro
00:00

The Bullet Journal Method summary

Ryder Carroll

Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future

4.3 (193 ratings)
26 mins
Table of Contents

    The Bullet Journal Method
    summarized in 8 key ideas

    Audio & text in the Blinkist app
    Key idea 1 of 8

    Edit your tasks before you commit them to the page.

    Skim through the bullet journal hashtag on Instagram, and you’ll find over six million posts. That’s six million-plus images of crisp white notebook pages embellished with beautiful handwriting, intriguing symbols, and elaborate color-coding.

    These images may leave you itching to pick up a pen and paper. Resist the urge! The goal isn’t to mindlessly fill up pages. Your bujo, as bullet journals are often called, should be reserved only for what’s truly important to you.

    The key message is: Edit your tasks before you commit them to the page.

    Your bullet journal isn’t a regular notebook to be filled with random jottings that you never revisit. Used properly, a bujo is a tool to help you find your focus. And let’s face it, these days true focus can be hard to come by. Life is filled with distractions, like that pile of urgent emails in your inbox. And it’s saturated with choices, too, like the shows sitting in your Netflix queue. 

    Bullet journaling shouldn’t add to your stress. Instead, it should help you focus on what’s actually important so you can accomplish your authentic goals.

    That’s why the bujo process doesn’t start with journaling. It begins with a mental inventory designed to declutter your brain. Here’s how to do it:

    Take a loose sheet of paper and divide it into three columns. In the first column, list all the things you’re currently doing, both at work and in your personal life. In the second column, list all the things you should be doing. In the third, list all the things you want to be doing.

    This exercise might take a long time, and you might need more than one piece of paper. That’s fine! Keep going until your mind is emptied. 

    You’ll be left with a map of how you spend your days. In other words, you’ll see a snapshot of your time and the choices you’ve made about how you spend that time. Are they the choices you want to be making? Look at each task and ask yourself, is this task important to me? Is it necessary? If the answer is “no,” cross it off your inventory. It’s not going in your bujo. 

    Before you’ve even cracked your notebook open, you’ve learned one of bujo’s key lessons: what you leave out of your bullet journal is just as important as what you put in. 

    Want to see all full key ideas from The Bullet Journal Method?

    Key ideas in The Bullet Journal Method

    More knowledge in less time
    Read or listen
    Read or listen
    Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
    Find your next read
    Find your next read
    Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
    Shortcasts
    Shortcasts New
    We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

    What is The Bullet Journal Method about?

    The Bullet Journal Method (2018) by Ryder Carroll breaks down bullet journaling: the planning and productivity system your most organized friend is definitely already using. Use bullet journaling to clarify, prioritize, schedule, and reflect on your tasks and goals. You’ll never miss an appointment or lose track of a great idea again. 

    Who should read The Bullet Journal Method?

    • People who write to-do lists but never seem to finish them
    • Productivity pros keen to try the system that’s revolutionized personal planning
    • Dreamers who want to turn vague plans into a reality

    About the Author

    The digital designer and entrepreneur Ryder Carroll has been an avid journaler since he was a teenager struggling with an attention disorder. Over decades, Carroll refined his note-taking system into the bullet journal method. Since sharing his method with the world, Carroll has been highly sought after as a speaker and personal productivity expert.

    Categories with The Bullet Journal Method

    Books like The Bullet Journal Method

    People ❤️ Blinkist
    Sven O.

    It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

    Thi Viet Quynh N.

    Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

    Jonathan A.

    Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

    Renee D.

    Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.

    People also liked

    Start growing with Blinkist now
    26 Million
    Downloads on all platforms
    4.7 Stars
    Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
    91%
    Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
    *Based on survey data from Blinkist customers
    Powerful ideas from top nonfiction

    Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.

    Start your free trial