Bullet Journal Guide

Discover the Bullet Journal

A notebook to suit your needs

Would you like to keep your lists together, find your ideas more easily or track certain habits? The Bullet Journal offers a way to organise all of this in one notebook.

This guide introduces the basics and a few page ideas to help you choose what might be useful to you. You can start with just a few things, then add to your notebook as you use it.

What is a Bullet Journal?

The Bullet Journal is a method created by Ryder Carroll. He developed it to help manage the attention and organisational difficulties associated with his ADHD, using a notebook and a pen.

You use it to record tasks, appointments, ideas and moments from your day. Then you review your notes to see what is done, what still matters and what you would like to move forward.

A Bullet Journal can also hold memories and longer pieces of writing. It can therefore work alongside the practices introduced in our journaling guide.

What would you like to record or track?

Before setting up your pages, take a few minutes to think about your needs.

What would you like to find more easily?
Your tasks, ideas, book recommendations, dates…

What would you like to organise better?
Your week, a trip, a project, paperwork…

Is there anything you would like to track?
Your mood, sleep, reading or a habit you would like to build…

Choose one or two priorities to start with.

For example:

I would like to keep my tasks in one place and observe my mood throughout the month.

You do not need to plan every page from the start. After a few days, you will have a better sense of what is missing and what you can do without.

A notebook you already own and a pen are enough to give it a try.

The symbols

Each entry begins with a symbol that shows what kind of information you are recording. This set of symbols is called the key. You can copy it at the beginning of your notebook.

Symbol	Meaning	Example
•	Task to do	• Return the books
○	Event or appointment	○ Lunch with Léa
–	Note or idea	– Gift idea: a notebook
×	Completed task	× Return the books
>	Task moved to the new month or a collection	> Sort the bookshelves
<	Task scheduled in the Future Log	< Renew the subscription

When a task is completed or moved, replace its dot with the corresponding symbol. If it is no longer needed, cross out the line.

You can also add an asterisk (*) to the left of a task to mark it as a priority. Start with the symbols you find useful and keep your key easy to read.

The basic pages and what they are for

The method is built around four elements. Each has a role in recording information or helping you find it again.

The Index — finding a page

The Index is your notebook’s table of contents. Add topics and their page numbers as you go.

It allows you to create a page whenever you need one, without setting aside a whole section of your notebook for each topic.

For example:

• October: pages 5–6

• Books to read: page 12

• Trip planning: pages 18–20

If your book list continues later in the notebook, simply add the new page number to the Index.

The Future Log — keeping information for later

The Future Log holds dates and tasks for the coming months.

Is it October, but you already have an appointment in December? Write it here, even if you have not set up your December pages yet.

Leave a space for each month. When you start a new month, check that space for any relevant information.

The Monthly Log — seeing the month as a whole

The Monthly Log brings together a calendar and a task list.

In the basic layout, the dates are written in a column on one page. Tasks for the month go on the facing page.

This helps you distinguish between things with a specific date and things you would like to do when you have time.

For example:

• In the calendar: “15 — Books due back”.

• In the task list: “• Sort the bookshelves”.

The Daily Log — recording things day by day

The Daily Log holds your tasks, events and notes under the day’s date.

Monday 5 October

• Return the books
○ Lunch with Léa at 12:30
– Add her book recommendation to my list

The next day, continue in the space available. One day may take a few lines, another a whole page.

Reviewing and taking stock

Return to your pages regularly to keep them up to date. Ryder Carroll suggests reviewing them in the morning and evening.

At the end of the month, look at unfinished tasks. Decide which ones you want to carry into the next month, schedule for later or drop. Use the symbols in your key to show what you have done with them.

This process is called migration. It helps you avoid automatically copying tasks that no longer matter.

Check your Future Log too, and bring across any appointments and tasks for the month ahead.

Trackers

A tracker is a page you fill in over time to keep a record of something. You might use one to observe your mood, sleep or certain habits.

Before choosing one, ask yourself:

What would I like to understand better or keep track of?

One tracker is enough to start with. You can try others if you feel the need.

The mood tracker — keeping track of how you feel

A mood tracker helps you keep a record of how you feel.

Choose a few words — happy, calm, sad, stressed — and give each one a colour or symbol. Each day, fill in a box or write down a word.

A short note, such as “busy day” or “afternoon with friends”, can help you remember the context when you look back.

Your mood may change throughout the day. You can use two colours or add a few words if a single box feels too limiting.

The sleep tracker

A sleep tracker lets you record your bedtime and waking time, how long you sleep or how you feel when you wake up.

Choose the information that interests you; there is no need to record everything. You could start by noting each morning whether you had a good, average or difficult night.

The habit tracker

A habit tracker lets you tick off the days when you do an activity: reading, walking, stretching or taking a moment to write.

Be clear about what you want to record. “Read a few pages” is easier to track than a vague goal such as “read more”.

A habit can also be weekly. Your chart does not need a box to tick every day.

Other ideas to suit your needs

Tracker	What you can record
Energy	Your energy level at a chosen time of day: low, medium or high.
Reading	The days you read, books you are currently reading or books you have finished.
Physical activity	The type of activity, outings or how long they last.
Spending	The date, amount and category of your purchases.

Choosing a layout that is easy to use

A list of dates, a few boxes or a small table is enough. You can also colour in a drawing if you enjoy that format and find it easy to read.

Include a clear key. An empty box can simply mean “not recorded”.

After a while, ask yourself:

Is this tracker teaching me anything? Do I want to keep using it?

You can keep it, simplify it or try a different one.

Sometimes a list is enough

If you want to keep the titles of books people recommend, a “Books to read” page will do the job.

If you want to see how often you read, a tracker may be useful.

Choose the format that suits the information you want to keep.

Making your notebook your own

Adding useful pages

A book list, gift ideas, trip planning or project notes can each have a page of their own.

These pages are called Custom Collections. Give them a title and add their page number to the Index.

You can also try a weekly layout if you need to see your whole week at a glance.

Add these pages when you need them. Their format can change from one month to the next.

Making room for decoration

A colour for your headings, a strip of washi tape, a stamp or a few stickers can make a page enjoyable to return to.

You can also draw, add mementos or choose a theme. Leave enough room to write and read your notes easily.

Some pages will be very simple, others more detailed, depending on your time and what you feel like doing.

Finding what works for you

After using your notebook for a few days, take a moment to look through it:

• Which pages have helped you?

• Which ones have you not used?

• Is there anything you would like to add or simplify?

And if you take a break, start again with today’s date. A few notes are enough to get going again.

Would you like to try it together?

Bullet Journal workshops are being planned at KAMI. They will be an opportunity to discover the method in a small group, ask questions and start a notebook that suits your needs.

Dates and practical information will be announced on the website.

This KAMI guide introduces the basics of Ryder Carroll’s method, with examples to help you get started. To explore further, visit the official Bullet Journal resources.