In this first lesson of Bullet Journal Beginners, we start with the first thing you’ll find in just about any bullet journal (after the cover page): The Key.
Why is the key important? Because it houses the signifiers that comprise the bullet journal method. While many experienced bullet journalists rarely reference their own key, beginners start with one for one very simple reason:
It’s your key to understanding rapid logging. And rapid logging is the whole point of bullet journaling.
So, let’s get into it.
Watch the video to see a little bit of the action.
Or visit it here.
The Key
The Task Properties
The first five signifiers in the key reflect how tasks work in your bullet journal.
- Bullet – The signifier of a task that needs to be done.
- X – The signifier of a task that has been completed.
- Right Arrow – The signifier that a task is migrated.
- Left Arrow – The signifier that a task is scheduled.
- Strikethrough – The signifier that a task is no longer relevant.
So, when we’re actually writing in a journal, we start with a simple approach:
Write a task down and put a dot next to it. That tells you it is “open” and needs to be done.
When it’s done, put an X over the dot to signify it as done.
This feels just like any to-do list, right?
Now, here’s where the real magic happens.
What happens when you don’t get a task done on that day? If you think you still need to do that task, then you have two options:
Migrate or Schedule.
1. Migrate
To migrate means to send it forward in time and in your journal to the next available space. So, in other words, tomorrow. The arrow guides you to see where it should go next.
Why this is valuable: When you have a migration signifier in your journal, it lets Future You know that you’re still planning to take care of it when you review your previous entries.
Once you put the arrow next to the task, recopy that task into its new location.
How you will use this: At the start of your day, when you’re planning it out, look at yesterday and see if anything is still “open”. If so, and you want to do that task today, then migrate it forward, but putting the forward arrow next to that open task and recopying it under TODAY as a new task.
Schedule
The other option is to schedule the task and put it in a particular place. The arrow points backward in your journal to send you back to your month’s task list or even further back to your Future Log, which is where you record the year’s main stuff.
Why this is valuable: This lets your Future You know that, not only did you not do this task, but it was one that you plan to do sometime in the future. So Future You can plan to include it then.
Once you put the left-facing arrow next to your task, Schedule the task by recopying it into a Month or Future List.
How you will use this: To get those important but not urgent tasks that occur in your life. Things that you want to get done soon, but don’t see yourself doing tomorrow. This keeps you from copying the same task for five days in a row…
The Other Signifiers
- The Dash – The signifier for a note
- The Circle – The signifier for an event
- The Asterisk – The signifier for a priority
These other signifiers are valuable to rapid logging, but don’t revolve around tasks—so we use them to highlight other information.
Why this is valuable: Your bullet journal isn’t simply a massive to-do list. Nor is it a simple calendar. It collects a great deal of information. So we include notes to collect ideas and thoughts you want Future You to see and remember. We also recall events and things Future You will think are important.
How you will use them: Depending on how you journal, these signifiers are used to keep track of information so that your brain knows where to look for it.
Rapid Logging
You now have all the tools necessary to begin bullet journaling! These signifiers are the core to how the bullet journal method functions.
You quickly write down information as it comes to you throughout the day. And you use these different signifiers to make note of how that information will aid you in the future.
Literally everything else about the bullet journal stems from the process of how one processes their information. Once we get more accustomed to how these signifiers can work in action, then we can start dealing with the rest of the journal.
The Quick-Start Bullet Journal
To set up a basic bullet journal in about 90 seconds, check out this quick start guide that should get you up and running in seconds.
Next Lesson
In our next lesson, we’ll expand on the ideas of scheduling and migrating as we dig into setting up the Monthly Log.