Bullet Journal In Evernote
- Bullet Journal Evernote Moleskine
- Bullet Journal No Evernote
- How To Set Up A Bullet Journal
- How To Create A Bullet Journal In Evernote
- Can Evernote Be Used As A Journal
The moment I discovered Ryder Carroll’s Bullet Journal, I fell in love.
Elegant and inspiring, the Bujo simply integrates appointments, activities, ideas, and goals. It eases the crush of to-dos that never get done. The index organizes daily, monthly and long-term lists, sketches, collections of ideas – whatever information you want to memorialize – in one handy location.
I loved the system. But paper has never really worked for me. I struggled to find the right notebook and pens that wouldn’t smear or bleed. Bujo Pinterest boards distracted me, I clicked through literally hundreds of images each more elaborate than the last. I wasted reams of grid paper trying to find the perfect layout.
Evernote has a free plan, which is more than enough for using the program as a Bullet Journal. If you upload a lot of things to Evernote, or want to email info to Evernote, you probably will want to upgrade to a paid membership. If you use Chrome or Firefox, be sure. I use my Bullet Journal as an analog capture tool & short range productivity planner (1 week or less, a few monthly lists) and Evernote is a digital capture tool, reference filing, and long range planning. Some more details: BULLET JOURNAL.
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In the end, my Bujo typically sat unopened on my desk while I tapped away at my computer, using Evernote to organize novel and freelance ideas, clip articles from websites, record business-related information, organize images, presentations, recipes, and more.
I didn’t make the connection until someone in a minimalist Bullet Journal Facebook group posted an article from a website that is now under construction. I wish I could share the link and credit my inspiration; this is the best I can do.
Bullet Journal Evernote Moleskine
In any case, here’s how I’ve spun those ideas into a system that I not only enjoy but use every day, a system that has made me more productive and offers endless inspiration.
Bullet Journal No Evernote
The Concept
I’m going to explain this backwards. I started with a single note – a combined Daily/Weekly Log. But my Evernote Bullet Journal lives in a “stack”, or a collection of notebooks that has evolved over time. (Learn more about notebooks and stacks here.) I keep my Daily, Monthly, and Future Logs and Habit Tracker in a notebook called *Bujo Daily (the asterisk moves the notebook to the top of the stack).
Bujo Archive, Bujo Collections, Bujo Ideas, and Bujo Templates complete my Bullet Journal stack. I use the “Top List” view so that I can see and easily access all the notes in my notebook while I’m working.
Here’s how the notes and notebooks break down:
Daily/Weekly Log
I used the Evernote table tool and onyxandindigo.com design to create this hybrid log. The two column table has 15 rows (I combine Saturday/Sunday). On my Mac, Evernote limits table creation to six rows, but it’s simple to add rows – just Control+click inside a cell.
My Daily note has a little more structure than a standard Bujo. That’s not because I’m a structured person, it’s because I’m lazy. Rapid logging in a traditional Bullet Journal requires using symbols, which takes some extra effort on a keyboard. My gratitude list numbers automatically, as do the check boxes in my schedule section. And it seemed easier to create a bulleted list of “Reflections” than to figure out how to create an eye (exploration), or type an exclamation point (inspiration) or asterisk (priority).
Like I said, lazy.
Index & Collections
The standard Bullet Journal Index page helps you find information in your notebook. You simply write down a topic – or Collection – and record the page numbers related to that topic. Even though Evernote doesn’t have numbered pages, it does have one spectacular feature you can use to create your Index and Collections: Copy Note Link.
The note link includes the note title (how awesome is that?), so it’s just a matter of copying and pasting.
Because Evernote has an endless number of pages, I felt an Index could become unwieldy, so instead, I set up a numbered Table of Contents. It’s included in my primary notes, it connects virtually every note in my Bujo, and it looks like this:
Monthly/Future Logs
Have I mentioned how much I love the Evernote table tool? My monthly log is an 8 column, 8 row numbered table. I use it to list birthdays, holidays, special events, important deadlines or appointments:
It took me a while to create a Future Log, and I’m still tinkering. I think of it as my “big picture” space to record major project deadlines and prepare for travel and other milestone events. Copy Note Link keeps this space connected to my project Collections:
Evernote needs one more feature, in my humble opinion, to make it the perfect Bujo space: a way to link notebooks and stacks. You can create a note with the same title as its notebook and copy that link to your Index – the note opens inside the notebook or experiment with adding saved search links.
Templates
When I started with Evernote, I copied and pasted entire the previous notes to start a new week or month. This involved a great deal of deleting and a little swearing. Then I stumbled across Uncovering Templates, the Hidden Gem of Evernote. Now I move the completed note to my archive notebook and copy a blank note to my Bujo Daily notebook:
So that’s how I Bujo, Evernote style. This is still a work in progress. I welcome questions and comments – leave a note here or find me on Facebook. I’d also love to know how you’re using Evernote as a Bullet Journal.
I’ve been using the Bullet Journal System (Bujo) and Getting Things Done (GTD) for awhile now. This year’s review of my merging of these methodologies have resulted in a few new opportunities now that I’ve included Rockebooks into the mix.
GTD and The Bullet Journal System
I adhere precisely to The Bullet Journal Systemwith no creative variations. No habit tracking, no elaborate designs or meticulously designed spreads. Does this make me a minimalist? No, I just use the system as it was intended. While social media loves artfully laid out spreads I use the system exactly as described in the website. Pencil to paper, usually in a basic notebook.
Getting Things Done is the methodology I use to process everything. Capture, Clarify, Organize, Reflect and Engage with what I need to do.
The capturing process is where they differ. I mostly prefer Rapid Logging. GTD is flexible and adaptable with loose sheets of paper ready to be processed as non-linear actions. BuJo works best in a linear notebook. Merging the two has become personal process and here’s how I’ve evolved the two.
My Combined Methodology
Capture and Collect Everything as I discover what needs to be done.
- Inbox tray, everything analog
- Email, text messages, Basecamp, Twitter, everything digital
- Next Actions Lists & Project Lists
- Calendar items and deadlines
Clarify what comes next, I clear my inboxes once a day or as often as needed to keep current.
- GTD’s Two Minute Rule, if it takes two minutes do it now.
- Gather everything into a single place. This varies. Sometimes it’s my Bullet Journal’s Daily Log, or a Rocketbook spread.
- Not actionable yet? I’ll trash it, place it on a Projects List or archive it as reference.
I don’t stare at my inbox constantly, I process the items or perform the action. Ideally, I’ll let the inbox sit and gather several unprocessed items before it needs my attention.
Organize
- Update Projects Lists with new information or to-do items, keep them current and when possible in one place.
- Migrate a single next task for each project to a Next Action List, anything that could be done right now but only one!
Weekly Review
- Every week I review all my projects
- I review my Bullet Journal’s Daily Log
- Review what I’ve finished
- Verify there are no open loops or unfinished actions.
- If I need to follow up on something I’ll place a note in the Bujo’s Daily Log or a sheet of paper placed into the in tray, Often I jot it on a single Rocketbook page then place that in my In-Tray for clarifying later.
Engage by moving each project forward by it’s next action
- Perform the next action for each project on the list
- Update that action’s Project list, add that projects next task to the Next actions list.
- Decide to keep working on that project or move onto another next action from the list.
My method is to engage with My Next Actions Lists in such a way that I review all that needs to be done often enough maintain a big picture outlook on all my projects. I may dive further into a project and tackle a few more items or simply do the one action. By looping though the process I am able to keep non-linear lists current and drill down into any one of them at a time of my choosing.
What’s Best? A Rocketbook, a Journal, Evernote?
The short answer is all of them. While re-reading Getting Things Done and reflecting on the last few months of this pandemic I realized that there is no single system that does everything perfectly for my needs. Chances are you feel the same way.
I’ve found that a Bullet Journal excels at linear organization by Rapid Logging everything that is on my mind. However, it fails in keeping all the non-linear and digital items from slipping by. I’ll create a two page spread for a new project only to discover a few hours later that the project has concluded leaving me with nearly two empty pages. It’s a bit of a waste. It takes up physical space in the book between other ongoing projects.
How To Set Up A Bullet Journal
My Rocketbooks excel at non-linear and temporary collections or Project Lists. Over the course of the last couple weeks I’ve create a spread in any one of them and upon review a project discover it’s not longer needed. I’ll archive the pages in Evernote and during a weekly review decide if there are any next actions.
However, If the project was particularly important or insightful I’ll migrate key information back to my Bullet Journal.
The failures of Rocketbooks are also the features that make them invaluable. While fantastic for capturing notes and daily activities they are temporary and never intended to be used as an archive. Evernote allows me to archive their contents but once erased from the page are not as easily accessed as flipping through my Bullet Journal.
Monthly Future Logs, Someday Lists, and other long term information won’t work well in a Rocketbook as they need to be completely erased within a few weeks or risk the ink permanently staining the page.
How To Create A Bullet Journal In Evernote
While Evernote is invaluable as an archive reference, it really sucks for casual reading. That’s where the Bullet Journal takes over.
Yearly Reviews
Every December I review everything I did and didn’t do that year. I’ve found that a Bullet Journal is ideal for this task a single A5 notebook if maintained properly takes me from 12 to 14 months to fill up making it ideal to browse my life page by page, project by project.
Can Evernote Be Used As A Journal
My process has become a funnel of sorts. I collect tasks from a dozen or so sources daily and organize them onto a page and refining them into a single place where the actions are precisely organized.
Current Status- Listening to: 'Tenderness (Live)' by 'General Public' on 'Hand To Mouth'
Joseph Dickson is a web developer in higher education and an avid proponent of using WordPress’ core features to create flexible and manageable design solutions.
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