Mastering the Bullet Journal: Future Log

A bit underrated but a critical part of the Bullet Journal. The Future Log is one of the first pages of your Bullet Journal. By the name itself, we know that what we need to write down or list down here are events (or the like) that fall outside of the current month.

In the Mastering series, we will discuss tips and tricks on how to maximize the use of each module. If you consider yourself a novice practitioner of the bullet journal method, this is the place where we can share how we can successfully use the system. 

Read all about the Future Log in the Bullet Journal Basics series here.

Number of Months in Future Log

You have probably seen a variety of Future Log layouts. Some have 6 months in their future log and some have the entire calendar year. Ryder advises six months just in case you run out of pages in the middle of the year. If you are confident that you wouldn’t be writing as much, you can layout 12 months or the whole calendar year so that you have an instant birds-eye-view of the the upcoming months.

The number of months that you allocate in the Future Log can also depend on the type of notebook that you use. If it’s a thin notebook, like the Traveler’s Notebook inserts (64 pages), you might just need 2-3 months in your future log. If you use a Traveler’s Notebook for your Bullet Journal, you might use one insert for “longterm” collections and another for the monthly and the daily logs. You can add the Future Log in that insert that is staple in the TN and allocate space for the entire year.

Move “scheduled” items from the Monthly/Daily Log to your Future Log

One of the primary bullet journal keys is the “<“, which means “Scheduled” or “moved to the Future Log”. Take the example in the image above, you find out on October 23 that your Site Presentation is due on December 23rd.

What you do is:

1. Write down “Site Presentation: Dec 23” in your October 23 daily log (as you would with any other entry)
2. At the end of the day (or when you have time), review the items on October 23
3. Mark Site Presentation: Dec 23 with a “<” symbol
4. Go to your Future Log and list down Site Presentation in the December section

Use the Future Log for things you are waiting on

The Future Log is usually the home of future events, appointments, and future deadlines. These are events that are often inevitable – like birthdays, holidays, etc. We list these things down so that we have a reminder every time we flip to our Future Log spread.

The Future Log can be more than just page of future events – you can use it to track the things that you are looking forward to in the future.

One simple example would be your online shopping purchases or mail. We don’t really wait long for the mail to arrive but this is something that we easily forget. If you have purchased a lot online (yes, especially on Amazon), there are times when we lose track of what we have purchased and when they will be arriving. We know when our shipment will be arriving but we are sometimes surprised when it arrives at our doorstep.

What you are “waiting on” isn’t limited to shipments, it can also be a time-bound milestone. Let’s say it’s January 2020 and you want to lose 20 pounds by March 2020, you can write that down in your Future Log. This habit can motivate you or remind you of the action items that you need to do to reach your goal.

Digital Calendar as an Alternative

You can opt out of the Future Log and use a digital calendar (on your phone, laptop, or email) if that is what works best for you.

A digital calendar is fast, easily accessible, and automated (reminders, for example). If your calendar is linked to your email, you can easily add an event to your calendar. You can easily access your calendar and even share it to your friends and family so that they are aware of your schedule. These are a few key advantages of using a digital calendar.

See this snippet in the FAQ section of The Bullet Journal Method,

Q: How do I use a digital calendar with the Bullet Journal

A: You can use a digital calendar to replace your Future Log. During the day, capture any dates in your Daily Log, and then when you get a moment, like during Daily Reflection, add them to your calendar.

The Future Log is straightforward and might be the least complicated module of the Bullet Journal. It also one of the modules that heavily competes with the digital alternatives (i.e. digital calendars). The Future Log can be a powerful tool especially when practicing daily and monthly reflections (or reviews) of your bullet journal.