Organizing Work Notes by Partially Using the Bullet Journal Method

We highly recommend using the Bullet Journal Method to keep track of things in a slightly more orderly manner than random post-its or planners that you probably won’t use.

If you are unaware of what the Bullet Journal Method is – it is an analog productivity system created by Ryder Carroll to help us become more organized, intentional, and mindful. We understand that the Bullet Journal Method isn’t a perfect system and might not work for everyone. However, there are a few techniques used in the Bullet Journal Method that can organize and change the way you use your work notebook.

Cram everything in one blank notebook

Keep your notes, your appointments, your to-do lists, and your sketches all in one notebook.

Why?

It’s easier to manage one notebook on your desk rather than having a planner on one side, post its on your monitor, and random pieces of paper everywhere.

Will cramming everything in one notebook be messy?

Without context, yes, it will look messy but we can adapt a few tricks from the Bullet Journal Method, you can make your work notebook organized – without breaking a sweat.

Create your own table of contents (aka Index and pagination)

Indexing might be one of the best ways to organize your notes. Basically, an Index is your notebook’s table of contents.

Sounds tedious? It seems daunting at first but once you get the hang of it, you will thank yourself.

The index lies in the first few pages of your notebook. For every new topic or page in your notebook, add a page number (if the notebook doesn’t have one) and write down the topic and then the page number in your Index page.

Try to update your index as you go along so that you won’t forget. Soon enough, you will be able to benefit from the index when you need to retrieve important information in the future.

Write in bullet points (aka Rapid Logging)

Capturing information during a meeting or while at work can be challenging sometimes – whether we use analog or digital tools.

The Bullet Journal Method encourages “rapid logging” which is a way to list down tasks and notes in clear and concise bullet points. It makes heavy use of “keys” to signify if a bullet point is a task, a note, or an event. The advantage of rapid logging is that you would not need to create a separate list for tasks/action items and your actual notes. The idea is that you write down everything that comes your way, in no particular order. Just make sure that you mark them correctly so that you can easily review them when you need to.

In the photo above, Ryder Carroll (creator of the Bullet Journal Method), illustrates the advantages of rapid logging vs. traditional note-taking methods.

Create a master list (aka Collection Pages)

Group items that have a similar topic using a collection page. A collection page in the bullet journal world is basically a “master list”. One perfect example of a collection page is a to-do list.

Link your pages (aka Threading)

Ok, so the idea is to cram everything in one notebook and write as you go along (rapid log), right? It will seem messy at first – that’s where the index comes in. But how about the notes that are related but spread out in your notebook?

Let’s say you have sketches for an app idea on page 8-9 and you have more sketches on page 15 – how do you “link” them?

In the Bullet Journal Method, there is this technique called “threading”, which is used to organize similar collections or ongoing projects.

All you need to do is write down the page number (of the related topic) next to the current page number of your notebook. Going back the sketches example, on page 15 you write down “8” next to the page number to indicate that you can find related information on that page.

Make space for a list of deadlines and future events (aka Future Log)

If you don’t have a planner, you could try adapting the Future Log in your work notebook.

The Future Log is a bit self-explanatory, this spread is where you can keep track of your deadlines and future events.

A digital calendar would work but having everything in one spread is easier to manage. With a Future Log, you can easily get a glimpse of deadlines and events for the entire year.

All you need to do is to divide the page into 6 or 12 sections and write down the future months. Then use the space to write down anything that is planned in the near future.

The need to take down notes will always be present whether you work in corporate, run your own business, or work as a freelancer. Even if we are surrounded by all these apps, we cannot help writing things down on random pieces of paper or post its. While these help with retention, small pieces of paper can get lost in the shuffle. You can easily misplace a post-it – or worse, throw important information in the trash. Try to keep your work notes consolidated in one notebook and apply some techniques in the Bullet Journal Method.