Where to put the index in your bullet journal
Reserve a spread at the front. Number the pages as you use them, then add each collection and its page numbers to the index. If your travel ideas fill pages 6 and 11, list both numbers beside that title.
How to log a day in your bullet journal
Write the date on the next free page. Give each entry a line of its own and let the day take as much room as it needs. For a trial run, think of one thing to do, something that happened and a detail worth remembering.
Three marks you can learn over lunch
A dot “•” marks a task. An open circle “○” stands for an event. A dash “–” introduces a note. Suppose you spent the morning at the library. Your page might read:
• Return the atlas by Friday.
○ Children's illustrator visited the reading room.
– The map in the entrance hall was drawn in ink.
If you decide to draw a map of your street, add a line beginning with a dot and a verb. You can then mark the drawing as done and keep the observation that gave you the idea.
What to do with unfinished tasks
When you return the atlas, turn its dot into an X. At the end of the month, look back over the open dots. If you still want to draw the map, copy that task into your new monthly log or a collection for that project, then turn the old dot into “>”. Cross out the entire line if the idea has lost its appeal. If a task belongs in a later month, enter it in the future log and turn its original dot into a left-pointing arrow.
A quick check at the end of the week
Find the note about the map and check whether you returned the atlas. What helped you find each entry? The date might be all you need, or it might be worth adding “Library” to the index. Save colour coding for a distinction you actually want to make. One pen is enough to see what happened and what remains open.
Miss an afternoon? Open the notebook on the next blank line, write today’s date and look back just far enough to pick up the things you still care about.
When a note needs more than one line, give it a personal entry and add the page to your index.
Ryder Carroll’s official guide to rapid logging