Thoughts are the source of our goals, hopes, dreams, and ultimately our actions. An easy place to start with any endeavor is simply taking your thoughts out of your head and organizing them on paper. In so doing, you’ve already crossed the starting line to realize that it’s just another moment. The only difference is that now you’re behind the steering wheel.

We must take it upon ourselves to grow. We grow by learning, and we learn by daring to take action. There will always be risk, because we can’t control the outcome. This is the way of life, and it’s unavoidable. What is avoidable, however, is being perpetually haunted by all the things that could have been if you had only dared. Begin by giving yourself permission to believe you’re worth the risk.
IN

Like most thoughts, they fade over time, especially if they remain abstract and don’t play an active role in our lives. Even the most fervent beliefs or helpful lessons can dissipate unless they’re actively applied.

A common question I get is how much space the Daily Log requires. My answer: as much space as that day needs, and that’s something you just can’t know in advance. Some Daily Logs can span many pages, while others won’t take up half a page. It’s nearly impossible to tell how your day may unfold.

One simple way to summarize all these tips is this: Keep your future self in mind. Your Notes will be useless if they can’t be deciphered in a week, month, or year from now. Do your future self a kindness and don’t sacrifice clarity for brevity. It will keep your Bullet Journal valuable for years to come.

By keeping your Notes short, you’re forced to distill information down to the essential. The more content you try to capture during a lecture or a meeting, the less you’re thinking about what’s being said. You burn through most of your attention parroting the source.
Being both strategic and economical with your word choices forces you to engage your mind. By asking yourself what’s important and why
, you go from passively listening to actively hearing
what’s being said. It’s when we begin to hear
that information can transform into understanding.

E

vents—represented by the “º” bullet—are experience-related entries that can either be scheduled preemptively (for example, “Charlie’s birthday party”) or logged after they occur (for example, “Signed the lease. Yay!”).
Event

Leafing through our Bullet Journal can help correct this perspective: There were celebrations, projects completed,
fitness milestones achieved, clean bills of health conferred, children and pets doing adorable things, soulful talks with friends, kids, parents, or spouses, and on and on.

Each decision, until it’s been made and acted on, is simply a thought. Holding on to thoughts is like trying to catch fish with your bare hands: They easily slip from your grasp and disappear back into the muddy depths of your mind. Writing things down allows us to capture our thoughts and examine them in the light of day.

Daunting choices don’t simply vanish; they wait in the wings, steadily becoming more menacing. Where do I want to go to college? Do I want to marry this person? Should I take that new job? By the time you’re finally forced to make a decision, at the tail end of all the other decisions you’ve been making to avoid having to make this big one, chances are you don’t have a lot of focus left to spare.