Volume 7 / June 2020

The Bullet Journal Method -

Track the Past, Order the Present,
Design the Future
Gunasegaran Munusamy
The Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency (AKPK)

Title : The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present,
Design the Future
Author : Ryder Carroll
Publisher : Portfolio (US)
No. pages : 304
Price : RM 74.95
ISBN Publication : 9780008261375

Introduction In a Nutshell
This book was presented to me by According to the author Ryder Carroll,
AKPK Management during AKPK’s this book is “a mindfulness practice
management conference at Forest City disguised as a productivity system”. The
Resort, Johor, in November 2019. Being ultimate goal of this method is to help
in a management position, I was initially people live intentional, productive and
a bit sceptical as the cover page design meaningful lives. It will help the reader
was not so attractive to me. Nevertheless, to:
to fill up my leisure time while being
Track the past: Using nothing more
alone in my rented JB Condo, I started
than a pen and paper, you are able to
to read the first few pages.
create a clear and comprehensive
To my surprise, the way it was record of your thoughts.
written made it interesting to read and
it kept me engrossed as I continued to Order the present: Find daily calm

read. Further, it was written in simple by tackling your to-do list in a more

English, was easy to understand and mindful, systematic, and productive

there is no ambiguity in the message way.

it conveys.

Correspondence: segaran@akpk.org.my

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 Volume 7 / June 2020

Design the future: Transform easy to get the thoughts out of our head
your vague curiosities into meaningful (an unreliable witness) and onto paper,
goals, and then break those goals into to see them clearly and decide what to
manageable action steps that lead to big do about them. The system helps me
change. identify what matters, and set goals
accordingly. By breaking long-term
The book is divided into five parts.
goals into small actionable steps, users
• The first part is an introduction to map out an approachable path towards
this method and the why behind it. continual improvement, allowing them
• The second part contains all the to stay focused despite the crush of
technical aspects of bullet journaling incoming demands.
in a detailed way.
But this is much more than a time
• The third part dives deep into management book. It’s also a manifesto
the mindfulness side of bullet for what Ryder calls “intentional living”:
journaling as the author talks about making sure that our beliefs and actions
daily practice, small steps, gratitude align. Even if we already use the Bullet
and so much more. Journal Method, this book provides new
• The fourth part is all about the exercises to become calmer and focused,
community and its contribution to new insights on how to prioritize well,
this phenomenon along the years. and a new awareness of the power of
It also contains examples and best analogy tools in a digital world.
practices that will help you to
understand how to personalize the This is not just a book about the
method, making it fit your needs. bullet journal method. It’s about personal
growth and intentionality, themes that
• The fifth part contains practical
are very closely connected to the system
advice to bullet journal in our daily
that Ryder Carroll designed.
life, and an additional Questions
and Answers section. We may argue that the bullet
journal method is just a simple to-do
My Opinion list with complicated-looking symbols
Author Ryder Carroll had tried and a lot of buzzwords, or something
everything to get organized — countless that will take up too much of our
apps, systems, planners, etc. Ultimately, time, but don’t knock it until you have
he invented his own simple system that tried it for at least a few months, as
requires only pen and paper, which he suggested by Ryder Carroll. I’ve been
found both effective and calming. The bullet journaling for less than 6 months
system combines elements of a “wish and I’m just now starting to realize how
list”, a to-do list, and a diary. It makes it much it helps me in my managerial
tasks.

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The Bullet Journal Method came at Conclusion

just the right time for me. This book This is a book I am sure to grab off
gave me some much-needed motivation my shelf again and again to refresh my
and tips to get back into it. It provided memory. I would recommend this book
answers to all the questions I was to anyone, whether a student, teacher,
struggling with like: How do I set up administrator, manager, boss, CEO,
my periodical tasks effectively so it Director, or anyone who claims ‘no time’
can help me reach my goals? How do I or ‘busy all the time’ as this will guide
define my daily tasks and the expected readers with a step-by-step approach to
results? How do I use the information completing tasks in a very practical way
in my habit tracker to make better without applying technical approaches
decisions in the future? to declutter the mind. Everyone can
gain from The Bullet Journal. I would
Some of the topics discussed are
give it a rating of 95%.
decision fatigue, focus and flow, time
management, information overload and
technology, handwriting and memory,
effective note-taking, tackling goals big
and small, daily routines, and gratitude.
There’s something there for everyone.

Scattered throughout the book

are little exercises we can do to learn
how to actively reflect on our life, set
goals, and get the most out of our bullet
journal experience.

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