The first aspect of Bullet Journaling 101 you must grasp is rapid logging. Don’t worry, it’s a simple concept! After reading this post, you’ll have learned the bullet journal language.
Rapid logging involves tracking your life in concise bulleted lists. Each entry in the list should be immediately identifiable as a task, an event, or a note. The best way to accomplish this is by pairing a bullet code (symbol) with a short sentence or phrase.
What is the Rapid Logging Method?
It’s a productivity technique by Ryder Carroll, the creator of bullet journaling. The technique relies on writing “bullets”, which are concise phrases paired with symbols that classify them as tasks, events, or noteworthy thoughts. Rapid logs are the whole premise of Carroll’s super-popular system.
My own interpretation of rapid logging is: As much of your life recorded as possible, systematically managed with the least amount of effort. An appropriate synonym for it might be “processed brain dumping“.
The Whole Point of Bullet Journaling
The whole point of keeping a bullet journal is so that you can have a written log of life, including events, tasks, ideas, and habits. Since it’s designed to be as customizable as possible, this journal can contain anything from your grocery list to your grandest aspirations.
However, all this information could easily get out of hand, becoming a disorganized list of tasks. Rapid logging makes it easier for you to read, interpret, and find what you need when you need it.
How Does Rapid Logging Work?
There are four components to any successful rapid log, regardless of where it is in your bullet journal. Here are those components at work in this example of a daily log:
1. The Topic(s)
Pretty self-explanatory. The topic is a title or header that should clarify your bulleted list. Keep it short and sweet, like for the date-related entries above. In this example, the topic specifically indicates that the to-do list is for Monday, July 12th.
2. The Page Number
The page number works in tandem with your bullet journal index, which is basically the roadmap to all your eventual rapid logs.
Very rarely will a BuJo notebook result in logically consecutive spreads. Your daily list of tasks will likely end up disordered with habit trackers or other spontaneous collections. So it’s crucial to number the pages in your notebook and record them in the index as they’re used.
Some notebooks, such as the Leuchtturm1917 Medium A5, come with pre-numbered pages. In fact, this is the official bullet journal notebook, designed via Ryder Carroll’s personal guidance.
3. Short Sentences / Phrases
With rapid logging, you’re ridding yourself of the completionist mentality when it comes to journaling and productivity. This means instead of capturing your thoughts in a long-form diary entry, you’re jotting them down like meeting notes.
Compare a typical diary entry (left) with its bullet journal equivalent (right):
Carroll’s philosophy is the less effort you expend on the journaling aspect, the more likely you’ll stick to the habit. Of course, no rule states that you cannot write lengthier entries in your bullet journal! But keep these separate from your core trackers.
4. Bullet Icons / Codes / Symbols
The bullet journal icon, code, or symbol – whatever you wanna call it – is the most important feature of rapid logging. Its deceptively simple concept has worked for even the most sophisticated minds.
The default icons/codes/symbols are:
- Solid dots “•” for actionable tasks
- Simple dashes “-” for notes that don’t require actions
- Hollow circles “⚬” for events
Here are some of the original bullet journal symbols at work:
Notice how each type of entry is paired with the appropriate symbol.
There are also what’s called “signifiers”. These are additional codes that give extra meaning to the notation. In the above example, an asterisk “*” signifies that the task is a priority. Another signifier, the exclamation mark “!”, serves to identify inspirational notes.
The Task Symbol Should Be Able to “Morph”
Unlike notes and events where a static icon would suffice, tasks require multiple codes to reflect their state. You need to be able to determine at a glance whether you’ve got finished, canceled, or unfinished tasks. Carroll starts off his tasks with a simple black dot. But it can “morph” into other symbols:
- An “✕” indicates the task is completed
- A left-pointing arrow “＜” indicates the task has been scheduled in the future log (a section that shows tasks and events scheduled for future months)
- A right-pointing arrow “＞” indicates the task has been migrated to another collection other than the future log (a section with similar topics, like a weekly calendar)
A canceled or irrelevant task is crossed out
Use the Original Bullet Journaling Symbols or Recreate Your Own
Either option is fine. Bullet journaling symbols are a personal preference. Ryder Carroll’s are humble and oh-so-simple to use. That’s why they work. But feel free to invent your own or copy those showcased on social media.
If you decide to incorporate many custom symbols, be sure to create a bullet journal key. I’ve also written a thorough guide on how to make and use a BuJo key. It explains in detail how to customize bullet codes to fit your lifestyle.
Set Up Your Bullet Journal for Rapid Logging
With a fresh notebook and a pen (seriously, that’s all you need), set up your complete bullet journal. And by complete, I mean the core functionalities. These include the index, the future log, the monthly log, and the daily log.
Later on, once your artistic urges kick in, you can splurge on fancy stationery and create those Instagrammable spreads. You could also create beautiful bullet journal pages for habit and mood trackers, food logs, or anything else.
But for now, these are all you need to successfully rapid log:
1. The Index
The BuJo index is more than simply a table of contents. It organizes all of the topics in your notebook in one coherent list. Its job is to help you quickly hunt down what you wrote.
Make sure every populated page in your journal has a topic and a page number, and that these are recorded in the index.
2. The Future Log
This module stores all of your future tasks from next month onward. It helps you to plan ahead. When you rely on interpretable bullet codes, you can constantly migrate tasks to and from the future log without losing track of them.
Creating this crucial module is a breeze. Here’s a comprehensive guide to making and using your very own future log.
3. The Monthly Log
Similar to the future log, except this module solely focuses on the current month. At the start of a new month, you would create this log, and everything scheduled for this month in the future log should be migrated over.
4. The Daily Log
The daily log is where the bulk of your rapid logging takes place. It’s a much more effective way of tracking life’s happenings than using sticky notes. Since all your tasks, events, or notes are paired with relevant symbols the moment they’re jotted down, you don’t have to waste time processing your brain dump.
Why Bullet Journal Rapid Logs Work
Better organization, more control, increased efficiency, and improved productivity. The bullet journaling system has proven it can deliver on these – over and over.
The main reason why I think rapid logging is more effective than traditional diary entries is its flexibility. It lets you capture whatever comes to mind without feeling the moral obligation to include every detail. And yet, the method provides ample substance for reflection and inspiration.
Be Consistent To Reap the Rewards
Humans have the innate ability to self-assess, but only with the proper guidance, tools, and sufficient time. Rapid logging is a potent tool to guide you in better understanding yourself. But it must become a stable habit.
I suggest giving it a shot for 30 days. Bare-bones, no-glitter rapid logging the way it was functionally intended by the designer. If you faithfully adhere to the process, you’ll have a clear gauge of whether it’s for you once the trial period ends.
Alrighty! Now that we’ve covered the foremost of bullet journal components, let’s dive into the next installments – task migration and the other main logs.
