A 10-Minute Notebook Setup You'll Actually Use

0:00 10 minutes. That's [music] all you need. Not to plan your entire year or create the perfect productivity system, just to set up a notebook that you'll actually use. Hi, I'm Ryder Carol, creator of the Bullet Journal Method. I've helped over a million people write a better life. And [music] in this video, we'll take 10 minutes to set up your notebook using the bullet journal method. To make things [music] more fun, we'll even use a stopwatch to prove it. If you've ever gotten stuck overthinking, worrying about and redoing [music] perfect spreads, or abandon your notebook before you even started, this video could be helpful. [music] Okay, let's dive in. I see every notebook as another chapter in my life story. A great story isn't just about what characters do, but who they become in the process. [music] So, when I start a new chapter, I begin by

0:45 setting intentions about who I want to be. >> [music] >> Maybe it's to be a skillful teacher, a generous host, or a fit person. Whereas resolutions are a commitment to an outcome, I define an intention as a commitment to a process. [music] It's a much more forgiving way for navigating growth because it embraces the truth. [music] I don't know how to be that person yet. It will take an ongoing process of trial and error. Are you being that person? Yes or no? If yes, [music] keep doing what you're doing. If no, what can you do differently? Did that [music] work? Yes or no? You get the point. It's practice. Next, [music] we want to anchor our intention with a why. Why do these commitments, these ways of being actually matter to you? Without a meaningful reason, your

1:32 intention is only conceptual. It will feel meaningless. Here's a simple formula to set your intention. Who plus what plus why? B who? An attribute of the kind of person. [music] What in what context or area of your life? So that why the reason that it matters. Let's start the clock and write out some example intentions. First, let's give the page a topic. If you're using the official bullet journal notebook, it's already included. If not, [music] just write intentions on the first page. Then write at least one, but no more than five intentions. Use the who, what, why formula we just covered and write whatever is most alive for you. For example, be curious with my challenges so that I may learn instead of getting stuck. Be steady in moments of stress so

2:19 that I may respond rather than react. Be honest [music] with my communication so that my relationships may feel authentic. Be committed to my movement so that I may reduce the sufferings of an idle mind. That's it. If you aren't fully clear on your intentions today, don't worry about it. Don't overthink it. You can and will change them [music] later as you begin to tackle the next question. How do I actually take action on these intentions? How do [music] I do this? Your notebook is your laboratory for answering that question. [music] Here you can run experiments and discover how to be who you want to be. The next steps will show you how. Let's set up your index. You can think of it as an address book for your topics

3:05 you're paying attention to in this chapter of your life. Okay, let's start the clock. To set up your index, turn to your next blank spread and title both pages with [music] index. Done. Yep, that's it. This will get filled up over [music] time. Whenever you write something down moving forward, just give it a topic and a page number and then add them back to your index. Whenever you run out of space, [music] but want to continue adding notes to that topic, turn to the next blank spread and continue. [music] Simply add those page numbers back to your topic next to the index. That's the index. Never lose another idea, course, or client notes ever again. Let's move on. Next, let's create your future log. It's there to store any dated [music] tasks or events that fall outside of the

3:51 current month. So, if you're in January, the future log starts in February. Let's [music] start the clock. I like to set up my future log as a six-month spread. All I have to do is add the topic and draw two lines across the page. This creates six cells. Then I label those cells with the names of the next months. [music] That's it. Now you can add any dates, tasks, events, or appointments moving forward. When it comes to the monthly log, I've seen some pretty exceptional and elaborate examples out there, but I like to keep mine minimal [music] so that it takes me only 3 minutes or less to get set up. Let's start the clock. The left page is the timeline. I set it up by adding the dates of the month followed by the days. This is different from a calendar in that we write down events after they

4:37 happen, not before. This helps us keep a much more accurate record of our life. The right side is the monthly action plan. I like to [music] split my page personal and professional. Done. Now your monthly log is ready to go. The next step here would be to fill out your monthly action plan. In short, you write out the actions for the month that you have [music] to do in a clear single sentence journal entries. If you want to learn more, I will link a video below so you can look at that process. Now, on to what might be the most important step, setting up our daily log. This is where you will organize the record of your [music] day. Let's start the clock. All I do is turn to my next blank spread and write down today's date. Then, I'll look back at my monthly logs. action plan and pull in whatever I

5:23 need to get done that day. Then I write down whatever else I need to get done that day. Once your daily logs in place, your notebook is set up. The next step is to actually [music] practice bullet journaling. The real magic happens when you use the system day after day, week after week. And that's where most of us need support. If you want to learn how to bullet journal this year and make it stick, check out the bullet journal foundation plan. [music] will provide you with everything that you need to move from a basic setup to mastering a personal operating system for writing a better life. You'll have access to hours of exclusive tutorial videos, content, and a supportive and inspirational lifewriting community from around the world. If that's interesting, click [music] the link below or scan this QR code to get started. Now, your notebook

6:10 is ready to go. [music] The next step is to practice bullet journaling and to make it a daily habit. To learn how to do that in only 5 minutes a day, check [music] out this video here.