Are You Bad at Bullet Journaling? Try These Digital Alternatives

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I've been contributing to PCMag since 2011, at times as an analyst and columnist, and currently as deputy managing editor for the software team. My column, Get Organized, has been running on PCMag since 2012. It gives advice on how to manage all the devices, apps, digital photos, social networks, email, and other technology that can make you feel like you're going to have a panic attack.<br>All the best advice about bullet journaling says you don't have to be neat or artistic or organized to create an effective journal. In fact, the original Bullet Journal Method created by Ryder Carroll, who has a book(Opens in a new window) and a website(Opens in a new window) and a $249 course(Opens in a new window) teaching the technique, ignores artistry altogether. But let's be real. The bullet journal pages you've seen on Instagram and TikTok are intimidating because only an artist could have made them. And with that intimidation comes the fear of ruining the notebook you paid $25 for. <br>Or maybe bullet journaling failed you for other reasons, like you found the supposed mindfulness aspects to be time wasters. As Anna Russell put it in The New Yorker(Opens in a new window), "You get the sense, in some of the more beautiful posts, that it took more time to make the to-do list than it would have to complete the to-dos."<br>Here's a very brief overview of bullet journaling: The original namesake Bullet Journal Method uses a paper notebook, where you create an index in the front and use the rest of the pages to write down and organize everything you have to do and need to remember for each month. There's a formula for creating each page, which Ryder Carroll explains clearly in his original 2013 video about bullet journaling(Opens in a new window).<br>At its core concept, the bullet journal is a wonderful tool for getting organized by doing what nearly all organizational techniques do. They get ideas out of your head and onto paper so that you are no longer burdened with having to remember them. Journaling in general also helps people process thoughts and emotions, articulate goals, and review what's happened in the past. <br>Electronic files are easy to rifle through and they're searchable. Good luck finding an idea you wrote down in a notebook two years ago. In a digital journal, you can jump back 10 years in a second or two, search for keywords, and browse through old notes without ever leaving your computer or mobile device. <br>What a lot of people don't realize is bullet journals are not at all different from to-do list apps. Proponents of bullet journaling think they're different, but that's because they aren't up to speed on what to-do lists apps are these days. I've been testing and writing about to-do list apps for nearly ten years. I know them inside and out. If you write your to-do list strategically and use one of the best to-do list apps, you'll quickly realize that it's more than just a digital checklist of things you need to do.<br>For example, the app Toodledo has sections for writing down tasks, as well as one for tracking habits, writing freeform notes, and creating outlines. Then there are note-taking apps that look exactly like the blank pages of any journal but which contain features for making to-do lists, adding stars and other icons, and even in some cases doodling and sketching. In short, a to-do list app covers everything a bullet journal does, and offers more.<br>Every single thing you would do with a paper bullet journal you can also do in Microsoft OneNote (free). This app lets you create blank notes that are more like canvases than word document files. You get a wealth of icons, including checkboxes and stars, that you can add anywhere on the page. As you can see from the image, OneNote has sections where you can organize different kinds of lists and ideas. There's no need to create an index because you essentially have one visible to you at all times from those sections at the left.<br>Notability is one option. There's a free version with limitations, or you can pay a reasonable $11.99 per year (or $2.99 per month) for extra features such as handwriting recognition and smoothing, math conversion technology, and iCloud syncing. You can get fantastic free templates(Opens in a new window) for it to guide your journaling. While Notability is best on an iPad, it's also available on Macs and iPhones. <br>Next are Notes Plus X ($9.99) and Notes Plus(Opens in a new window) ($9.99), also for iPad and iPhone. The key difference between the two is Notes Plus supports older versions of iPadOS and iOS, should you need it. This app comes with some nice features that reduce distractions so you can focus on your work.<br>Last in this group is Penultimate, another note-taking app for the iPad that supports sketching and stylus input. It's useful for people who also use Evernote, as it's owned by the same company and you can easily store your notes there. It's free to download, though you don't get the full experience of being able to search your notes and save them to all your devices unless you have a paid Evernote account, which is expensive.<br>If you explore digital journaling, you'll come across plenty of other app suggestions, especially for the iPad. I've tried many of those other apps, and I don't feel confident recommending them because they're finicky to use, or light on features, or something else about them doesn't result in a high quality experience. I do have a few more recommendations for note-taking apps and devices that go beyond the iPad.<br>I already mentioned Toodledo, but let's get into it. It's primarily a to-do list app, and to be frank, it could be improved in a few areas. But when I think about which to-do list app would be best for people who want to make a bullet journal, Toodledo is it. It has a ton of features for creating to-do lists and adding detail to them. You can write down additional thoughts, like your goals, in Toodledo's notes or outline sections. If you are someone who enjoys spending a lot of time customizing your tools, then you're going to adore this app. It's available on the web, and as a downloadable app for Android and iPhone. There are no desktop apps for Windows or macOS, but the web app works fine as long as you're online. <br>I don't use the Bullet Journaling Method, but I have consistently kept a daily journal for more than seven years and I'm fastidious about using a to-do list, grocery shopping list, list of ideas, etc. What do I use for them? For a long time I was an Evernote user, but after I got frustrated with it, I switched to Joplin, and the majority of my notes go there. For my daily tasks and lists, I use Todoist and I couldn't imagine using anything else.<br>Prior to working for PCMag, I was the managing editor of Game Developer magazine. I've also worked at the Association for Computing Machinery, The Examiner newspaper in San Francisco, and several other publications. My first job in publishing was copy editing peer-reviewed papers on chemical physics.<br>PCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant.
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