Can You Replace a Bullet Journal with a Notecard?

Feel overwhelmed by all the fancy bullet journals you see online? Simplify your daily practice with this minimalist notecard setup I use when I have a lot to do and little time to do each task.

It's true that sometimes you don't need a big ol' bujo to get stuff done. I regularly put aside my bullet journal for a few days to write down my daily tasks and appointments on a simple notecard. Why is that?!

The size constraints of a notecard forces me to focus on the few tasks and notes that matter to me during a day. In this video I'll show you how I plan and review my day in only a few minutes with a notecard or pocket notebook.
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My name is Matt Ragland and I make videos about using a minimalist bullet journal to focus on what matters most to you. I’ll show you how to use concepts like 10 Blocks, Time Tracking Grids, and Project Timelines to quickly see what needs to be done and when.

You can look for these videos every week, so please hit subscribe to stay in the loop for each new show!
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*Pens*

*Notebook from Baron Fig*

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You can find me in other places too, like...

[MattRagland]

Thanks for watching! What do you think of the notecard strategy? Will you give it a try?

[pashjanni]

Now that I am retired, don't use them as much, but during many years, at my job, I would carry a planning card with me all the time. I found them to be practical, handier, and easy to maintain.

[DCEJosh]

I see a lot of Bullet Journal videos and I get overwhelmed with how ornate they make it. Then I’m reminded it’s a tool for organization and not for distraction. Thanks for the reminder. It makes me feel better about my non-beautiful notebook.

[otiswoodard]

Matt, love it that you aren’t totally stuck with one approach. I’ve learned a lot from watching you work with various approaches. I started with straight bujo with your minimalist style combined with Ryder’s approach. I bought a bunch of colored pens and tried fancier. I pivoted when you brought up the Best Self Journal and did that for a quarter. I learned so much about what works for me through all that.

Now, I’m using all that I’ve learned from you and others by using Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus Planner. I’m a very busy business guy, and what I’ve found is that I just don’t like rewriting and rewriting the same structures again and again.

Hyatt’s structure isn’t ideal for me. But it works better for me than Best Self’s structure. And because that structure saves me 15 minutes a day, it’s a workable trade-off.

Within his structure, his pre-printed pages, I take what I’ve learned from you about bujo and viewing time etc and I use all that.... specifically in the way I approach tasks, working within the preprinted day layout on the left hand page, and writing notes in the blank facing page he leaves on the daily spread.

Further, his week and quarterly review process is built in and very good.

You’ve been instrumental in helping me find *my* way, and it’s helped me so much to see how you aren’t rigid and stuck on one way.

Is this the final solution for me? No. I’ve been tweaking productivity for 25 years now. But it’s been a rich journey, I keep getting better, my process keeps evolving, and I now know it isn’t the process that’s the savior—it is the ability to work with one’s mind. With *my* mind.

No process has ever sustainably saved me from my own mind. It is liberating to discover that for me it is a dance of knowing mind reflects process and process reflects mind and each informs where the other is at. When I work it from this place, it just works better for me.

Anyways, keep dishing out the good stuff. Appreciate you!

[SeaweedKisses]

When I on the go, I leave the bullet journal at home and carry a pocket notebook. It's usually a field notes, pocket Moleskine, or Midori Passport Traveler's Notebook. Always gotta keep the pen and paper handy, in whatever form, to keep up with those pop-up ideas/tasks! Love your journaling videos!

- Michelle

[corgikun]

the return of the infamous Hipster PDA?

[manishmishraji]

Bullet journal is a great relief for ADHD brains. To keep track of all tasks and reminders.. and to jot down the sudden flash of ideas.

I use a similar one pager layout for my bullet journal. I divide the page into its 4 quadrants. One is recurrent tasks like meds, water, walk etc another is today's to do's third is my themes or overall goals to act as constant reminder. 4th is tasks that come during the day . The reverse of the page is for ideas and thoughts that come up, books or songs that come to mind, some quote in chance upon. Etc.

[sniitzel]

There is only so much space you can fill on these card, so they are great for not overwhelming yourself with tasks.

[bradmiller]

I've recently adopted a travelers notebook to keep my mobile paperwork in order and I've found that using a single note card on the front of the notebook under the elastic cord is helpful for things like a 'to do' list....easy to find and access and super simple to maintain. Thanks for the video.

[MindyC]

Watching your videos gave me more direction in using my journal at work and in my personal life! Thanks and always looking forward to your videos!

[daseiber]

Used notecards for years even before I knew about Bullet Journal. Now that I retired I use them even more since it keeps things a little less bulky to handle and I normally don't have quite as many balls in the air now. It's a great concept for on the go.

[evaschubert-litz]

I often use a notecard for a day, especially if I'm out and about. I use it in addition to my little calendar and the stay at home bullet journal. Die you know that a few years ago 'hipster PDA' was quite popular? It consisted of a few notecards and a binder clip. I liked it very much😃.

[tonibeach]

Matt this is a wonderful idea. It reminds me of the hipster pda system from ages ago that used simple index cards clipped together in your pocket. I was completely fascinated by that system because it's so similar to what I use daily anyway (a daily list) and it was so very portable. Combining that type of notecard system with my bujo of three years now is genius. Thank you so much for the great ideas.😁

[CodyDoll]

I switched from a pretty bullet journal in A5 to the pocket with the basic task list. I love the notecard idea and I did try many years ago but sadly my add distracted so much I’d loose the cards and then completely forget what I wrote. The chunky little journal is easy to spot.

[pponcho]

Actually mine has helped me a lot. I try to make it look nice but it's not my priority. I actually did a lot of overtime this week and I didn't use my bujo at all this week and as a result I didn't work on myself (my outside work projects)... I can't wait to get back to it

[thomasm]

My current setup is an A6 leuchtturm diary, within which I use the bullet journal approach to tasks (migrating them). It has habit trackers for the whole year at the front (with space for 6 habits which can change each month). It has a couple of calendar things which I never look at. And then I just have a couple of sheets of squared paper in the back pocket with password hints and other things I'm going to want long-term, and a bookcase reading tracker in the plain paper provided in the back of the book. It's working great for me so far and really cuts out the unneccessary (to me) parts, just leaving me with the useful bits, and for very little effort. I also back up appointments and such onto Google calendar so I can see what time I have in the week and check when I can schedule things when I'm away from my diary.

[Johnnisjohnnis]

I sometimes migrate tasks to post-its notes. The bullet journal system doesn't require all pages to be in the same book. Cards and post-it notes can seamlessly be in the system.

[Justkissa]

"Head out of our apps" is my favorite line from this video 😄

[jo-annel.wright]

I do like the note card system.

I settled on a field notes book a week to a page notes diary style for appointmentstop | top 3 tasks | birthdays | events | reminders; traveller's notebook inserts and sticky notes for daily out and about tasks inserted into the middle of the fieldnote book; all tucked into my wallet. A single A6 sticky note for at home reminders.

[leiselclayton]

I’ve done something similar since long before I ever heard of bullet journals. When I tried using a bullet journal, I also found that I was spending too much time setting up the layouts the way I wanted them to look. Anytime I feel overwhelmed, I default back to my daily notecards (I use the 5”x8” notecards, though, or if I’m out, just a page in a medium sized spiral bound notebook). I don’t feel pressure to make them nice, since note cards are temporary, anyways, and I end up with the same information in front of me to help me keep on task throughout the day.