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A bullet journal (sometimes known as a BuJo) is a method of personal organization developed by digital product designer Ryder Carroll. [1] [2]
The system organizes scheduling, reminders, to-do lists, brainstorming, and other organizational tasks into a single notebook. The name "bullet journal" comes from the use of abbreviated bullet points to log information, [3] but it also partially comes from the use of dot journals, which are gridded using dots rather than lines. [4] First shared with the public in 2013, it has become a popular organization method, garnering significant attention on Kickstarter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest. [5] [6]
Bullet journals are usually handwritten and kept in a single notebook. The core tools of a bullet journal are: [7]
The method requires a pen or pencil and a notebook, though many users are more elaborate. Commercially produced notebooks exist that are designed for bullet journaling, but any blank notebook will suffice. [2] Users who focus on the creative element may use a variety of supplies, including a ruler, colored pens, markers, pencils, stickers, stencils, washi tape, etc. [11]
The bullet journal system aims to provide a framework for users to plan out their lives and increase productivity. Inherent to the bullet journaling system is flexibility – there is plenty of room for users to customize the system to their needs.
Proponents describe the bullet journal as both an effective planning method and a "creative outlet" with a focus on "simplicity and clarity." [12]
Since the introduction of the original bullet journal method, the online community has morphed the bullet journal into all different styles: minimalistic, artsy, doodle, super-organized, and scrapbook, to name a few. [13] What differentiates styles is how elaborate pages are, whether that's in terms of content or appearance, or in how the user approaches the system. For example, the bullet journal may be used for its functionality, and organization, or as an outlet for creativity.
Digital bullet journaling has also become popular. Although bullet journaling is traditionally done with pen and paper, many users have created digital bullet journals using a variety of note-taking apps or apps designed specifically for digital bullet journaling.
A bullet journal is a way to schedule by day, week, month, or year; it can also be used to keep track of progress on various tasks. It may be used as a medium for meditation, as an artistic outlet, and/or as a diary. Many people seek inspiration on social media, searching for users who post their own creations in the hopes of inspiring others. A BuJo can be used as an academic planner by holding records of assignments and deadlines. It can also be used to track mental health with pages such as mood and habit trackers. If maintained over a long period of time, it may also be used to reflect on memories and past experiences.[ citation needed ]
Many students have taken up bullet journaling to help them succeed in all levels of school – high school, college, graduate, etc. On YouTube, there are many "study with me" videos, which feature YouTubers studying, as well as sharing tips, tricks, and favorite supplies. Closely related are studygrams, which are Instagram accounts dedicated to studying and taking effective, organized, and aesthetically pleasing notes. [14] Bullet journaling has been featured in many of these videos as a way to get organized and stay productive in school. In 2019, Study with Me: Effective Bullet Journaling Techniques, Habits, and Hacks To Be Successful, Productive, and Organized – With Special Strategies for Mathematics, Science, History, Languages, and More by Jasmine Shao and Alyssa Jagan was published. [15] This book was inspired by the popular "study with me" or "studygram" phenomenon. [15]
Proponents of the bullet journal system have also used it to organize their work lives and careers since the system promotes productivity and is easily customizable. [16] Bullet journals can be used to keep track of tasks, schedule appointments and meetings, manage projects, take notes, track how time is being spent, etc. [17] Some have even used it to keep track of goals for annual reviews. [18] Thousands of videos can be found on YouTube on how to use a bullet journal for work. [19]
People also use bullet journals to track or log finances, as they can be used to track spending or savings goals. [20] [21]
Bullet journaling to manage mental health has also become very popular, due to the tracking features of the bullet journaling system. Recording information over time in one place, it can lead to insights into users' moods, habits, mental health triggers, and more. [22] Some people use bullet journals for goal setting or gratitude logs. [22] Additionally, a bullet journal can be a designated outlet to work through strong emotions or difficult times. [22] The act of writing things down can help people get thoughts out of their heads and make them become more objective and less stressed. [23]
Ryder Carroll began looking for a simple method of personal organization in college in the late 1990s. Diagnosed with attention deficit disorder as a child, he wanted a system to help "move past his learning disabilities." [5] By the time he graduated from college, he had devised the bullet journal method. A friend encouraged him to share his method, and he began sharing it online in 2013. It attracted attention on social media, earning $80,000 in Kickstarter funding to create a centralized online community of users. It was the subject of over 3 million Instagram posts by December 2018. [5] [6] The method has been influenced by Carroll's experience as an app, web, and game designer, as well as by his interest in scrapbooking. [5]
Carroll gave a TED talk about bullet journaling at the 2017 TEDxYale event, titled "How to declutter your mind – keep a journal." [24] Carroll also published a book on the system, The Bullet Journal Method, in 2018. [25]
Since the introduction of bullet journaling, its growing popularity has contributed to an increase in sales of traditional stationery products, such as notebooks, pens, etc. As of 2018, there was an 18% increase in the sale of notebooks in the US compared to the year before. [26] There was also an increase ranging from 5% to 17% in the sale of various types of pens. [26]
Time management is the process of planning and exercising conscious control of time spent on specific activities—especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity.
Usability testing is a technique used in user-centered interaction design to evaluate a product by testing it on users. This can be seen as an irreplaceable usability practice, since it gives direct input on how real users use the system. It is more concerned with the design intuitiveness of the product and tested with users who have no prior exposure to it. Such testing is paramount to the success of an end product as a fully functioning application that creates confusion amongst its users will not last for long. This is in contrast with usability inspection methods where experts use different methods to evaluate a user interface without involving users.
Keystroke logging, often referred to as keylogging or keyboard capturing, is the action of recording (logging) the keys struck on a keyboard, typically covertly, so that a person using the keyboard is unaware that their actions are being monitored. Data can then be retrieved by the person operating the logging program. A keystroke recorder or keylogger can be either software or hardware.
Documentation is any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance, and use. As a form of knowledge management and knowledge organization, documentation can be provided on paper, online, or on digital or analog media, such as audio tape or CDs. Examples are user guides, white papers, online help, and quick-reference guides. Paper or hard-copy documentation has become less common. Documentation is often distributed via websites, software products, and other online applications.
Discipline is the self-control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed, and the ability to keep working at something that is difficult. Disciplinarians believe that such self-control is of the utmost importance and enforce a set of rules that aim to develop such behavior. Such enforcement is sometimes based on punishment, although there is a clear difference between the two. One way to convey such differences is through the root meaning of each word: discipline means “to teach”, while punishment means “to correct or cause pain”. While punishment might extinguish unwanted behavior in the moment, it is rarely effective long-term, while discipline usually is.
Usability can be described as the capacity of a system to provide a condition for its users to perform the tasks safely, effectively, and efficiently while enjoying the experience. In software engineering, usability is the degree to which a software can be used by specified consumers to achieve quantified objectives with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a quantified context of use.
In computer science, a software agent is a computer program that acts for a user or another program in a relationship of agency.
Single sign-on (SSO) is an authentication scheme that allows a user to log in with a single ID to any of several related, yet independent, software systems.
Eye tracking is the process of measuring either the point of gaze or the motion of an eye relative to the head. An eye tracker is a device for measuring eye positions and eye movement. Eye trackers are used in research on the visual system, in psychology, in psycholinguistics, marketing, as an input device for human-computer interaction, and in product design. In addition, eye trackers are increasingly being used for assistive and rehabilitative applications such as controlling wheelchairs, robotic arms, and prostheses. Recently, eye tracking has been examined as a tool for the early detection of autism spectrum disorder. There are several methods for measuring eye movement, with the most popular variant using video images to extract eye position. Other methods use search coils or are based on the electrooculogram.
Note-taking is the practice of recording information from different sources and platforms. By taking notes, the writer records the essence of the information, freeing their mind from having to recall everything. Notes are commonly drawn from a transient source, such as an oral discussion at a meeting, or a lecture, in which case the notes may be the only record of the event. Since the advent of writing and literacy, notes traditionally were almost always handwritten, but the introduction of notetaking software has made digital notetaking possible and widespread. Note-taking is a foundational skill in personal knowledge management.
Cognitive ergonomics is a scientific discipline that studies, evaluates, and designs tasks, jobs, products, environments and systems and how they interact with humans and their cognitive abilities. It is defined by the International Ergonomics Association as "concerned with mental processes, such as perception, memory, reasoning, and motor response, as they affect interactions among humans and other elements of a system. Cognitive ergonomics is responsible for how work is done in the mind, meaning, the quality of work is dependent on the persons understanding of situations. Situations could include the goals, means, and constraints of work. The relevant topics include mental workload, decision-making, skilled performance, human-computer interaction, human reliability, work stress and training as these may relate to human-system design." Cognitive ergonomics studies cognition in work and operational settings, in order to optimize human well-being and system performance. It is a subset of the larger field of human factors and ergonomics.
A habit is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.
Targeted advertising is a form of advertising, including online advertising, that is directed towards an audience with certain traits, based on the product or person the advertiser is promoting.
Human–computer interaction (HCI) is research in the design and the use of computer technology, which focuses on the interfaces between people (users) and computers. HCI researchers observe the ways humans interact with computers and design technologies that allow humans to interact with computers in novel ways. A device that allows interaction between human being and a computer is known as a "Human-computer Interface (HCI)".
User experience evaluation (UXE) or user experience assessment (UXA) refers to a collection of methods, skills and tools utilized to uncover how a person perceives a system before, during and after interacting with it. It is non-trivial to assess user experience since user experience is subjective, context-dependent and dynamic over time. For a UXA study to be successful, the researcher has to select the right dimensions, constructs, and methods and target the research for the specific area of interest such as game, transportation, mobile, etc.
Ergonomics, also known as human factors or human factors engineering (HFE), is the application of psychological and physiological principles to the engineering and design of products, processes, and systems. Primary goals of human factors engineering are to reduce human error, increase productivity and system availability, and enhance safety, health and comfort with a specific focus on the interaction between the human and equipment.
Mood tracking is a positive psychology technique for improving mental health where a person records their mood, usually at set time intervals, in order to help identify patterns in how their mood varies. It has been suggested as a self-help method for people suffering from mood disorders such as anxiety, clinical depression, and bipolar disorder.
An activity tracker is an electronic device, or an app on a device, that measures and collects data about an individual's movements and physical responses, towards the goal of monitoring and improving their health, fitness or psychological wellness over time.
Azumio is a mobile health company that specializes in biometric mobile technology. Founded in 2011, Azumio develops Apple iOS and Android health apps and services. Azumio has released 24 apps on iOS, 5 apps on Android, and 3 apps on Windows Phone. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.
A virtual private network (VPN) service provides a proxy server to help users bypass Internet censorship such as geo-blocking and users who want to protect their communications against data profiling or MitM attacks on hostile networks.