10 Years of Bullet Journal

Summary

In this special edition of Office Hours, the host celebrates the 10-year anniversary of Bullet Journal (BuJo) and reflects on its evolution. The host, Ryder, discusses the growth of the BuJo community and the transition from a small operation to a fully-fledged company. They highlight the importance of teamwork, the launch of new products including the Edition X notebook to commemorate the anniversary, and the introduction of Green 23, a new colorway. The conversation also touches on the company's commitment to sustainability, charitable giving, and the personal journey of the host in developing the BuJo method. Ryder emphasizes the need for the BuJo to remain a tool for intentional living and personal growth, rather than just an organizational system. The host invites viewers to engage with the community, share ideas, and continue the dialogue on how to best serve the BuJo community.

Takeaways

• 🎉 **10 Years of Bullet Journal**: The Bullet Journal community is celebrating a decade of the practice, reflecting on its growth and impact.
• 📚 **Evolution to a Team**: The founder initially ran the operation with just one other person but has recently expanded to a team, marking a significant shift in the company's dynamic.
• 🌟 **New Product Launches**: Despite some logistic delays, the company is excited to announce new products, including a green 23 color edition and a special 10-year Edition X notebook.
• 💰 **Sustainability and Giving Back**: The company is committed to sustainability, with carbon-neutral deliveries and sourcing paper from sustainable forests. They also donate 10% of profits to charities.
• 📈 **Business Growth**: The founder views the Bullet Journal company as a force multiplier for creating impact, balancing the need to generate income with the desire to serve the community.
• 🌱 **Personal Development**: The founder has been engaging in mindfulness training and intends to integrate this learning into future offerings, focusing on what brings people closer to their values.
• 🎨 **Creativity and Personalization**: The Bullet Journal method is adaptable and can be personalized; it's not just about art or productivity but about intentional living.
• 🔍 **Self-Awareness**: The practice of Bullet Journaling fosters self-awareness, encouraging users to question why they do what they do and aligning actions with personal values.
• 📝 **Start Simple**: New users are encouraged to start with the basic Bullet Journal method and then customize it to suit their individual needs and preferences.
• 🌐 **New Website and Resources**: The company has launched a new website and is offering a free 30-day email program to teach newcomers how to Bullet Journal.
• 🤝 **Community Engagement**: The Bullet Journal team values feedback and suggestions from the community, aiming to create a dialogue about how to better serve their audience.

Q & A

What is the significance of the 10-year anniversary for Bullet Journal?

The 10-year anniversary marks a decade of the Bullet Journal method, which is a significant milestone. It reflects the growth and impact the method has had on individuals and the community over the years.

How has the Bullet Journal team evolved over the years?

Initially, it was just Ryder and Chandra running the operations. However, in January of the year mentioned in the transcript, they had their first team retreat, indicating the expansion to a full team, which has reinvigorated the company and allowed for more diverse efforts and product development.

What is Ryder wearing to celebrate the 10-year anniversary?

Ryder is wearing lightning bolt earrings as a personal celebration of the 10-year milestone of Bullet Journal.

What was the most exciting development for the company in the past year?

The most exciting development was the shift from being a small operation to a fully-fledged company with a distributed team, which allowed for more collaboration and innovation.

What new products were mentioned in the transcript?

Two new products were mentioned: Green 23, a new color for the Bullet Journal notebook, and the Edition X, a 10-year edition of the official Bullet Journal notebook, which comes in a collector's box.

How does Ryder feel about the Bullet Journal community?

Ryder feels a deep sense of honor and gratitude to be surrounded by people who believe in the mission of Bullet Journal. He values the community's support and involvement.

What is the Edition X notebook's special feature?

The Edition X notebook features golden gilding around the outside and gold foil throughout, making it distinct from the standard Edition 2 with its copper/brass accents.

What is the pricing for the Edition X and Green 23 notebooks?

The pricing for the Edition X and Green 23 notebooks is about the same as the Artist Edition, which is around $35 USD.

How does Ryder approach the concept of doing good?

Ryder prefers to do good quietly, without seeking recognition. He believes in the philosophy of doing good when no one is looking, which he finds to be a purer form of altruism.

What is the role of the Bullet Journal Method in Ryder's personal life?

The Bullet Journal Method is a tool that Ryder uses in his personal life to navigate challenges and improve productivity. It continues to evolve as he finds new solutions to the problems he faces.

What is the future direction for Bullet Journal in terms of products and community involvement?

The future direction includes more community involvement in sourcing artists for the Artist Editions, launching new products that align with the community's values, and potentially organizing events like BuJo Con that reflect the values of intentional living.

Outlines

00:00

🎉 Celebrating 10 Years of Bullet Journal

The speaker welcomes everyone to a special edition of Office Hours to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bullet Journal. They discuss the journey, the growth from a small operation to a full team, and the excitement of having a team retreat for the first time. The speaker expresses gratitude for the community and shares personal feelings about the Bullet Journal's impact.

05:01

🌟 New Product Launches and Company Updates

The paragraph introduces new products, including a new color 'Green 23' and a special 'Edition X' Bullet Journal notebook to commemorate the 10-year milestone. The team discusses the website redesign, the inclusion of community artists, and the challenges of supply chain logistics. They also mention a future product launch planned for January and a commitment to sustainability and charity.

10:02

📚 The Evolution of Bullet Journal Method

The speaker reflects on personal experiences with the Bullet Journal Method, emphasizing its continuous development and the importance of addressing challenges such as productivity and procrastination. They discuss the integration of mindfulness training and the desire to offer new experiences to the community, focusing on the core of what the Bullet Journal Method represents.

15:10

🌱 Sustainability and Social Impact

The paragraph highlights the company's commitment to sustainability, with practices such as carbon-neutral deliveries and sourcing paper from sustainable forests. The speaker expresses pride in working for a company with such values and discusses the philosophy of doing good quietly, reflecting on the importance of integrity in business practices.

20:13

🤔 The Struggle of Growth and Impact

The speaker shares personal struggles with turning the Bullet Journal into a business and the concept of using a company as a force multiplier for impact. They discuss the idea of creating value beyond financial success and the importance of aligning actions with values. The paragraph ends with a commitment to continuous improvement and learning.

25:14

🎉 Embracing the Journey and the Community

The speaker emphasizes the importance of self-compassion and learning from challenges. They discuss the distinction between right and wrong, and good and bad, and the personal growth that comes from experiencing failure. The paragraph concludes with an appreciation for the community and the shared commitment to the Bullet Journal Method.

30:16

📅 Pre-Structured Planners vs. Bullet Journal

The paragraph addresses the question of how the Bullet Journal Method differs from pre-structured planners. The speaker explains the importance of finding the right tools for personal productivity and the value of the Bullet Journal's flexibility. They also discuss the misconceptions about Bullet Journaling as merely an art form and the importance of focusing on the practice's core principles.

35:16

🎈 The Essence of Bullet Journaling

The speaker clarifies the essence of Bullet Journaling, emphasizing intention and the process over artistic expression. They discuss the importance of aligning actions with values and the methodology's role in fostering self-awareness. The paragraph concludes with an invitation to try the Bullet Journal Method as taught and then adapt it to personal needs.

40:18

🌐 New Website and Free Learning Program

The paragraph introduces a new website for Bullet Journal and a free program that sends a series of emails over 30 days to help new users learn how to Bullet Journal. The speaker encourages simplicity, self-experimentation, and a playful approach to finding what works best for the individual.

45:19

🤝 Community Dialogue and Future Plans

The speaker expresses gratitude towards the community and emphasizes the importance of dialogue and feedback. They mention the possibility of a Bullet Journal convention (BuJo Con) and the need for it to reflect the values of intentional living. The paragraph concludes with thanks to the community for their support and for contributing to the growth of the Bullet Journal movement.

Keywords

💡Bullet Journal

Bullet Journal is a method of personal organization that helps individuals track the past, organize the present, and plan for the future. It was created by Ryder Carroll and has recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. The method involves using a notebook to record and reflect on one's tasks, events, and notes in a systematic way. In the video, the creator discusses the evolution of the Bullet Journal and its impact on personal productivity and mindfulness.

💡Intentionality

Intentionality refers to the quality of being deliberate and having a clear intention or purpose. In the context of the Bullet Journal, it is about setting clear goals and aligning one's actions with those goals. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding one's intentions as a means to guide personal development and productivity.

💡Product Development

Product development is the process of creating a new product or improving an existing one. In the video, Ryder Carroll talks about the team's efforts in product development, including the release of new Bullet Journal products and the introduction of a new color, Green 23, to their lineup.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability in the video refers to the company's commitment to environmental responsibility, such as using carbon-neutral shipping and sourcing paper from sustainable forests. The concept is integral to the company's values and is part of their mission to create a positive impact.

💡Community

Community denotes the group of people who share a common interest, in this case, the practice of Bullet Journaling. The video discusses the importance of the Bullet Journal community, how it has evolved over the years, and how it contributes to the development and sharing of ideas and practices.

💡Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of being present and fully engaged with one's experiences in the moment. Ryder Carroll mentions his involvement in an intensive mindfulness training program, highlighting how the principles of mindfulness can be integrated into the Bullet Journal method to enhance self-awareness and personal growth.

💡Artist Editions

Artist Editions are special versions of the Bullet Journal notebook that feature unique artwork from various artists. The video discusses the collaboration with artists and the intention to involve the community more in selecting future artists for these editions, emphasizing the value of creativity and community involvement.

💡Edition X

Edition X refers to a special 10-year anniversary edition of the Bullet Journal notebook. It is presented in a collector's box and includes exclusive features such as golden gilding and foiling, symbolizing the celebration of a decade of Bullet Journaling.

💡Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand one's own emotions, thoughts, and values. In the video, it is discussed as a key component of the Bullet Journal method, enabling individuals to reflect on their actions and make adjustments to better align with their values and goals.

💡Ryder Carroll

Ryder Carroll is the creator of the Bullet Journal method. Throughout the video, he shares his personal journey, the evolution of the Bullet Journal, and his insights on topics such as productivity, mindfulness, and the importance of community. His philosophy and practices are central to the message of the video.

💡BuJo U

BuJo U is a program or platform mentioned in the video that seems to be related to learning and engaging with the Bullet Journal community. It is used as an example of how the community comes together to learn and grow, reflecting the collaborative and educational aspects of the Bullet Journal movement.

Highlights

Celebrating 10 years of Bullet Journal with a special edition of Office Hours.

Ryder, the founder, reflects on the journey of creating and evolving the Bullet Journal method over a decade.

The importance of having a team and the shift from a business to an actual company with a distributed team.

The reinvigoration that came with the first team retreat in January of this year after eight years of operation.

Introduction of new products, including the Edition X, a 10-year edition of the Bullet Journal notebook, and Green 23, a new color addition to the product line.

The Edition X will be available in a collector's box with a note from Ryder and a poster.

The commitment to sustainability, with 10% of profits going to charities and carbon-neutral deliveries.

The use of specially formulated, sustainably sourced paper for the Edition 2 Notebook.

Ryder's personal philosophy of doing good quietly and the struggle to balance this with the need to communicate the company's values.

The upcoming launch of a new product in January, which will be a different offering from the current line.

Plans to involve the community more in sourcing artists for future Artist Editions of Bullet Journal products.

The Bullet Journal Method's focus on intentionality and the importance of aligning actions with one's values.

Ryder's personal development as a certified mindfulness teacher and how this will influence future offerings.

The launch of a new website and a free 30-day program to help new users learn how to Bullet Journal.

The idea of Bujo Con and the desire to create an event that truly represents the values of living an intentional life.

The gratitude expressed towards the community for their support over the past decade and the role they play in the Bullet Journal's success.

Transcripts

Hey everybody.

Welcome to a special edition of Office Hours.

Today I think you all know is 10 years of Bullet Journal.

And so we're gonna talk a little bit about what's been going on with, with

this year and uh, have an opportunity to answer questions and talk with

you, whatever you wanna share.

Uh, we have the chat you can ask questions in, you can raise your hand,

uh, to share comments and ask your own questions, but we have a couple of

things just to get the ball rolling.

Um, Ryder, how are you doing?

How do you, what do you think?

10 years.

It's incredible.

It's very surreal, to be honest.

I mean I've been doing this for a decade and to actually

arrive at a decade is, it's here.

You know, I was thinking two years ago, I'm like, wow, you

know, will it be 10 years?

Will it be 10 years?

I can't believe it.

And all of a sudden here we are, you know, just before the, because when I,

you have to think about this way, right?

I, I wrote the book in 2017, 2018, and toured it for most of 2018 into 2019.

And then it was like the pandemic, and here we are 10 years.

So it was just kind of, teleported me to 10 years.

Somehow I skipped like three years of that.

Honestly relatable.

Um, I'm wearing my lightning bolt earrings today in, uh, in celebration.

These are not official merch.

I just really liked them and thought I could rep the company.

Um, but when you think about this last year, what has it been like

for the company this last year?

If you can think about and isolate since August of 2022 till today, August of 2023.

No, I think the most exciting thing for me at least is that like for the longest

time I was doing this pretty much with just Chandra, who some of you may know,

she's our customer success person.

But it's just been like the two of us for eight years.

Essentially in, in January of this year was the first time we had a team retreat.

So it really shifts like the entire thing for me.

And personally, you know, Chandra lives somewhere completely differently, so

it's the entire team is distributed.

So for the most part, it's been me sitting in a living room

doing most of this all the time.

So that will only get you so far.

To be quite honest, over the years that just started becoming old, because

your entire interaction is just emails and maybe chat once in a while and I

missed having people around and being able to say, hey, is this a good idea?

Right?

And it's like, no, that's not a good idea.

Okay.

I'm glad that I had somebody to ask and like check that idea

and how could we do it better?

How can we better serve the community, you know, and so forth and so on.

And it just reinvigorated me.

So this year feels like it's a whole new chapter for the company.

It actually has gone from being a business to being an actual company.

A company is multiple people, right?

It's not just two people who chat once a week.

That's not, that's not what it is.

So, yeah, this, I would say for me personally, that has been a seismic shift.

Mmm, yeah.

And, and a really important one and an exciting one, you know, it's, it's,

it's a remarkable honor to be surrounded by people who believe in what you're

doing, and I don't take that lightly.

Hmm.

Yeah.

What about, excuse me.

What about some of the things that this team has been able to do this year?

Oh my God.

Everything.

Mostly, I mean, you're running BuJo U, which was the original

reason we brought her on.

Um, but yeah, it's, it's, it's, everybody wears every hat in the company, right?

We have social media manager doing videos, you know, writing

to these people, doing logistics.

Like everybody has to know about everything because the company's so small.

So at this point, it's really hard to separate where like nobody

really works by themself anymore.

It's all a group effort because it needs to be, and I feel like

we're just able to do so much more.

Like I wouldn't be able to do Bujo u and the course and the product development

and the logistics and all these things.

Um, I don't want to, and I couldn't, you know, so it, everything that

you see has been touched by the team in some way or another.

You know, things such as the website that Ryder has worked on for many months,

uh, that you can definitely check out.

Now that you know it's up.

We've released new products in the last year.

Yeah.

Should we get into that?

Ooh, ooh.

Yes, I was gonna ask you about that later, but because today's 10 years, we were

hoping to have two notebooks launch today.

Um, we'll skip the boring logistic stuff, but they will be here not today, but soon.

Um, we wanna share with you what these products are, uh, Ryder would you like to

tell them about the new, uh, color first?

So, as you may remember, over a year ago, we asked everyone here, or at least if

you have been here with, with us for over a year, what color you would like, and

that has been an ongoing process and due to boring logistics stuff, which we'll

sidebar, it took a little bit longer than expected, but here it finally is green 23.

They are going to be available for purchase in the next two weeks worldwide.

So this is green 23.

It's finally here.

That color is actually much more accurate than it was when you're

trying to take photos of it.

Yeah, the green with the brass looks really quite beautiful.

The warm tones of the metal really.

Let's see if I do the YouTube product thing.

You probably wouldn't be a very good beauty influencer either.

I wouldn't, I wouldn't.

Don't kill my dreams.

Okay.

But you still have an opportunity to do a get ready with me.

I think that would be a fun video.

Yeah.

So the, the color scheme goes all the way through, like with

the blue 22 and the blush.

So here joins the rest of the family of colors.

Look at that.

Yeah.

So Green 23 will, should have been available today.

Will be available in the next two weeks, so be sure to, uh, stay

tuned and yeah, it'll cost as much as the other Edition 2's.

Mm-hmm.

Um, and we've already put in the votes, if you recall, a couple

weeks ago for, well, maybe it was July, um, for next year's color.

So it'll be one of those shades of yellow.

Uh, we hopefully are getting ahead enough on that timeline, but that's next year.

This year we're celebrating the green.

Um, we will have that available in, I think all the stores by then.

Yeah.

Yeah.

All of 'em.

The other ones are still available until they run out.

Um, and then what's the other celebratory notebook that we have this year Ryder?

Yeah.

So 10 years is kind of a big deal.

70% of startups don't make it this far.

So we wanted to create a product that's specifically celebrating 10 years.

So we created a, the Edition X, if you will, a 10 year edition of the

official Bullet Journal notebook.

It comes in this collector's box.

Okay.

Maybe you wouldn't be a bad beauty influencer.

So let's do the thing where it, it comes with a little note from yours truly.

And on the flip side of that note, it has a little poster that

I keep as well just to remind me why we keep doing these things.

So look at this signature it looks so good.

Sorry.

And then, so the notebook itself, it looks kind of like an Edition 2 because

it is, but it has two decided differences.

So it's got golden gilding around the outside.

Looks quite lovely.

And then that gold foil goes throughout as well.

So everything that's usually copper slash brass is now gold.

So yeah, that's the Edition 2.

Uh, the Edition 2, Edition X, lots of Editions, but that will also be

available in the next two weeks.

They're part of the same shipment and these are very limited, so I

highly recommend keeping an eye out.

So when these go up, you can get yours if you're interested.

But yes, Edition X green 23 are about to be here.

Yes.

Uh, and that will be about the same pricing as the Artist Edition, which

is uh, $35, something like that US.

Yes.

Um, if you are on the newsletter, you will be notified right away when they are in.

Mm-hmm.

So, yeah.

That will be the perk of being there.

And then someone was asking about, speaking of Artist Editions, if, uh,

I guess people are wanting to know like what's upcoming even beyond,

uh, this in terms of in products.

In terms of products.

Yeah.

So I have to get a little bit into boring logistics stuff.

We can't produce products as fast as we used to, just because the

supply chain is still kind of a mess.

So we are trying.

It gives us an opportunity to really be in integrity with our word,

which is to really intentional about the products that we're creating.

So there is a product that we've been working on for quite a long time

that'll be launching in January, and I won't be talking too much about that.

You'll have to stay posted, but it's a completely different thing for us.

Well, not completely different, but it's not a variation of what we have so far.

That's exciting.

The artist edition is something that I want to keep doing, right?

We have an incredible amount of really talented people in this community,

and I think it's a shame that, you know, why not work with them.

And a lot of them are also people that you know don't have very large audiences and

why not give them a platform that's great.

Like we can help each other out.

I can showcase incredible talent and they make our products look beautiful.

So yeah, and that just makes a lot of sense to me.

I wanna keep on doing that.

I think we're gonna go about it a little bit differently because a lot of it's kind

of just been like us looking for stuff, and I think next year we're gonna get the

community significantly more involved in helping us source the artists to do this.

A question that comes up is like, are we only gonna use Bullet Journal artists?

And I think that's where we start, but not necessarily exclusively

if we find somebody whose vision.

aligns with our values.

I think that that would be something we were happy to explore as well.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So I mean, if, if that person might be you, you can, you know, volunteer yourself

as tribute or, you know, make your friend volunteer you as a, as tribute.

Uh, the thing that, um, we look for, I think you should know, is that

like line work works really well for the kind of production that we have.

So instead of doing like, the, you know, the wrapping that can do a

lot more variation in art types.

Mm-hmm.

Am I getting this right?

Yeah I, it just, I think line work, we like doing foil stuff just because

I think it's like really timeless and classic and I feel like a lot of the

times when you do wrap work, especially like with watercolors and everything,

which is looks really beautiful on paper.

It looks not great when it has like gloss over it and everything, it

starts feeling a little bit plasticy.

So we usually look for very clean line work because it lends itself to embossing.

That's the short version of it, but there's a lot of creativity that comes

in that different cover colors, different kinds of foil, that kind of thing.

Like last time we used white foil, which I hadn't seen before in Annie's Edition.

So yeah.

But that's kind of why we go into that direction because it just

creates this look that I think is classic, timeless, and sets it apart.

Mm-hmm.

But there, there, we do have one in, in like development, but we would love

more 'cause it does take a while to go back and forth and, and stuff like that.

So we're always taking recommendations and suggestions, uh, for,

for future artist editions.

So, um, great.

Given thinking about this last year, Ryder mm-hmm.

How has it been for you personally and how has that kind of shaped how you're

seeing the next phase of Bullet Journal?

Yeah.

Um,

I think that what's interesting is that I feel like I have a headstart, just like

with Bullet journaling because I've been working on it for so long, but I'd like to

believe that the things that I experience with my own practice is something

that's available to other people.

I certainly know that the challenges that I face are very widely available.

Population, and something like I, I struggle with things that everybody else

struggles with, including productivity and procrastination, all these things.

I created The Bullet Journal Method, because I needed it.

It's not that like I created it now, all those problems are gone.

I continue to develop it because I still need it, and I continue to find

things that help me, and oftentimes the solutions that I present to the

audience are at the end of a exploration.

So I'll have a challenge.

Life is good and very generous at handing those out.

And then I find tools and ways to deal with those challenges.

And when I do find something, I kind of pro process it and systematize

it into something that people can execute inside their notebook.

And I have been doing a lot of research and training in very specific, in

very specific areas and topics that I haven't talked about too much yet,

like a little bit here and there.

And for me, um, I feel like the more challenging a problem in my

life, the more important it is that I offer what has worked for me.

So I'm wrapping a lot of those things into new experiences that I hope

to be offering in the next year.

So a big thing for me is to teach a live cohort and what that's gonna look like is

TBD, but it's going to be more about the Bullet Journal for me is a tool, right?

The Bullet Journal Method it's not a notebook, right?

We use the notebook in order to execute a methodology, a framework

of mental models that, that, that help us be more intentional.

And I always talk about like the what and the why and the intentionality.

And for me, one question that keeps coming up from people is

like, talk more about intention.

What is purpose?

What is why?

What is underneath those things?

What powers that tool?

Right?

Where does that stuff come from?

And the experience is gonna focus much more on the real core of

what we actually end up using.

Our notebook's for like the notebook is the vehicle.

It's not the beginning.

So I know that's super vague, but that's really where my interest is.

Why do we do what we do and how can we be more aligned with the

version of ourselves we want to be?

And in my own personal journey, that's kind of where I focus on.

For example, for last year, I've been part of a very intensive

mindfulness training program to actually become a certified mindfulness

teacher, um, a meditation teacher.

And a lot of that's playing into the way that I think about this because

Bullet Journal is just one expression of wisdom that's been around for

thousands of years and comes from a variety of different cultures.

And I feel that what I can provide is a very specific way of accessing

this wisdom, if it makes sense.

Mm-hmm.

Wisdom, that's just been rediscovered in a variety of different traditions, different

paths, same mountain, that kind of thing.

And for me, a lot of the terminology and a lot of the language and the systems

are really obtuse and unhelpful, but the information is really valuable.

So I feel like my job is kind of translating what I learn

into my version of this.

Right.

Being as respectful as possible to the source material and then adding my own

perspective and then offering it to people and in a way that it hopefully can

help them in the way that it helps me.

It's just different language.

Yeah.

I mean, I, and group learning is such a powerful experience.

Oh yeah.

Yeah.

So that's excellent.

Yeah.

Being, being a student again, like really student, like I have homework and stuff.

You know, it's, it's, it's, it reminds me of how important it is to be like,

hey, do you guys get this last chapter?

'cause like, I totally did not understand it.

You know, I'm like 43 years old and I'm like, I didn't get the homework, like I

didn't understand the homework assignment and just be like, yeah, I didn't either,

or did you think about it this way?

And I'm like, we need to create more of that.

I mean, you have some of that going on with the experiments, right?

These communities that are actively figuring these things out together and

I want to be creating something like that on a, like, longer time scale.

So this cohort will be like months, you know, it's more of an experiential

learning, um, framework and approach that I'm really excited about.

I'm really excited to spend more time directly talking with many

of you who are interested in this and yeah, that's, that's kind of

what I'm working towards right now.

And it's, it's, it's really exciting and incredibly difficult to get this right.

So, yes.

Um, I'm really excited about that.

That's gonna be dope.

There's also, I think, something that I've learned about Ryder and working with him

is that he's incredibly humble and just does stuff because he cares about it.

Um, but doesn't talk a lot about it.

So I'm gonna talk about it.

Um, what you might not know in this last year, one of in over many years,

one of Ryder's priorities has been to, um, not just like make a ton of

money, but also to like use that money as a way to create positive change.

And so a couple of the things that Ryder has chosen to do with that

is dedicate 10% of the profits from Bujo to go to uh, charities and

efforts that will make a difference in people's lives all over the world.

Uh, commitment to sustainability in a lot of different ways.

Like all the deliveries are neutral, uh, carbon neutral.

I don't know if you knew that, but for years that's been the case.

Um, there's also been, uh, this paper that you use in the Edition 2 Notebook

was especially formulated just for the Edition 2, and they source that paper

from, um, its sustainable forests, right?

Uh, so that goes into the paper as well.

So he doesn't not talk about this, and I'm like, Ryder, you

have to share more about this.

But these are just like some of the things that make me personally very,

very proud to work for Bullet Journal.

I moved over from years in higher ed, where it's a nonprofit education

based field, and people ask me all the time, like, how is it like, like

moving out of higher ed and like working for a for-profit institution.

And it honestly, with the values that Ryder brings into the work, it makes

it very easy to shift from, uh, that education and nonprofit space to this

one where it's very values driven.

Like these are things that he did without like really publicizing, like

he's finally putting it on the website.

Um, but anyway, I just wanted to share that with you because it is a cool

detail for me and is is a big part of why I am proud to work for this company.

Anything you wanna add?

Yeah, well this is kind of, it's an interesting topic.

So for me, like a driving personal philosophy is to do good quietly, right?

I, I always get very concerned about doing something for an audience,

for the recognition 'cause I've, you know,.There's the philosophy,

like doing good doesn't matter.

It doesn't, doesn't matter why you do it as long as you do it.

And for me, I don't know, especially like right now, we have live in a

corporate space where everybody's doing the things because they have to.

And for me, I wanted to do these things because they mattered.

And I, I, I really try to live by the philosophy of like, you really are who

you are when nobody's looking right.

And at the same time, however, Jessica has made a good point that maybe we

should be talking about it as well 'cause like that this is something that

when people buy our products, they're buying into the same group of values.

So this is, this is part of my journey as well.

I don't talk about things because I feel like that I often I worry that it

starts to discredit it or, or, or that I'll start to do it because I have to,

or I'm supposed to as opposed because I think it's meaningful, and I don't have

a clear answer there, but this idea, there's actually a Japanese term for

this, but it's like you do good in secret.

Right?

That's something that I just, I love that, and when I do that, it's,

it's, it just, there's a clarity to the action, and when I do it on the

website, It becomes less clear, but I also understand that it's important.

Um, so yeah, that's something that I struggle with it's, it's, I want, I

heard something once that I'd never heard before because like the whole

idea of running a business and turning Bullet Journal into a business was one

of the things where it's like, I feel like it's a conflict of interest, right?

In some ways like, I wanted to just give this to people.

I wanted to give this to people 'cause it helped me.

That's it.

At the same time in order for me to help people in order to fully invest

and to serve as powerfully as possible, I have to give more and more and more

of my time until finally I was like, okay, I'm getting to a point now

where I'm giving so much of my time that I need to make a living from it,

or else I can't serve myself food.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah.

It's, it's, it's, it's, it's always a challenge to do this kind of thing,

but then I learned something or I heard something, which I'm still exploring, but

it might give you, a better understanding of why I actually focus on Bullet

Journal being a for-profit company.

It's because as far as I understand it, I'm no, you know, mega entrepreneur

or business mogul, but the way that I understand it is like a

company can be a force multiplier for the impact that you can create.

Like you can, the likelihood of you generating significantly

more income as a company is much higher than you as an individual.

So for me, I see Bullet Journal as a company to be a force multiplier

for our ability to create impact.

And creating impact in itself is a quite a wild subject.

What does it mean to do good versus to feel good?

What is, you know, that, that kind of thing.

So it's, it's been it's an ongoing exploration and it's a real core

reason why I keep growing Bullet Journal as a business and as a company.

But the reason is to continue to be able to use it as a force multiplier.

That's why Bullet Journal is a business.

That's the short version.

It allows us to generate more impact as a whole and what that looks like ongoing.

Can we do better?

Absolutely.

Are we a carbon neutral company?

Not at all.

We still receive shipments.

I wanna be really transparent about that.

There is a lot of room for growth for sure.

But we continue to do our best and learn.

And, you know, when people tell us, Hey, there's this opportunity, or this

opportunity to do better, then great.

I see.

We have a very little participant who's very excited about all

the, the, the business stuff.

A, a young Bujo fan.

Oh, um, Thank you for sharing that.

I think that is, um, when I first started working with, with Ryder, I was like,

I mean, yeah, like you sound like you have it all kind of like figured out.

And it kind of goes back to there's all like these inner, inner conversations

that you're having about, you know, the struggles that are still present

and the, the approaches that you're constantly trying to work on practicing.

Um, So it's been nice to hear more about that.

Yeah.

I mean, I, I just don't know anybody who's figured it all out and I think

that would make the work boring as well.

Like, I do this because it helps me make progress, you know, and I, I feel like

that's the only, I am as much of a student of Bujo as I am a teacher of Bujo and

it's, it's, it's amazing how powerful it is to keep reminding of yourself that

you really don't have it figured out yet in a very compassionate way, just like,

just remain curious and playful about it.

It's like, how do you do, how do you have impact in a way

that's actually meaningful?

I don't know.

Mm-hmm.

But there are people who spend their life doing this thing and like,

well, let's talk to those people.

Or, hey I still have really bad experiences in my life,

really challenging things.

And it's like making a list isn't cutting it.

Like, how do I adjust the way that I go about it in a way that can

help me get through this or navigate it and it's like, oh, this did

and that did, and a little tool.

It's, it's just, it's the same kind of motivation.

It's just seeing life as a series of experiments to see what brings you

closer or what brings you further away from the things that are meaningful and

the things that you know matter to you.

Oh, grace is chiming in and saying it is practicing in Toku, which is

doing good secretly for its own sake.

Thank you.

That's the word.

Yeah.

Thank you so much for sharing that.

Also interesting fact, I learned that word because it was a company name,

somebody's company's called in to.

I'm like, what does that mean?

I looked it up.

I was like, I love that very much.

That is an interesting, anyway, we'll, we'll talk about that later.

I, I'll write it down.

Um, what would you tell somebody's asking what would you tell your, uh, 10

year younger self if you think back to maybe, maybe an answer personally and

then an answer about this, uh, endeavor.

The, the Bujo endeavor endeavor.

I think it would be the same thing, which is to be kinder to myself.

Like I wouldn't, I wouldn't change anything.

'cause I do feel like there's, I mean, to get really geeky, I do think there's

like this like time paradox thing.

I wouldn't be here if something changed.

If I did something different, like, don't do this, don't do this.

Like I, I feel like every challenge and every failure is feedback.

Right?

And then I, I think that I would create a distinction for them,

and it's a distinction I'd like to share with you, which is a

really powerful distinction for me.

There's a difference between right and wrong and good and bad, right?

So you can get something wrong, which doesn't mean that you're

flawed or broken, or that you're a bad person or whatever, right?

It's like, this is just not the way this is going.

This is not working for what you want to create.

And for me, like that was a distinction I didn't really have

it's like, oh, I'm messed up.

I messed up.

I, I, I can't do this.

It's, it becomes like, uh, an identity, right?

This is, I'm a failure, not, this is a failure.

That kind of thing.

And when I was, when I was younger, I took failure so personally.

Mm-hmm.

And I created so much unnecessary suffering in my life, right?

It's like, yeah, this didn't work, this didn't do what you wanted to

do, and do something else, right?

So like creating that distinction between right and wrong and

good and bad is important.

Like wrong isn't inherently evil or or bad, it's just

not what you want to create.

That's it.

This is, this is not workable.

This is not resourceful.

You can, there's so many different terms, terms that I'll be introducing more

and more of in the community, but a big one is resourceful and resource less.

So a lot of my thinking around things that didn't work was resource less.

It didn't help me make progress.

Yeah.

That's super insightful and like, you know, you, you over the years experimented

with the things that really worked well for you and you figured out ways that,

um, got to, um, you know, be flexible with how your brain works and you came

up with The Bullet Journal Method.

Um, Kathy, who is one of our newer members, wanted to ask a question

about, so what about people who use pre-structured planners?

So like that's something, oh, Kathy is here with us.

Um, that, you know, you figured out the system for you and that

that is The Bullet Journal Method.

What about people who use pre-structured planners and in

Kathy's case it's the Happy Planner.

Um, how, how do you kind of you know, have that space in the middle

where she says, um, wouldn't these be just as beneficial for people as

a traditional Bullet Journal Method?

Um, am I missing something that the traditional Bullet Journal offers

that a planner system does not?

What would you, what would you like to tell her?

I guess it's about finding the right tools that work for you.

Ultimately that's what the Bullet Journal is.

These are the tools that worked for me, and I present them as

a starting point for people.

Like some people don't use the monthly blocks, some people don't use the

index, which I think is, which is baffling, but I get that, you know,

different tools for different people.

I can speak personally why I personally, about why I don't use pre-structured

planners or I don't make any of them because a big part for me is

to recommit to the way that I'm doing something over and over again.

I feel like every time I automate something, like for example, if

I have a calendar, I'm just gonna fill out that calendar or I won't,

but I won't think about whether or not the calendar is serving me.

When I have a blank page and I have to set up the calendar and it's gonna take

time, I'm like, is this time well spent?

Sometimes the answer is yes.

And for me, like for example, the monthly log, that is something I

have to set up every month and I continue to do it, and I've been

doing it for years, but till this day I'm like, is this still serving me?

And what you see are the tools that continue to serve me all the time.

Right?

I would say the only one that is, and they still change, right?

For the monthly log.

It used to be that one page was the calendar, but now it's the timeline.

So same layout, different intentions, different function, and the future

log has also changed for me, right?

I use the Future log as a someday in the future log.

I don't plan future things there.

So the short answer to this is finding the tools that work for

me, for you, for me, whatever.

Just using, using whatever works.

Can they be complimentary?

Absolutely.

But the thing that I find to be important is to make sure that those

tools are actually helping you move towards the things that matter.

Every tool takes time.

So you would just wanna be using the tools to help you build what you

want to create or fix what's broken and not just kind of show up because

then, then we start getting into that slippery slope of digital apps.

Are digital apps more convenient than Bullet journaling?

For most things, yeah, for sure.

Right.

It's much easier to do things in a digital app, but I also find that over

the long term, it doesn't actually help me move forward as quickly.

That's why I keep coming back to Bullet Journal as the beginning point.

Yeah.

And, and having the, the Method, right?

Because you're some, some of you're saying this in the chat, um, Bullet Journal as

a it's a notebook, but it's a process.

It's a, it's a practice.

And, and that is, is the differentiator.

And if you can do that in a structured planner, then.

That's great.

If that's how that really wor works well for you, like that's awesome.

Um, but it's that the rituals that really drive the, the practice,

and I think you can, you can, you can log in a pre-structured

planner like you can do that.

Um, but again, getting back to just the rituals that really make it the driver

like intentional driver of your life.

Um, And for me, every time I tried to go back, I wanted to test that

hypothesis every once in a while, uh, of using some pre-structured planners.

And maybe it's the Sagittarius in me, like the fire sign is

like, don't tell me what to do.

But like the pre-structured nature of it all really made

it feel super limiting for me.

I wanted to be able to turn the page and do literally whatever I wanted and

have it be whatever I wanted it to be.

Um, so I mean, take that what you will.

Um, and then the other piece of that, as we celebrate 10 years of Bullet

Journal, there is a shocking amount of variety of definitions of what

Bullet journaling is and looks like out there in the in Beyonce's internet.

Um, what would you say?

Um, because we know what the Method is, we believe in what is possible with

the practice of Bullet journaling and knowing that there are people out there

who think of it as only an art portfolio that think of it only as you have to

color and be artistic, um, who will then never really get to explore the

practice because of this misconception.

Mm-hmm.

This is something you've been dealing with for a very, very long time.

It's um, how do you deal with it and what are your words for the

rest of us who are like, I just want you to see what this really is.

Like, what would you say?

It really depends on the, on the person that you're talking to.

So this is actually a challenge that we're face all the time because

people have different, understandings of what Bullet Journal is.

So when I have this conversation, it's a very different conversation.

Some people are like, it's a purely, it's a pure art form, right?

Like this is only about having a beautiful notebook.

That's one conversation.

It's purely about productivity, right?

Like that's a different conversation.

It's about minimalism.

That's a different conversation.

So I would wrap it up.

It's like, what are you trying to accomplish in your life.

Like that's the first one, right?

What is your intention in general becoming intentional?

And this is a methodology to help you get to make progress towards that end, right?

Like I think I on the productivity end, a lot of it is based around pro

about process and around outcomes.

Right?

I'm going to do X and then I'm gonna get Y and then I'm going to get Z.

Right?

The, the outcome is at the end, and I, in my own personal life, I

feel like that's backwards, right?

The outcome, the thing that you want has to come at the beginning.

That's the thing.

It's like, I want to not become more productive, or I don't

want to become a better teacher.

I want to be more productive.

I want to be a better teacher.

That's what I want to have now.

That's my intention.

And then the process is there to help you be that way all the time.

So like that's where intention comes in, right?

It, it makes it immediate, it makes, it brings it into the present.

That's the difference between an intention and being intentional.

An intention is a commitment to a process.

Intentional is the expression of that process when you're

actually doing the thing.

So when you set an intention, every action you take helps you

be that way immediately, right?

It's like, I wanna be, I wanna be a better parent.

Okay?

Are you spending more time with your kids?

Are you, whatever you define as being a better parent, you're succeeding.

You're succeeding, you can, you know, kind of thing.

And people who think that it's artistic.

It's like, well, why do you wanna be artistic again?

Right?

It's like, why do you wanna be productive?

Why do you feel like the need to express yourself creatively?

And then you always, all of it comes back to what is it

that you're trying to create?

Who do you want to be?

What version of yourself do you want be?

And.

This whole methodology helps you really develop ways to be more

aligned with what you value.

That's it, right?

I keep talking about this.

Aligning your actions with your values no matter what those are, right?

And some people express themselves creatively because

it's a way that lights them up.

You know?

It's like I can really connect with my creativity and like the rest of my life.

I have no place for that, and that's wonderful.

It's when there's the, I'm supposed to do something a certain way, right?

It's like I, I need my notebook to look this way in order to be happy,

or I need, in order to get likes on Instagram, like likes on Instagram.

Or I need to like, complete everything on my task list to feel

like I'm relevant or feel like I'm actually contributing to something.

You know, it's, it's, it's like putting this outcome very far out

in the future, in the unknown.

So for me, Bullet Journal is about just like, right, be intentional here

and now in,the framework of intention and in the framework of the Method.

Yeah.

Like, I'm gonna just say here that like a, I usually compare this to like yoga.

Some, some instructors are like, do whatever feels good in your body.

And I'm like, there's a safe way to do it.

And like, the same thing for Bullet Journal.

There's, there, there is an idea that like Bullet Journal is anything,

um, That technically is not true.

Yeah, no, it's not.

I mean, it technically not true.

Yeah.

So I mean, if we wanna get right down to the, the practice of it, the thing

that I always recommend to people is try it out the way that I teach it.

There's a reason why I teach it the way I do, especially after 10

years it's been refined over and over and over again and again.

That's the beginning to your practice, right?

Here's the foundation that I found to be really valuable.

Try this out two to three months and look at the videos.

They're super basic.

No art is necessary.

Art is welcome if it serves, and figuring out what serves you every

day, every week, every month.

Like that's how you start to build up.

An awareness of the things that actually work for you and the framework

that I create is there to help you cultivate that self-awareness.

That's it.

That, that, that's really why I think it's important that

people start with what we create.

Again, 70% of startups don't make it.

There's something about the way that Bullet Journal works and they, hey,

I'm as surprised as anyone else, right?

It worked for me.

I never thought it would work for anyone else, but there's

a reason why this recipe of.

The collections and the reflections and the rituals coming together works.

It works.

So start with that and then make it your own.

I feel like when you start making it your own, before having anything, it's, you

know, it's, it's like you can buy a car, but if you don't know how to drive it,

it's just, you know, or why you bought it.

Why you bought it.

Yeah.

It's, it's that kind of thing.

So I recommend, if you're talking to anybody, I would recommend,

obviously, and this, this sounds super cheesy sales pitch, send

'em to the site, learn for free.

Right.

Also, if you're interested with the launch of the new site, we created a, uh, new

program that's for free for everyone.

Again, we were trying to make this as available, but for 30 days you get a

series of emails, not 30 emails, but over a series of 30 days you get emails

helping you learn how to Bullet Journal.

So if you're new here, that's a great way of doing it.

It doesn't cost anything.

You just sign up for the newsletter and yeah, you'll get a series that teaches

you how to do this and it teaches you.

It teaches you how to think about how and why you do the things that you do.

That's a big part of Bullet Journal.

It's just, it's self-inquiry.

Why does this matter?

How is this making me feel?

Are the things that I'm doing helping me feel the way that I want to feel?

I'm helping me experience the things that I want to experience.

Tasks, events and notes.

They triangulate to give you a different lens that you may not have had before.

So start simple.

Start with the basics.

Four and a half minute video, you know, and be patient with yourself

and see it as an experiment, right?

This whole thing is supposed to be playful.

Oh, did this work?

No.

Okay.

Will this work?

Yes.

Great.

That's it.

That's all we have, right?

We just keep on experimenting, finding things that work, and then

moving on to the next experiment.

If somebody is already on the newsletter mm-hmm.

How can they get that 30 day?

Same thing.

They just put their email in again.

Yeah.

Oh, nice.

Okay.

Yeah, so feel free to go back to the, the website newsletter, sign up for that

and hopefully that just makes it start.

Okay.

Nice.

Um, and if it doesn't, let us know again, we launched the site last week.

We're still ironing out the bugs.

You know, it's, uh, It's hundreds of pages.

Um, so, and if you haven't seen the new website, I invite you to check it out.

It's, it, hopefully the website now does a better job of kind of expressing the fact

that Bullet Journal isn't a notebook, or that we're not a stationary company, that

we use notebooks because we think they're powerful tools and I love notebooks,

but there's something else going on.

It's, it's, you know, it's what you bring into the page and what you take with

you from the page that really matters.

Mm-hmm.

I mean, it's like form and function, you know?

It's, uh, the, the form is just different ways to get to the function.

Um, I know that as someone who's done art in my Bullet Journal for

years, like there's a whole range.

Like sometimes I used stickers, sometimes I used watercolor.

Sometimes it was like really intricate in patterns.

I did like Star Wars stuff in there for a little bit, and now

it's literally like highlighter.

Um, the evolution.

You know, it's really fun to look back.

Uh, I, someone was asking earlier, like Chris I think was asking, uh,

what you do with all your finished notebooks and, uh, that's gonna

be a question next week in BuJo U.

So stay tuned, um, on that.

But, oh, you have yours behind you.

I do.

I was like, literally, I put them right there.

But you have way more than that.

I do.

So, um, We'll, we'll talk about that next week in BuJo.

You, Chris?

Um, where was one more thing that I was going to say?

Yes, it is still Bullet Journal dot com.

Check it out.

Honestly.

It's super cool.

Um, so many fun.

So many fun new additions.

And if you find anything being a little weird, please do let us know.

Again, it's a website, it's, it's things slip through.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Oh, here it is.

When is Bujo con?

Okay, so let's talk about Bujo con for a second.

This is a question I've been getting for 10 years.

Here's the thing, it's, I'm absolutely open to it and I for me,

I need to have a real good sense of how we can provide true value.

Because a lot of times when people think about Bujo con's, like, this

is a stationary convention, and for me, stationary is a part of this.

Right?

And, and for everything that we show up with, we want to be really intentional.

What does it look like to create a convention around

living an intentional life?

And that answer to me is not clear.

I feel like there's a kind of gut reaction.

BuJo Con should really be an expression of our values in a really powerful way,

and I don't have a solid understanding of what that would look like yet.

Not saying it's not possible, I'm open to it.

Love to meet everyone, but I feel like there's a joke

happening in the chat, Matthew.

He goes, what would Bujo cosplay look like?

And then he says, cosplay equals black T-shirts.

You're looking at it.

Can you imagine the convention center when people show up and there's

like, I don't know, 5,000 people dressed from head to toe in black?

I feel like it might cause an incident like wherever there are, it's like

there are thousands of people dressed from head to toe in black going

into this building and, and buns.

You know, add, add a layer to the cosplay.

Grow.

You have time, grow out your hair, put up the bun.

Maybe we can create a pencil case or something convenient and stylish.

Gotta start summer.

We'll workshop this, um, start a, start a collection.

Um, I have some ideas as to what a bujo con would look like, but you

know, it's like there's, there are a lot of ideas and a lot of logistical,

uh, things that go along with this.

Maybe we'll show up at a planner conference at some point, but I think

there's a lot of opportunity here for things like what Anuc was saying, a live

tutoring sessions, some uh, keynotes, some, you know, round tables q and a.

There has to be a stationary element to it, just to like, who else is gonna talk

about 0.5 versus 0.7 millimeter pens?

You know?

Um, just, we'll, we'll get some ideas going.

Um, speaking of, of a tutoring session, we do have one.

Mm-hmm.

In 10 minutes.

Yeah.

I think, um, if you are interested in learning more about mental inventory

and intentions, Pia is going to be doing a tutoring session in 10 minutes.

She's awesome.

Highly recommend you check that out.

If you don't know, we're doing tutoring sessions throughout the next couple

of weeks covering different topics from the basics and beyond course.

So if you are a current student of that and you're wondering about other

additional elaborations and explanations and examples, this is a great way

for you to dig in and, and get a different take on some familiar ideas.

Um, 0.38 is of course, the correct answer for pen pen tips.

Okay.

Um, the giveaway.

The giveaways this week have been awesome.

The winners have been being drawn behind the scenes, so we are not

announcing any of them here right now.

Um, if you did win, you check your email.

That's where all those announcements have been going.

Um, and then anything else that you wanna say last but not least, Ryder.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Honestly, thank you.

I can't believe I get to do this.

This is amazing.

It's incredibly hard work, but it's fun.

It's fun and it's really rewarding and I get to do this because of you.

And I say that truly like this isn't some some default answer, like if you

look at our revenue models, like we don't do ads, we don't do algorithms

like we survive by creating things that you actually find valuable.

Right?

That's it.

That's it.

There's no, there's nothing else.

There's, so everyone who's here is helping us do this, so thank you.

I really, I really mean that.

I really appreciate it and I wouldn't really have it any other way.

So, and thanks to you, I get to work here.

So that's also true.

Yes, we're uh, so lucky that people like, we just love this dialogue

back and forth about what it is that we can do to serve the community.

And so we're always taking those kinds of suggestions and ideas.

So please, uh, keep that conversation going with us.

We'll start, um, a thread for BuJo con ideas.

That's what I'm gonna post in a couple weeks.

Uh, Rob, do you have something that you'd like to share?

I, I kind of like to always just thank you at the end of these things

because it, it's pretty amazing.

And, you know, I, I, I only kind of beseech you, for lack of a better word,

to, um, you know, not to think about yourself as a, as an individual who's,

um, you know, trying to add value and kind of do work, but like, that way you

were talking about building a company and building a leader 'cause it's

like, I like giving you guys money.

Um, you know, and I don't do it because I'm like, I, I started

because I was like, oh, I like giving you guys money because I get value.

I get a lot of value of what I give you.

But then I realized that I also like giving you guys money because

you're building this movement.

You know, I'm, I'm, I'm funding the, the kind of next generation of BuJo.

And I think the more you kind of explain that to people, the more powerful,

the kind of move the movement becomes.

You're leading this, this wonderful movement, which is so

much more than just a company.

Wow.

Thank you.

I really appreciate that.

I will take that and I think everybody else on the call kind of

seems to feel, I think the same way.

Thank you.

Thank you for everybody, for being here, for being part of this community.

We'll be around and cheers to 10 years.

Thank you everyone.