Ryder Carroll is a New York Times bestselling author, digital product designer, and inventor of the Bullet Journal method. He’s been featured by the New York Times, LA Times, Fast Company, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Vogue, Bloomberg, and others. Ryder was recently featured in the September issue of Welcome Home and discussed the design behind the Bullet Journal method and why it works! He graciously answered a few questions about why he started to journal and what’s next for him!

1. Why did you start journaling?

I started journaling because it was a way to declutter my mind. I have a hyperactive mind, which is a double edged sword. Writing things down allows me to park my thoughts, and see them clearly. Capturing thoughts this way forces me to articulate what is actually going on upstairs. In that process, things become more clear and actionable. It’s a powerful form of self-care that requires work, but lays the foundation for all other things.

2. What inspired The Bullet Journal Method

The Bullet Journal Method is the result of me trying to tackle my own challenges with organization and focus. Growing up with learning disabilities in a time before the internet, I was forced to figure out ways to overcome my weaknesses. So I started designing and testing out different approaches. Most of them didn’t work, but every once in a while, something would. Over the decades, I collected some powerful tools that worked the way that my mind worked. Eventually I figured out ways for these tools to work together as a methodology. The methodology is comprised of two different facets: the system: to capture and organize what we’re doing, and the practice: to examine why we’re doing it and taking intentional action. Initially I went on to share the system online on bulletjournal.com, to help people struggling with organization. At the beginning I would receive technical questions about the system, but soon the nature of the questions began to shift. The questions shifted from what to why, from the system to the practice. The Bullet Journal Method seeks to address these questions. 

3.What’s next for you?

To get better at teaching, and figuring out ways to serve the growing community. There are so many ways to Bullet Journal, that some struggle to know where to begin. I’m working on some exciting project that will focus Bullet Journal on specific use cases. I want people to be able to clearly see how this could apply to their own life.