Failing to plan is like planning to fail

I'm now about two months further along in my experience keeping a bullet journal. And I finally got a hold of the bible of bullet journals, written by the guy termed the phrase and has promoted the idea.

In my Facebook group for bullet journalers, those who have questions about the method are frequently referred back to The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future by Ryder Carroll. Ryder Carroll's approach is back to basics, considered by many to be the minimalist approach, requiring only a notebook and a pen.

Four months into keeping a bullet journal, having gotten all my information from blogs, my Facebook group and Dot Journaling: A Practical Guide by Rachel Wilkerson Miller, I was ready to check out the real deal. I will admit that my expectations were high. I mean... Ryder Carroll is "the guy." Who would know more? Who could guide me better?

Ryder Carroll's book was way more self-help-y than a how to guide to keeping a bullet journal. That's where it really fell short for me. I felt that his book was geared to those juggling busy work schedules with parenting and planning vacations (being a little sarcastic here) but I did not feel like he was speaking to me. I never felt that the book included practical applications of how to fully utilize what he was explaining. Perhaps more "show not tell" was in order? I read the e-book version so the graphics were cumbersome and made no sense. Perhaps those might have been better in the print version of the book.

I felt that Dot Journaling affirmed that what I was doing made sense. I feel the same now that I've finally finished The Bullet Journal Method.