One group of professionals show up regularly in my conversations: project managers (PMs). The Bullet Journal and its basic components –Index, Future Log, Monthly Log, Daily Log – is an ideal tool for PMs. I wanted to dig into this job category to learn more about PMs who are using a Bullet Journal on the job, how they are using it and, importantly, the difference it makes for them. More to the point, I have seen posts from people over the last year – many who claim to be PMs – who have made some glowing comments about the Bullet Journal but here now are some hard data points to support these claims. In August 2016, a survey was created especially for PMs.
In total, 205 project managers completed the survey, giving us some terrific findings that we want to share with you this month. One of the core issues that often arises for new adopters of the Bullet Journal is whether to use the same journal for work and personal needs. We wanted to know how PMs used their journal.
As you can see by this chart, it is a contentious issue. A little more than 50% of PMs polled told us they used the same Bullet Journal for both work and personal matters. But more than 36% of PMs use two journals. Only a small number of respondents stated they use their Bullet Journal only at work (7%) or only for personal matters (4%).
While the survey was certainly targeted to project managers, we wanted to make sure that we were talking with respondents who were actively involved in project management on a daily basis.
We had the respondents clarify their job title and verify if they were solely performing project management activities at work or if they had other responsibilities. We found a great variety of job titles but a little more than one-third of the respondents who answered were Project Managers.
When asked about the modules of the Bullet Journal, I was delighted to see that 42% of PMs said they were using all four modules in their Bullet Journal. Further, less than 5% of PMs surveyed were not using any of the modules. Again, this shows the effectiveness of the Bullet Journal system for most project managers. In regards to the modules that were used, we see that more than 40% use the Monthly Log and Daily Log together. Another third of the PMs work with the Index and Daily Log as their go-to modules. And, further, about 29% of the respondents use the Future Log and Daily Log together on the job.
Project managers need an entirely higher level of organization than most of us. This survey provides statistical proof of the Bullet Journal’s ability to significantly improve task management for professionals whose jobs depend on it.
Online calendars and project management software are essential tools for the job but we also now have evidence that a pen and paper-based system, while not exclusive to the job, can indeed enhance productivity. Coming up, we hope to field additional surveys to look at other professions and how they are using a Bullet Journal to enhance their productivity and organization on the job. Until then, stay on the job!
Ryan Finkbiner
May 15, 2017
I just learned about bullet journals and I love it. As a PM I’ve already seen its benefits. Btw, I use all the modules and I keep separate journals but high level events and deadlines do get populated in my personal journal vice versa.