Bullet Journal vs Twos: Which is the Best Productivity System For You?
by Parker · 72 things on NewTwos
- A comparison of two simple yet powerful productivity systems
- As our attention spans decrease, writing things down has only become more important to our daily lives.
- We have more information to keep track of and remember than ever before and you never know when you'll want to revisit or share some of the things you've captured.
- This means it's important to have a system that is quick enough to capture and use on a daily basis, yet organized enough to find and remember the information you've written down.
- I originally started my productivity and organization journey with Apple Notes. I've used Evernote, Google Docs, and notecards, but for the past 7 years, I've been building and using Twos.
- I study productivity systems, old and new, digital or physical, to discover the best features and attributes to include in Twos to create the best place to write *things* down.
- Today, I will be comparing two quick, easy, and organized productivity tools, the Bullet Journal and Twos, to help you decide which is best for you.
- Bullet Journal
- For people who love carrying around and writing in a physical notebook, the bullet journal is one of the best systems to organize your life.
- The system was originally created by Ryder Carroll to solve his own problem with digital tools being too rigid or complicated and wanting to create a mental inventory for his life.
- It’s similar to a field notebook but has a few principles and guidelines that help organize your notes, tasks, and appointments in a way that supports your life.
- It’s a very popular system with a lot of flexibility and ways to customize it to your liking. There are also many resources online to help you get started.
- Pros
- Physical writing to help slow down
- Simple system with an index, monthly logs, daily logs, collections, and more
- Very customizable with colors, sections, and drawings
- Cons
- Need to carry it around
- No search functionality other than creating an index and flipping pages
- Each journal costs money and needs to be stored
- Twos
- For people who love writing things down and organizing their life, Twos is revolutionary.
- Twos is a newer system but replaces many applications (calendar, reminders, notes, task manager, and journal) with one simple place to write *things* down.
- Twos offers a simple note-taking experience plus lists, task management, calendar integration, auto-date detection for reminders, journaling, templates, AI, and more.
- Twos is free and available on all devices (iOS, Android, web, Windows, and Linux) so no need to carry around a notebook, plus it is quick and easy to access on public and work devices with Twos' browser access.
- Pros
- Super fast capture on the go
- Clean and simple to use
- All-in-one for thoughts, notes, tasks, reminders, calendar, and more
- Active community and founder access (Hi 👋)
- Easy sharing and collaboration on information
- Cons
- All digital, no writing (unless with Apple Pencil)
- Limited integrations with other platforms (text, email, and calendars only)
- Only lists (no tables, kanban, or drawing)
- Newer company (3 years)
- How are they similar?
- Both systems are designed to help you capture and organize information in your life.
- Both systems include daily lists, task management, note-taking, and collections of information (called lists in Twos). The Bullet Journal does this with how you set up your bullet journal and uses identifiers next to each piece of information you write down. Twos does this with pre-made daily lists and its new *thing* technology.
- Both systems help you revisit and remember the information you capture. The Bullet Journal does this with the index, weekly/monthly migrations, and future logs. Twos does this with reminders, a review view, and a memories view of the days, lists, and *things* you've captured in the past.
- How are they different?
- Physical vs Digital
- The Bullet journal is physical and Twos is digital. This means you can only use the Bullet Journal when you have it with you. Twos is always with you available on your phone and browser, and it works offline.
- Since the Bullet Journal is physical, it can be very helpful with slowing down, setting intention, and only capturing what is most important to you.
- Twos helps you capture more—even on the go—search and find things more easily, and utilize technology such as reminders, calendar integration, pre-made templates, AI, and resurfacing information based on time.
- Setup
- The Bullet Journal actually requires a fair bit of set up and maintenance with creating and maintaining the index, migrating information, and storing and reviewing past books. Twos is set up for you and all you need to do is write *things* down and create lists.
- Pricing
- The Bullet Journal costs $28 per notebook which should last a year. Twos is a free app with some paid upgrades in the mobile app that you can also get for free by using the app.
- Sharing
- The Bullet Journal is a purely private experience. Twos allows you to easily share lists with universal links, collaborate with other people, and share information to Twos World to connect with other people.
- Quick breakdown
- Difficulty: Twos
- Since Twos requires no setup, Twos will be easier to use. All you need to do is write *things* down on days and create lists. The Bullet Journal requires manual indexing, migrations, and manual review.
- Price: Twos
- Twos is free to use on all platforms (iOS, Android, web, MacOS, Windows, and Linux). The Bullet Journal costs $28 per notebook.
- Twos does offer a few premium features on its mobile app, but they can be bought with coins which can be earned while learning and exploring the app.
- Power: Twos
- While both systems are wonderful for tracking thoughts, tasks, notes, and events, since Twos is digital and allows quick search, automatic carryover of unfinished to-dos, AI auto-date detected reminders, integration with your calendars, and system notifications to remember *things*, it much more powerful.
- The power of physical capture shouldn't be downplayed. It is so helpful to set intentions and slow down in today's fast-paced world so there is power in both.
- Speed: Twos
- A digital system will always be quicker than a physical one. You can text yourself, email yourself, use Siri, and set up shortcuts which will help you capture and find information much quicker than opening a notebook or flipping through pages to find the piece of information you're looking for.
- The slowness of the Bullet Journal is a pro. It helps us slow down, process, and think when we're overwhelmed with the amount of information and thoughts we have in today's world.
- Which productivity system is best for you?
- It really depends on what you're looking for. Both of these systems will help you remember more of the things that are important to you.
- If you want a physical notebook, the Bullet Journal system is one of the best systems to help you stay organized and be productive.
- If you want a digital system, Twos will be a welcomed experience for quick capture, easy memory, and the ability to share and connect with other people over what you're writing down.
- I personally use Twos for any*thing* I want to write, remember, and share—notes, journals, reminders, events, blogs (this blog), roadmaps, and project management, and I use a notebook for when I want to slow down and think through a specific problem.
- I hope this was helpful in making your choice between whether to use the Bullet Journal or Twos.
- Please let me know if you use a different system that works for you.
- Happy Twosday