This is it! This is the actual truth of how to be "productive". We have to face the mental challenges, not the habits/systems first. I literally realized "I can do hard things" was the way to push through. It's opened my life to so many possibilities and honestly, helped me find the joy in life.
As a recovering perfectionist and overthinker who has a lot of shame fading away in my rear view mirror, I highly recommend viewing planning, and most everything else you do in life, as an ongoing experiment. Expect there to always be some way to improve it next time which makes it fun to sleuth out problems and ways to solve them. This has released me from the terror of feeling like I had to get it right the first time which is impossible. Perfectionism is LEARNED, it is not innate. You can UNlearn it. I am proof! Be kind to yourself. You’re never failing, you’re experimenting, weeding out what isn’t working to find what does. This a game I'll happily play til I die.
Oh my. You are me and I am you!!! I can’t believe you just did that. I have soooooo many blank planners, bullet journals, etsy printouts, all blank because I couldn’t figure out the BEST way to use them!!! So now I have an iPad with an Apple Pencil trying to figure out which note app to buy and can’t even do that bc I don’t know which one is the best for me! It’s exhausting. How did I get here?? lol. This world is making a killing bc I can’t figure out how to mess up a blank page 😮 .. I appreciate your comment and will have to read that again several times so it’ll sink in!!
@@Winterz54321same same same!!!! The idea that there is an entire industry profiting off of this VERY COMMON human phenomenon actually pisses me off. I frequently consider just using a cheap blank spiral notebook or composition notebook (of which I have plenty, of course), and just removing myself from the “buy” cycle. I really don’t want to keep giving them my money. At a certain point, all the planner things stop being a good investment and start becoming a money pit. And clutter…
Whoa, that was astonishingly good. Real insights and some genuine wisdom here. Most "planner" videos are really just product-centered show & tell. That's not a criticism, but I think it's true. Sort of like "talk about doing" or at best "think about doing." What I hear you saying is "stop talking, stop thinking, STOP SPENDING - focus some, start doing, give it a legitimate try, and if it doesn't work out well, exercise some self-compassion and see what can be learned. I don't know what your day job is. I hope you're using the talents you're displaying here, which clearly (no offense to anyone) go well beyond just commenting on planners and how to use them. 👍
I can't believe how underrated this channel is. Rachelle should have more subs than the so-called productivity gurus like Ali Abdaal. Not that I'm bashing his content - I also like his channel - but I've never heard one of them address this issue, and it's an important one! Thank you so much for being one in a million, Rachelle
I like him too but the way he talks like physically bugs me lol. He’s leaned back in his chair and the chair is always twisting as he’s doing his hand gestures. I just want to grab him and scream STAY STILL 😅
I think that moment of stopping when things get hard … you said to try again, but I would add reflection to that. Not assess, necessarily (that feels too productive) but maybe digging into the why of the fear and shame can help unlearn some old stories. A chance to tweak what’s happening instead of soldiering on could help with the frustration too. Totally agree with sticking for three months in the same planner - I did that and found myself using some instead of all of the sections and later adding in those unused or rarely used sections as I figured it out.
You're spot on. The problem is (especially for us ADHD people) you find something new ans ir exhilarated your brain bc it brings something to the table that you haven't tried before. Waiting 3 months to try it is like a kid staring at a wrapped present under the tree 3 weeks before Christmas. But maybe keeping a list like pros and cons quarterly like you do would prepare us for the next quarter. Kind of like working out...2 weeks you feel it, 4 weeks you see it, 8 weeks everyone else starts to notice.
This for me applies outside of planning...this applies to LIFE! Thank you for verbalizing how I have felt MOST of my life. I've always struggled thinking I wasn't productive enough and feeling like I've failed, when I just never gave anything time to manifest. Thank you for growth and thank you for people like you breaking it down for the people ✊🏾❤
That's good advice. Especially about the log. And even the parts that fail, may be able to be tweaked within the same system. Sometimes you also just need to work on forming a habit. I often think the 21 days to set a habit is just something you do for a checkpoint, "Ah, I did it, check." But I'm not sure you've formed a habit that quickly. I think if you plan a habit you want to develope into the three month system, your more likely build that habit.
This video emphasizes how I felt in 2023 and in the past when I was planning. I realized that it's not the system that I am using. It's actually how I didn't layout my goals effectively and not keeping my system simple to help me execute. Now we are almost in 2023 Q4 I am using this time to brain storm my long-term, short-term goals and current goals. Hopefully, this will help me plan effectively in 2024 since I have so much in my mind when I think about my future.
Spot on comment. Journalling and Planning should be a journey and iterative. Keeping up with all of these recommendations actually overwhelms and sometimes robs out of the joy in journaling process. We ended up buying excessive stationaries that we will probably never use. I am sticking to simplicity- more on balance between creative outlet and productivity.
What you should do is choose your planer carefully. Remember only that your paper, pen and handwriting should always be compatible. Handwriting chooses pen and pen choices paper. Life changes and you will always need to adapt your planer system to fit your needs, writing in your planer/journal however should be ultimate pleasure every time, or you will fail no matter the system.
@@21972012145525 I didn’t say it’s easy. It took me years to figure it out. Look at your old notes or planers for starters, and see what you like and don’t like.
Your videos are so refreshing. I feel like most planner channels stress me out and make me feel like I need to do more. Your videos remind me of the reason I plan in the first place - because it makes my life easier. Not harder. 😊
This is something I’ve noticed about myself in many areas recently! We’re so constantly inundated with new things to try, things to buy, digital distractions, etc that it makes it really hard to want to power through those tough moments. Who wants to struggle when you could just start the honeymoon phase with a new thing or pull up a phone app to distract yourself? Glad to have you call out this problem!
Uuuuuuuggghhhhhhhh NEEDED THIS!! Thank you for explaining this so clearly, I’ve been going through this for so long, and I felt like a failure over and over and over again. It is true, you need to just pick one, and stay with it. I think a lot of the frustration is switching back-and-forth. The reason you need to stick with it longer is because you need to give your brain the opportunity to create these new neural pathways of doing something different. Thanks again!
This came at the exact time i needed one.I was about to get into the shame and plan thing after failing and guess what now i am good to go and try again.Thank you R!
I am jumping between hobonichi unboxing planner to see what my 2024 lineup will look like , and at the time my 2023 planners are almost empty , and i was thinking ti quit social media just to experiment in the next 3 months what will work for me , and i am still waiting for your 2024 lineup video 😂😂😂 So i will disappear in the next few months to explore and see what will reallu serve my goals Thank you for this channel you are my fav and the first video i saw in ur channel is 2023 lineup and number 1 you-tuber /productivity hero in this year Thank you
Hey Rachelle loved this video. I know that you had a spread of stop, start, continue spreads would love to see this being done and how you use that in your method. It’s been so refreshing so actual see your channel grow, I feel like you always go beyond the books and make this all practical and digestible, as someone who has a scattered brain this always helps ❤
I should give you my co-pay instead of my therapist. 💯 I found your channel less than two weeks ago and confidently you are the one for me. For many reasons.
I have a bullet journal, pastel highlighters, mechanical pencils, and some animal crossing stickers. My system is a weekly page with: High-impact task list (1-3 things that will take a lot of time+focus but be the biggest accomplishments) Future log (stuff thats in the back of my mind but not for this week.) Waiting-for list (emails/packages/feedback i am waiting for, so i dont have to rely on my brain to say crap i emailed that person 3 weeks ago. I will be able to follow up much sooner and reliably by relying on the list) Wanna-dos (a brain dump of things that would be advantageous or fun to do this week) Habit tracker similar to yours My appointments or anything tied to a specific time+day is in Google calendar on my phone so that I can have alarms for them
Me: I get my yearly hobonichi (plan for three days, tops) and then get content overload and end up not being able to pick which method works for me so then I cave to the capitalism machine and buy: lechtturn in case bullet journal might be better, new ring binders in case I need to move stuff around instead, etsy printouts for the fancy binder, dashboards, dividers, stickers, bookmarks, aesthetic vinyl postit’s, little friggin paper clips with dangly bits hanging from them, new pens, new highlighters, rulers, stencils, AND since none of that helped…. I buy a new hobonichi at the start of the next year. Now I’m wondering if I just needed a different size ring binder…. That must be it!!! 😮 Enjoyed this video!!! I have a new plan of attack now!
Rachelle, nicely done explanation. In trying to find out what to do,I took in so much information it just turned into a confusing mess. Keeping it as simple as possible is key for me. Enjoy the expressive hands !
This is SO good! I’m going to use a bujo for the rest of the year, along with a black pen and a ruler. I just made a jet pens order and am going to try a few new pens. 🎉
This is great, especially since I only recently found your channel and have been marathoning your videos. Lol! Why would I watch a bunch of videos about hobonichis when I have an elephant planner I just recently started???
So, there's hope for all of us planning addicts to reach a planner heaven in the end? Only it's not a perfect heaven... it includes work and analysis and self correction and regular adjustments. I guess that's life. No system is perfect to handle every situation, every step in your growth and every change in your circumstances, and that's ok. It's a journey, not a destination. Thanks Rachelle for reminding us of that.
Thank you for this video. Brain over load is very real. I have been using Makselife for a year & I love it. We are also reading 📚 12 wk year. It shows you also how our brains work. I love these 2 I plan on staying with them. But this video helped me identify the information overload that now I can actively avoid or at least minimize.😊
The idea that there is an entire industry profiting off of this VERY COMMON human phenomenon actually pisses me off. I frequently consider just using a cheap blank spiral notebook or composition notebook (of which I have plenty, of course), and just removing myself from the “buy” cycle. I really don’t want to keep giving them my money. At a certain point, all the planner things stop being a good investment and start becoming a money pit. And clutter… Ironically, one of my other RUclips rabbit holes is the cult of decluttering & minimalism. 😂
Love this! I was getting caught up in all the hobonichi unboxing videos but after careful thought, I pulled out the 2019 weeks I stopped using in April and am re-dating the month and weeks to give my self a “soft start” back into planning on paper
I’m literally using my sisters old planner from 2017 (I know!) because it’s lines and is paper . I just write the date down and plan my day, and the next day, etc. I used to highlight the date, but I stopped doing f that. Tbh it’s more of a schedule/to do list than a planner, but it helps me avoid decision fatigue on what to do next. I do a monthly brain dump on my phone/computer & prioritize by date, have my daily to dos (in the old planner) and am set. It’s so weird to me it works
My trying and failing steps always fail because i try to incorporate more and more into this impossibly expansive system. I want it to be all-encompassing of everything, automated, and syncronized. Then i get frustrated because whatever tool im trying out doesnt have the features i need, so i find more tools and the sync issues between them and it not working out exactly how I want it just leads to me giving up
Thank you for your videos. Would you consider a video on functional planning in planners w/separate sections? Like, planning your work week and taking advantage of daily pages w/out getting stuck on the “flipping back and forth” barrier? The PTD b6 has given me about 90% of what I want in a planner. It’s horizontal which doesn’t always work for my schedule, but I work around it and keep my daily notes w/in the week. I’m open to a layout like the SICP but not sure how to make the most of the book w/all the separations. Would appreciate any suggestions.
I'm so serious, this video deserves an award. THIS is the productivity video. A must watch. Thank you Rachelle!
9
This is it! This is the actual truth of how to be "productive". We have to face the mental challenges, not the habits/systems first. I literally realized "I can do hard things" was the way to push through. It's opened my life to so many possibilities and honestly, helped me find the joy in life.
As a recovering perfectionist and overthinker who has a lot of shame fading away in my rear view mirror, I highly recommend viewing planning, and most everything else you do in life, as an ongoing experiment. Expect there to always be some way to improve it next time which makes it fun to sleuth out problems and ways to solve them. This has released me from the terror of feeling like I had to get it right the first time which is impossible. Perfectionism is LEARNED, it is not innate. You can UNlearn it. I am proof! Be kind to yourself. You’re never failing, you’re experimenting, weeding out what isn’t working to find what does. This a game I'll happily play til I die.
Thank you
Oh my. You are me and I am you!!! I can’t believe you just did that.
I have soooooo many blank planners, bullet journals, etsy printouts, all blank because I couldn’t figure out the BEST way to use them!!! So now I have an iPad with an Apple Pencil trying to figure out which note app to buy and can’t even do that bc I don’t know which one is the best for me!
It’s exhausting. How did I get here?? lol. This world is making a killing bc I can’t figure out how to mess up a blank page 😮
.. I appreciate your comment and will have to read that again several times so it’ll sink in!!
@@Winterz54321same same same!!!! The idea that there is an entire industry profiting off of this VERY COMMON human phenomenon actually pisses me off.
I frequently consider just using a cheap blank spiral notebook or composition notebook (of which I have plenty, of course), and just removing myself from the “buy” cycle. I really don’t want to keep giving them my money. At a certain point, all the planner things stop being a good investment and start becoming a money pit. And clutter…
Whoa, that was astonishingly good. Real insights and some genuine wisdom here. Most "planner" videos are really just product-centered show & tell. That's not a criticism, but I think it's true. Sort of like "talk about doing" or at best "think about doing." What I hear you saying is "stop talking, stop thinking, STOP SPENDING - focus some, start doing, give it a legitimate try, and if it doesn't work out well, exercise some self-compassion and see what can be learned. I don't know what your day job is. I hope you're using the talents you're displaying here, which clearly (no offense to anyone) go well beyond just commenting on planners and how to use them. 👍
I can't believe how underrated this channel is. Rachelle should have more subs than the so-called productivity gurus like Ali Abdaal. Not that I'm bashing his content - I also like his channel - but I've never heard one of them address this issue, and it's an important one! Thank you so much for being one in a million, Rachelle
I like him too but the way he talks like physically bugs me lol. He’s leaned back in his chair and the chair is always twisting as he’s doing his hand gestures. I just want to grab him and scream STAY STILL 😅
I think that moment of stopping when things get hard … you said to try again, but I would add reflection to that. Not assess, necessarily (that feels too productive) but maybe digging into the why of the fear and shame can help unlearn some old stories. A chance to tweak what’s happening instead of soldiering on could help with the frustration too. Totally agree with sticking for three months in the same planner - I did that and found myself using some instead of all of the sections and later adding in those unused or rarely used sections as I figured it out.
You're spot on. The problem is (especially for us ADHD people) you find something new ans ir exhilarated your brain bc it brings something to the table that you haven't tried before. Waiting 3 months to try it is like a kid staring at a wrapped present under the tree 3 weeks before Christmas. But maybe keeping a list like pros and cons quarterly like you do would prepare us for the next quarter. Kind of like working out...2 weeks you feel it, 4 weeks you see it, 8 weeks everyone else starts to notice.
This for me applies outside of planning...this applies to LIFE! Thank you for verbalizing how I have felt MOST of my life. I've always struggled thinking I wasn't productive enough and feeling like I've failed, when I just never gave anything time to manifest. Thank you for growth and thank you for people like you breaking it down for the people ✊🏾❤
That's good advice. Especially about the log. And even the parts that fail, may be able to be tweaked within the same system. Sometimes you also just need to work on forming a habit. I often think the 21 days to set a habit is just something you do for a checkpoint, "Ah, I did it, check." But I'm not sure you've formed a habit that quickly. I think if you plan a habit you want to develope into the three month system, your more likely build that habit.
This video emphasizes how I felt in 2023 and in the past when I was planning. I realized that it's not the system that I am using. It's actually how I didn't layout my goals effectively and not keeping my system simple to help me execute. Now we are almost in 2023 Q4 I am using this time to brain storm my long-term, short-term goals and current goals. Hopefully, this will help me plan effectively in 2024 since I have so much in my mind when I think about my future.
Spot on comment. Journalling and Planning should be a journey and iterative. Keeping up with all of these recommendations actually overwhelms and sometimes robs out of the joy in journaling process. We ended up buying excessive stationaries that we will probably never use. I am sticking to simplicity- more on balance between creative outlet and productivity.
i feel so seen and suddenly hopeful. thank you.
What you should do is choose your planer carefully. Remember only that your paper, pen and handwriting should always be compatible. Handwriting chooses pen and pen choices paper. Life changes and you will always need to adapt your planer system to fit your needs, writing in your planer/journal however should be ultimate pleasure every time, or you will fail no matter the system.
Wait how do I figure out which pen should I choose based on my handwriting?!
How does it become a pleasure?
@@21972012145525 I didn’t say it’s easy. It took me years to figure it out. Look at your old notes or planers for starters, and see what you like and don’t like.
@@ceterisparibus8966you in particular will never know;)
Your videos are so refreshing.
I feel like most planner channels stress me out and make me feel like I need to do more. Your videos remind me of the reason I plan in the first place - because it makes my life easier. Not harder. 😊
This is something I’ve noticed about myself in many areas recently! We’re so constantly inundated with new things to try, things to buy, digital distractions, etc that it makes it really hard to want to power through those tough moments. Who wants to struggle when you could just start the honeymoon phase with a new thing or pull up a phone app to distract yourself?
Glad to have you call out this problem!
Uuuuuuuggghhhhhhhh NEEDED THIS!! Thank you for explaining this so clearly, I’ve been going through this for so long, and I felt like a failure over and over and over again. It is true, you need to just pick one, and stay with it. I think a lot of the frustration is switching back-and-forth. The reason you need to stick with it longer is because you need to give your brain the opportunity to create these new neural pathways of doing something different. Thanks again!
Me reading the title in the middle of a shame spiral "okay but did you need to yELL!?"
😂
This came at the exact time i needed one.I was about to get into the shame and plan thing after failing and guess what now i am good to go and try again.Thank you R!
I am jumping between hobonichi unboxing planner to see what my 2024 lineup will look like , and at the time my 2023 planners are almost empty , and i was thinking ti quit social media just to experiment in the next 3 months what will work for me , and i am still waiting for your 2024 lineup video 😂😂😂
So i will disappear in the next few months to explore and see what will reallu serve my goals
Thank you for this channel you are my fav and the first video i saw in ur channel is 2023 lineup and number 1 you-tuber /productivity hero in this year
Thank you
AMEN!! YOU NAILED IT!!!
Hey Rachelle loved this video. I know that you had a spread of stop, start, continue spreads would love to see this being done and how you use that in your method. It’s been so refreshing so actual see your channel grow, I feel like you always go beyond the books and make this all practical and digestible, as someone who has a scattered brain this always helps ❤
I should give you my co-pay instead of my therapist. 💯
I found your channel less than two weeks ago and confidently you are the one for me. For many reasons.
I have a bullet journal, pastel highlighters, mechanical pencils, and some animal crossing stickers.
My system is a weekly page with:
High-impact task list (1-3 things that will take a lot of time+focus but be the biggest accomplishments)
Future log (stuff thats in the back of my mind but not for this week.)
Waiting-for list (emails/packages/feedback i am waiting for, so i dont have to rely on my brain to say crap i emailed that person 3 weeks ago. I will be able to follow up much sooner and reliably by relying on the list)
Wanna-dos (a brain dump of things that would be advantageous or fun to do this week)
Habit tracker similar to yours
My appointments or anything tied to a specific time+day is in Google calendar on my phone so that I can have alarms for them
Me: I get my yearly hobonichi (plan for three days, tops) and then get content overload and end up not being able to pick which method works for me so then I cave to the capitalism machine and buy:
lechtturn in case bullet journal might be better, new ring binders in case I need to move stuff around instead, etsy printouts for the fancy binder, dashboards, dividers, stickers, bookmarks, aesthetic vinyl postit’s, little friggin paper clips with dangly bits hanging from them, new pens, new highlighters, rulers, stencils, AND since none of that helped….
I buy a new hobonichi at the start of the next year.
Now I’m wondering if I just needed a different size ring binder…. That must be it!!! 😮
Enjoyed this video!!! I have a new plan of attack now!
Get out of my head! LOL - just the video I needed today
Rachelle, nicely done explanation.
In trying to find out what to do,I took in so much information it just turned into a confusing mess. Keeping it as simple as possible is key for me.
Enjoy the expressive hands !
I am one of those quiet followers who never comments... but this video deserves a big shout out. Thank you. Love your channel. And happy Mabon.! :).
You should have a patreon!!!!
This is SO good! I’m going to use a bujo for the rest of the year, along with a black pen and a ruler. I just made a jet pens order and am going to try a few new pens. 🎉
This is great, especially since I only recently found your channel and have been marathoning your videos. Lol! Why would I watch a bunch of videos about hobonichis when I have an elephant planner I just recently started???
Thank you so much for the reminder ❤
So, there's hope for all of us planning addicts to reach a planner heaven in the end? Only it's not a perfect heaven... it includes work and analysis and self correction and regular adjustments. I guess that's life. No system is perfect to handle every situation, every step in your growth and every change in your circumstances, and that's ok. It's a journey, not a destination. Thanks Rachelle for reminding us of that.
Thank you for this video.
Brain over load is very real.
I have been using Makselife for a year & I love it. We are also reading 📚 12 wk year. It shows you also how our brains work. I love these 2 I plan on staying with them. But this video helped me identify the information overload that now I can actively avoid or at least minimize.😊
The idea that there is an entire industry profiting off of this VERY COMMON human phenomenon actually pisses me off.
I frequently consider just using a cheap blank spiral notebook or composition notebook (of which I have plenty, of course), and just removing myself from the “buy” cycle. I really don’t want to keep giving them my money. At a certain point, all the planner things stop being a good investment and start becoming a money pit. And clutter…
Ironically, one of my other RUclips rabbit holes is the cult of decluttering & minimalism. 😂
Wow! What is your background? Counseling, osychology, social work?? You are amazing
I learned from you how to plan to use my planner, now I need to add a monthly review of what has worked and what has not. Thank you!
Thank you! Great advice!
great tips! your nails look really pretty ❤
Good advice, thank you, for saying the important things out loud!
THANK YOUUUUUU
LOL - YESSSSS!!! "Too much free advice" can be a problem, thank you!
Brilliant, thanks for this. I always feel guilty if my planner looks messy 😢 I need to stop trying to make it look perfect😏
I couldn't love this more...wowzers!
Hey Rachelle, what pen do you use? 😂
Thank you so much for this!
Love this! I was getting caught up in all the hobonichi unboxing videos but after careful thought, I pulled out the 2019 weeks I stopped using in April and am re-dating the month and weeks to give my self a “soft start” back into planning on paper
I’m literally using my sisters old planner from 2017 (I know!) because it’s lines and is paper . I just write the date down and plan my day, and the next day, etc. I used to highlight the date, but I stopped doing f that. Tbh it’s more of a schedule/to do list than a planner, but it helps me avoid decision fatigue on what to do next. I do a monthly brain dump on my phone/computer & prioritize by date, have my daily to dos (in the old planner) and am set. It’s so weird to me it works
My trying and failing steps always fail because i try to incorporate more and more into this impossibly expansive system. I want it to be all-encompassing of everything, automated, and syncronized. Then i get frustrated because whatever tool im trying out doesnt have the features i need, so i find more tools and the sync issues between them and it not working out exactly how I want it just leads to me giving up
Where did you get your sticky notes!?
Thank you for your videos. Would you consider a video on functional planning in planners w/separate sections? Like, planning your work week and taking advantage of daily pages w/out getting stuck on the “flipping back and forth” barrier? The PTD b6 has given me about 90% of what I want in a planner. It’s horizontal which doesn’t always work for my schedule, but I work around it and keep my daily notes w/in the week. I’m open to a layout like the SICP but not sure how to make the most of the book w/all the separations. Would appreciate any suggestions.
I recently tried a rings planner and I just cannot. Theres no way I can make it 3 months 😭
Well said. 💙✨️
Do you have a recommended go-to starter quarterly planner list?
Wow how did you know 😂