Planning when I can’t be bothered 💜

[@nadjabauer9533]

The point about multiple pens is really relatable. I have solved the issue by always keeping a pencil with my journal. I love the look of using different pens/colors but i dont want to get the out each evening when I fill in trackers. So I pencil them in (i use numbers to indicate the different colors for example) and when I have time I can fill it in with the regular pens :)

[@Macallion]

I do this too. Very helpful.

[@JashiiCorrin]

Certainly a good way to go about it! 💪

[@menollywhite8674]

I keep a pencil case of only that months pens out. Its hard for me to get out others, so i use the ones i want myself to.

[@TheSeatedView]

This is me exactly these days. I set up a nice spread with a nifty theme on Sundays and... Do the same thing next Sunday without having touched the planner.Last week, I reminded myself that with eveything going on in my life, I do need to journal, so I started on Monday, got interrupted halfway through the first paragraph and - you've guessed it - didn't touch it again. I've come to acceot that the excitement of setting up my weekly spread is a way to get excited about the week. And right now, maybe that's enough?

[@emilielancour236]

I think one of the benefits of bullet journaling is that you can switch it up week by week or whatever time frame you're using so that when your energy is low or high you can make it fit that. I find that I have a better day when I do my bullet journal for a couple minutes in the morning and I sleep better when I do a couple minutes before bed. I have mine set up that it only takes 5 to 10 minutes a day. I have other journals that I use throughout the week when I feel like I need to fill them out. I like the idea of sending yourself your data points that you can then fill in later.

[@gilraencalaelen4185]

I go fully down on basic bullet journaling. One pen, no supplies, no decoration, just plain getting mental load on paper out of my head. Trackers pause a few days as well. On my laziest day till now, when i had no energy and didn't accomplish any todo, i just made a box around it and labeled it with the date of the next day 😄 hogh speed migration 🥳 Not pretty, but work fine for me.

[@sophiahans4606]

On those ick days, I am honest with myself in my journal. In the daily log, I will write something like "feeling like poo", "hate the thought of doing anything" etc, often followed by a short description of what's going on. When I am feeling better, I can come back fresh and put that experience into context. Sometimes I discover a pattern while doing a weekly/monthly reflection, which is super useful. In those high energy moments where I want to create something, I think about what will make my life easier. I might start a collection for something that keeps coming up in my logs, start a tracker for something I repeatedly forget. I look for ways to take out of my daily mental load, not add to it.

[@Shasha-vy3nk]

If I feel low on energy, I try to keep up with just the dailys. Because all the information needed for the trackers and other set up pages will be found in there later on. Therefore, if I can keep up with the dailys, even if they tend to become a little shorter, leaving out everything else for the time being will not really matter. The data is safe and I can come back to it whenever .

[@Hayden-rc1ru]

I have a daily log, a few trackers, and lists of 'to do's, the rest is just ramblings and things about my interests, so my journaling is pretty low maintenance. I mainly use journaling to help my mental health, and not any extensive journaling.

[@teresamarick5051]

Some is better than none. Thanks for the reminder. ❤️ This past year I use my journal less, but I get more done consistently when I'm writing things down.

[@glendaw5221]

I do the bare minimum. Probably only put appointments on my phone and don’t track anything. But I’m usually pretty mid or high energy. I’m retired but pet sit. My go to is my phone but I keep a dated calendar at home. My bullet journal is just for notes and reminders. I’m not happy with my reading “journal”. They are tracked haphazardly in Goodreads, my Bujo, a reading journal etc etc. suggestions welcome.

[@kittyflint705]

One thing I do is use my daily log to record information and put it into trackers later. I usually don't even set the trackers up in advance, I use them more as a reflection tool at the end of the period I want to have a look at. The second thing I do is: allowing myself to simply don't use my journal, period. For me it is usually in times of emotional stress that it feels like a burden. I have come to the conclusion (for now) that it helps me a lot more if I just leave my journal be when it feels overwhelming, and that I record what was holding me back when I come back. I do not set up anything that needs to be maintained, so I effectively don't end up with blank spaces. I can simply step back in where I left and record the reasons for the break, so I can later evaluate what I want to change in my life so I don't feel that overwhelmed again. It works pretty well for me and has brought me a lot of insights about how my mental health works.

[@symphadventures]

I get really down on myself when not completing tasks I set the day(s) before and reaching for my journal to record it can make it worse, I've now switched to penciling tasks in so I can still celebrate and record what I did accomplish. Setting it in pen once completed is a huge pat on the back for me and I've found it to be a real motivator to complete at the end of the day. I still struggle with filling in habit trackers but the idea of recording it on my phone and the one colour pen layout sounds perfect as I can complete it easily in bed before sleep.

[@keelienne]

I just heard someone say that tasks are there to support and not to bully you. That hit home with me, and I start to be easier on me with that.. maybe it helps you too?

[@symphadventures]

@@keelienne Wow, yeah that does hit home. Thank you for sharing this 💜

[@LashanaKaos]

I have cut back significantly on the journaling I do recently simply because I don't have much going on. I have a travel size planner, a "when I feel like writing" journal, and a habit tracker journal. I limit the amount of actual daily tracking I do and keep most habits tracking to weekly. Should I miss any time in my habit trackers, I have a color for "no data" that I use to fill in the empty spots. That way the gaps aren't so obvious and I don't have to feel guilty about it.

[@skaerup]

I had to Google cbf - I will be using that going forward! 😄 I find that when I need my journal the most (i.e. when I am the most overwhelmed) is also when I am most likely to neglect it. I try to do a brain dump when that happens, then turn the page and set up just today (or tomorrow), then work from that. Tomorrow, I will set up only the next day, and so on - no collections, no future planning, just day to day 'what can I reasonably do today?'. I have considered taking it a step further and start keeping collections digitally instead, to avoid the 'oh no, I didn't use this collection - I now hate looking at my journal because I failed', which is unfortunately real thing in my brain. Also, way off topic, but love the quilt!

[@chrissiedcohen]

I came here to find out what cbf means.

[@JashiiCorrin]

Haha thanks! Mum made it “for” me (I stole it, with permission, haha 😂)

[@Siferiax]

I recently found that on bad days, actually having pen and paper helps. Since I usually log things digitally, but that is at the same time kind of slow. Just writing a short note in my journal and later elaborate on it in my digital space. This month I also stopped recording so much. That clears up some space too. It's scary to not have the data, but it is also sort of freeing.

[@MiaBlaha]

My bullet journal is very minimal to begin with. Really just one pen needed, no complicated layouts, mostly just daily log. When the low energy hits I usually just skip reflection (which sucks) so no processing but still tend to write everything down - future tasks, event, notes, journal entries. Once energy is back I do a clean up and migration of open tasks and I hope my low energy period was couple of days and not couple of months. Couple of months worth of logging but not reflecting/processing leaves some nasty skeletons in the pages 😅

[@prochetasur]

Noiceeee❤

[@lindseye2750]

Me too!

[@ChaiseDetective]

Incredible video, Jess! I've found that my low-energy planning approach often involves leaving some days completely blank in my daily log, and I've come to accept that as part of the process. Like you, I consider myself a cyclic planner, leaning on my fortnightly spread to outline the essentials I need to get through the day. Each morning presents a fresh start, allowing me to open my journal and decide the day's potential entries. This flexibility is something I truly cherish, granting me the freedom to accommodate whatever life throws my way. Your insights have added immense value to how I view and approach my planning routine. Thank you for sharing!

[@JashiiCorrin]

That’s a great way to look at it, Char! 💪💜 And heck yeah for cyclic planning 😊

[@shion.amamiya]

I just turn my section for a low energy day into a memories sections vs a task list! Like if i managed to eat all meals, I'll note that down as a "task" & cross it off as done or anything else? Given I journal in the same box as my task list, I can always check what was going on that day too~ I like symmetry & order, so I set up my days of a week all at once & use either stickers, doodles or journaling to fill in empty space ^^ I am pretty bad at checking into my monthly spreads, so I split my habits into daily (which go onto Box 8 on my weekly spread) and monthly/can be filled in in batches (which go onto monthly spreads)! If anyone has any tips & tricks: I get overwhelmed by huge task lists, yet I need my tasks split into portions too, cause that is overwhelming too (a task called "do taxes" freakes me out, while splitting it into idk "find receipts, fill in income, fill in expenses, doublecheck bank, send off" makes it easier to start), so there is that balancing act too... And I am on a very very bumpy uncomfortable struggle bus rn T^T

[@anniemoon350]

I keep forgetting to do it. I think I'll start doing it when I feed the pets in the evening, instead of right before bed.

[@JashiiCorrin]

That’s a good strategy 💪

[@kittenandgoat]

This year I am trying something different. I have dropped the days - and just have a rolling to do list for the week - and week reviews and brain dumps 🤔 - we will see!

[@Viriatha]

I just power through and use it as usual. This is made easier by the fact that I'm using it as a "memory" journal as opposed to a "task list" journal. Having my tasks in a digital planner is just less work.

[@Nikeeta1]

This entire January has been low energy and now my anxiety is very high as my mom is unwell. Traveling to see her is very hard for me . Ref my planner whole bunch of my orders haven't yet come ,so can't make my cover pages, but I'm just doing my daily to do, netflix and highlight of the day and leaving space for Decoration for when my orders come in 😅

[@priyacray]

Please: what is CBF? What am I missing? But I get the cant be bothered bit - I have already left my 2024 journal rotting in a pile on my desk

[@RapunzelFiberArts]

It's an acronym for "can't/couldn't be f***ed". Essentially the same as "can't be bothered"

[@priyacray]

@@RapunzelFiberArtsahhhhh. I get it now. 😅

[@miaayiti2665]

Since I use somewhat of a blank page planner layout, on my low energy days no entry & high to moderate days daily entry. At the end of the year 90% or more of my planner is used.

[@EnabiSeira]

Being able to addapt my trackers and month setups as the year progress is one of the best things. Having to do the setups each month is both good a bad, escpecially when on a low (like now 🙃) because you can addapt it knowing how much energy you will need/have when filling it, but also because I don't like leaving empty space. Watching videos of planning, setting up or just ideas help to put me in the mood.

[@piafitoussi]

The only thing in my journal that's vital for me to keep up with, is my health and symptoms tracker, because I have several chronic deseases. So I put it at the end of my journal (in the pocket most journals have), it's just simple monthlies and they're set for a year, and I use a basic multi-color ballpoint pen that I can always find in any supermarket (because it is easier to color-code symptoms), and when everything goes to shit, I can still manage to keep filling it. For the rest, I mostly try several things you described also in other videos (I LOVE this kind of videos where you suggest so many solutions to a lot of difficulties we all encounter!), and it doesn't always work, obviously 😅, but with my health tracker and my google agenda, I can mostly survive, if not thrive... And bullet journaling is very forgiving and flexible (you explained that in another video, I believe), which means I can go back to it when I feel better without going back to weeks of blank pages in a planner. As always, your videos are sooo useful, thank you thank you!

[@sugarandhoneybujo]

i lean on high energy me. a week before the next month starts, i set up my journal in it’s entirety including pre-sectioned dailies. i have two colors and a black pen that i keep in my pencil case so it’s easy to grab when i journal. i use multiple journals excluding my everyday journal (yearly collections, reading journal, and goals journal) and luckily the set up for most happens only once or per quarter.

[@JashiiCorrin]

Great system! Letting high energy you do that upfront work is certainly going to make life easier for low energy you 👌

[@keeponwishin]

I’m just getting back into the creative side of my journal for February, recovering from a 3-month slump. I’ve actually been very busy with an 1,100-mile move across the country. During that time, my notebook pages became a mess of scribbles noting different pieces of random information. It also didn’t help that all my journaling supplies were packed away, but I’ve been journaling for years and that is what tends to happen during these slumps.

[@JashiiCorrin]

Hope your moving went well! 🤞 Sounds like quite a trek 😄

[@missbilbybadinage1199]

This type of concept suits me when I feel like I'm overwhelmed, hit out of the blue or backed in a corner, etc... (big wtf moments) that puts me in too much of a bad mood to do bujo stuff. Keeping it simple and to the point saves me from being put of my bujo. Eg; Yesterday, I was suppose to be doing paperwork (money), but the bank's site had crashed. Ok, I'll order my groceries and do some chores while waiting for the delivery, their site crashed too... 0.o I had to go out for groceries some of the necessities where sold out. Really! ggrr. So when I got home I just did the tracker and a forward symbol for everything else, stuffed my face with dinner and went to bed. Today I have all the time in the world, just too tired, but got my paperwork done and chores are just going to have to wait until Saturday. Friday is a mystery, hopefully a good one. :D

[@shiorikampf6373]

If I miss a day, I use that space for doodles and stickers.

[@JashiiCorrin]

Good strategy 👌💜

[@ShaunaStory]

I generally keep my decorations minimal, but even if I'm feeling kind of extra one month, I keep all decorations confined to my monthly spreads so I'm not overwhelming myself. I have one highlighter and one colored frixion pen that I swap out each month to color coordinate. Weeklies are just a rolling task list, which takes a couple minutes to set up. Dailies are a header line on the next open line, with the day's events jotted down below, done in seconds. I've gradually tweaked my setup to be as quick and lightweight as possible, even switching to grid paper in order to draw fewer lines, so it's super low barrier to entry.

[@abigailvisser1180]

Just be careful with frixion pens as they can fade to nothing over time!

[@whoops.__m]

I have had a “break” with bullet journaling for a couple of months now, but i really miss the system. All of those strategies are really helpful to get me right back! Once again, thanks for such a wonderful video! 🎉

[@Laura-je2uw]

Fortunately i am a minimal planner and my planning and updating per day takes 5 - 10 minutes which is also very doable on low energy days😊

[@JashiiCorrin]

Glad your simple system works for you 😄 I find even when I do simple, daily work in my journal still takes at least 20 minutes across the day 🤔

[@keziahduncan5081]

I tend to make my journal as simple as possible. My reading journal I use one tracker to make things easier and two separate guides for myself one being my rating key and my annotation key. It makes things easier for me.

[@KuraiKodoku16]

I am defiantly one that puts my daily log entries in my notes app on the phone when my energy is low or I don't have enough time to check in with my bujo. That way I at least don't forget what happened, especially important mood shifting moments or small things that made me happy. My habits get tracked in my HabitNow app and have timed notifications. I'm quite often on my phone with my stopwatcher, timers, small app games ect, so said reminders help. I also LOVE the Modes function in my Galaxy phone that when set-up and turned on, can have you NOT use certain apps which has helped me avoid distractions. Yes I can turn it off whenever I want to, but the function is still there and has my brain shift focus to ''oh, hey the wallpapers are Bakugou holding a trash bag, it's time to focus on doing the chores/cleaning today'' so yeah. I always have used a flexible approach in my daily logs, let's me focus on the day that I'm currently in rather than being stuck in yesterday or in the future.

[@maiflowers7553]

For me I usually limit what spread I make, for example I’ve only done a monthly view for February but I can also extend it if I want too

[@julielavers3394]

I’m at the point in your video that you flipped through December, it’s SO cute!!!

[@JashiiCorrin]

Haha thanks! 💜

[@phoenixambrosecchia8421]

I plan with pens only and anything that really requires more pens and color i put off for more artsy days or setup days. But my day to day is just a pen and maybe a highlighter because I am never sure how much energy or time i'll have and i make time for my planner when i have my coffee in the morning. But it also goes with me everywhere because I also journal in it. I used to do stickers and such but it was a hassle to tote around.

[@mariegauthier6189]

Loveeee your hair!!!

[@isabellepoynter5193]

I always have low energy to use my bujo so right now I just do year at a glance, monthly calendar, weekly, and the following page after every week is a blank page for brain dump

[@emillyw5622]

I have a super minimal bullet journal style and I found having yearly trackers at the start of my journal made setting up each month a lot easier since I didn’t need to keep making the trackers each set up

[@JashiiCorrin]

Nice! 💪 I find that yearly trackers are often the ones that I’m least likely to check in with, but I’m glad they work well for you 😄💜

[@mathsalot8099]

I am just starting my journal this year, but already I've noticed when I'm lower motivation, I use bigger writing so it *looks* like I've done more stuff. Or I take that space to write a little "emotional venting" about how I'm feeling that is making me not want to "do all the things."

[@joyceredman2136]

Great bullet journaling tips! I am new to bullet journaling and I'm noticing that I would rather have long journaling notes per day instead of a quick check in. It helps me think my way through the month. Don't really need to track anything, more brain dump. Not sure a A5 is the right size for me.

[@JashiiCorrin]

Each I find it to be a bit of a trial and error process for figuring out what you want and need in your journal 💪 were you thinking A5 was too big or too small?

[@joyceredman2136]

A little small.@@JashiiCorrin

[@susanwilson1624]

I keep everything in one journal. I start with my yearly collections which I highly decorate but keep to a miminal number. Anything that I repeat each month are simple. I use a scrapbook method. I make them easy to fill in. Also I'm learning that if for some reason I did not complete the pages it is okay

[@tashnichol3636]

thank you for doing this video, i have completely lost motivation for my bujo its sadly sitting on the desk, and i feel guilt for days missed so to hear you talk about being less tough on yourself inspires me to change my thoughts on it, keep up the great work, much love from a fellow kiwi :)

[@JashiiCorrin]

It can be hard to change the narrative we have with ourselves surrounding things we feel guilty about, but with practice it gets easier 💜

[@Pinguin.Storch]

I noticed, that i have a summer break each year (often june and july). So i think i just set up a page, where i can/want to note my memories down :)

[@Angienicholas1975]

thank you for postig videos like this I am fairly new to bullet journaling. use it mostly for my weightloss and health journal. Anyway you can do videos with some examples of spreads for like sleep tracker calorie tracker or anything really for health and fitness. Thanks for always sharing

[@hudsonkelly72]

Exactly 🎉

[@erincassidy-cernanec9755]

Batch data collection!!!! Brilliant!

[@JashiiCorrin]

I’m very into the idea of task batching where I can 😝💜

[@ChantelleArts]

fascinating video, thank you for sharing ☺☺☺

[@melusine826]

What do people do when you dont have small neat handwriting??? I can not do anything like this- i need it about twice the space 😅

[@diaryofdakshaaa]

This is a good topic you’ve covered! Thank you ❤

[@JashiiCorrin]

Most welcome! 😄💜 Hope it’s useful for people 🤞

[@Mellylein]

Danke für dein Video 💐. Gute Erklärungen. Thanks Jess for your video 💐. It explains a lot. Liebe Grüße Melly ✨

[@JashiiCorrin]

Most welcome! 😄💜

[@julielavers3394]

I ignore it and I hate doing that.

[@kristinerberg]

Just a thought; would your period happen to be around the end of the month…? Would explain the mid-month drop-off to a degree😏

[@JashiiCorrin]

Mine’s super fun and comes on average every 2 weeks 😝 would make sense with the other trends though, haha

[@Silent-Ink]

i love your quilt, is it handmade?

[@JashiiCorrin]

Yup, my Mum made it 😄💜

[@Silent-Ink]

my grandmother made me one when i was a child, it was always my favorite blanket. @@JashiiCorrin

[@lisefulmer6355]

The struggle is real...

[@JashiiCorrin]

Dang straight it is 👏

[@LaurenMilla]

Low energy planning is a great idea, but if you're abandoning your journal consistently, it's probably a sign your system isn't right for you.

[@JashiiCorrin]

I like to differentiate between the system vs smaller parts of it. E.g. I know that bullet journaling as a system works for me, but potentially monthly habit tracking as a part of that doesn’t (or at least doesn’t at the moment just given the challenges I’ve had with it recently) Those repeated challenges or parts that aren’t getting done give us an opportunity to reflect, tweak, and try something new 👌