Why the Bullet Journal is the Best Planner for ADHD Brains

Summary

The video script humorously addresses the challenge of staying organized for individuals with ADHD, dubbing the back-to-school season as 'ADHD New Year.' It highlights the struggle of maintaining structure with traditional planners and introduces the Bullet Journal as a flexible, personalized solution that combines the freedom of a notebook with the organization of a planner. The script also argues for the benefits of analog over digital systems, such as better memory encoding and fewer distractions, and suggests using Evernote to digitize the journal for added convenience.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The speaker refers to the back-to-school season as 'ADHD New Years,' signifying a fresh start and the opportunity to be more organized.
• 📅 Despite past failures with planners and productivity apps, the speaker expresses optimism about finding the right system this year.
• 💥 The initial excitement of setting up a new planner or app is often short-lived, leading to a return to disorganized habits within weeks.
• 🔄 The speaker identifies the ADHD conundrum: the need for structure to stay organized, yet a tendency to reject it due to its predictability and inconsistency with ADHD brains.
• 📝 Traditional planners are structured in a way that doesn't align with the ADHD brain's natural working style, which is more fluid and unpredictable.
• 🌟 The Bullet Journal is introduced as a solution that combines the flexibility of a notebook with the structure of a planner, designed by someone who understands ADHD.
• ✍️ The speaker argues that analogue systems, like pen and paper, can be superior to digital ones for memory encoding and focus.
• 📚 The Bullet Journal system includes basic elements such as an index, yearly, monthly, and daily logs, and a key, which are customizable and adaptable.
• 🔑 The Index in the Bullet Journal allows for the creation of personalized lists and easy retrieval, solving the problem of lost ideas in traditional notebooks.
• 🗓 The Yearly, Monthly, and Daily layouts provide natural visual limits of time, which can help ADHD brains manage the feeling of unlimited time.
• 🔄 The concept of 'Migration' in the Bullet Journal helps to retain important tasks while allowing less important ones to be naturally phased out.
• 📱 For those who need digital searchability, the speaker suggests using a service like Evernote to digitize the Bullet Journal, combining the benefits of both analogue and digital systems.

Q & A

What does the speaker refer to as 'ADHD New Years'?

The speaker refers to the back-to-school season as 'ADHD New Years', indicating a time for a fresh start and an opportunity to be more organized.

Why does the speaker feel that planners are not suitable for people with ADHD?

The speaker believes that traditional planners are structured in a way that is predictable, consistent, logical, and sequential, which does not align with the way ADHD brains naturally work.

What is the speaker's opinion on the Bullet Journal system?

The speaker highly recommends the Bullet Journal system for people with ADHD, as it is flexible enough to keep up with their brain, structured enough to keep them on track, and can be adapted to their changing needs.

Why does the speaker argue that pen and paper can be better than digital systems for some people?

The speaker suggests that pen and paper can help with memory encoding, provide a distraction-free environment, and offer a lasting record of one's life that is not dependent on digital devices.

What are the basic elements of a Bullet Journal according to the script?

The basic elements of a Bullet Journal include an index, a yearly, monthly, and daily log, and a symbol key, which allow for personalized layouts and organization.

How does the speaker describe the process of 'migration' in the Bullet Journal system?

Migration in the Bullet Journal system is described as a way to keep important tasks from being forgotten while allowing less important ones to fade away, by repeatedly handwriting tasks and finding space for them.

What is the purpose of the 'Index' in a Bullet Journal?

The Index in a Bullet Journal serves as a way to create and locate lists or notes as needed, making it easy to find specific information without having to search through the entire notebook.

What does the speaker suggest as a way to combine the benefits of a Bullet Journal with digital convenience?

The speaker suggests using a service like Evernote to take pictures of the Bullet Journal and upload them to a private digital notebook for easy searching and accessibility.

How does the speaker feel about taking ADHD medication and its side effects?

The speaker acknowledges experiencing some side effects like reduced hunger and occasional anxiety from taking Vyvanse, but finds that exercise or meditation helps manage these side effects.

What is the speaker's view on the importance of finding the right organizational system for ADHD brains?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of finding an organizational system that is both flexible and structured, tailored to the individual's needs, and can evolve with their changing requirements.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Back to School: ADHD New Year Resolutions

The speaker enthusiastically greets the audience, referring to the back-to-school period as 'ADHD New Years.' They express hope for better organization with a new planner or productivity app, despite past struggles. The excitement of setting up a new system is described, only to be followed by the familiar disappointment when the structure becomes overwhelming and is eventually abandoned in favor of less structured methods. The paradox of needing structure but rejecting it due to ADHD is highlighted. The Bullet Journal is introduced as a flexible yet structured solution, adaptable to the user's needs and ADHD tendencies.

05:04

✒️ Why Analog Can Be Better Than Digital

The speaker acknowledges the guilt some feel for preferring pen and paper over digital tools, arguing that analog can be superior for several reasons. Writing by hand aids memory encoding, a physical planner avoids digital distractions, and a paper record remains accessible long-term. The Bullet Journal system is praised for combining the freedom of a notebook with the structure of a planner, featuring elements like the index, symbol key, and various logs. Migration, the process of rewriting tasks, helps prioritize important tasks and discard less important ones. For those who need digital features, services like Evernote can digitize bullet journal entries.

✏️ Tutorial and Meds: Closing Remarks and Viewer Interaction

The speaker humorously apologizes to planner companies for potentially reduced sales but notes increased pen purchases. They encourage viewers to check out the bullet journal tutorial and provide feedback. The speaker thanks Patreon supporters, shares a playful moment about copyright concerns, and signs off with a friendly 'Bye, Brains!' In the 'Question Time' segment, the speaker addresses side effects of ADHD medication, sharing personal experiences with Vyvanse, noting decreased appetite and occasional anxiety managed by exercise or meditation.

Keywords

💡ADHD

ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. In the video, the creator uses their personal experience with ADHD to discuss the challenges of maintaining organization and productivity, and how the Bullet Journal method can be beneficial for individuals with ADHD.

💡Bullet Journal

The Bullet Journal is a customizable organization system that combines elements of a planner, diary, and to-do list. It is designed to be flexible and adaptable, which the video suggests is particularly helpful for people with ADHD who may struggle with traditional, rigid planning methods.

💡Organization

Organization in the context of the video refers to the act of arranging and structuring tasks, ideas, and information in a way that improves productivity and efficiency. The creator discusses their struggle with maintaining organization due to ADHD and how the Bullet Journal can aid in this process.

💡Productivity App

A productivity app is a software application designed to help users become more efficient and organized. The video mentions the creator's initial excitement about new apps, but also their tendency to stop using them after a short period, highlighting the need for a more enduring solution.

💡Index

In the context of the Bullet Journal, the index is a table of contents that allows users to quickly locate specific pages or entries. The video emphasizes the index as a key feature that provides the freedom to create entries as needed while maintaining an organized system.

💡Symbol Key

The Symbol Key in a Bullet Journal is a set of personalized symbols used to represent different types of tasks or entries, allowing for quick visual scanning and note-taking. The video mentions the importance of this feature for speed and efficiency, especially for those with fast-paced brains due to ADHD.

💡Yearly, Monthly, and Daily Logs

These are different levels of planning within the Bullet Journal system, providing a structured framework for tracking goals and tasks over varying time periods. The video explains how these logs help to create natural visual limits of time, which can be beneficial for individuals with ADHD who may perceive time as unlimited.

💡Migration

In the Bullet Journal system, migration refers to the process of transferring tasks that were not completed to the next time period's log. The video describes this as a way to ensure important tasks are not forgotten while allowing less important ones to be naturally deprioritized.

💡Analogue

Analogue, in contrast to digital, refers to systems and methods that use physical, non-electronic means, such as pen and paper. The video argues that analogue systems like the Bullet Journal can be advantageous for memory encoding and providing a distraction-free environment.

💡Evernote

Evernote is a digital note-taking app that allows users to organize and store information. The video suggests using Evernote to digitize the Bullet Journal, combining the benefits of an analogue system with the searchability and accessibility of a digital platform.

💡Medication Side Effects

The video creator discusses personal experiences with medication side effects related to ADHD treatment, such as reduced appetite and occasional anxiety. This is used to illustrate the broader context of managing ADHD symptoms and the impact of medication on daily life.

Highlights

It's back to school time, also known as ADHD New Years, a time for fresh starts and new organization.

Excitement for new planners and productivity apps, even though past attempts failed.

The struggle of maintaining structure when ADHD brains naturally resist it.

Traditional planners often don't work for ADHD due to their predictable, sequential structure.

The need for a flexible, adaptable planner that can change weekly and accommodate unique needs.

Introduction of the Bullet Journal as an ideal system for ADHD, combining structure and flexibility.

Pen and paper can aid memory encoding, providing an advantage over digital systems.

Physical planners are distraction-free, unlike digital devices that can interrupt with notifications.

Paper records are durable and can provide a lasting sense of identity and history.

The Bullet Journal's index allows for easy navigation and retrieval of information.

Symbol key for shorthand notation helps with quick, consistent note-taking.

Yearly, monthly, and daily layouts provide visual time limits, aiding time management for ADHD.

Migration feature helps prioritize important tasks and let go of less important ones.

Bullet Journal can be digitized using Evernote for those who prefer digital searchability.

Encouragement to personalize the Bullet Journal to individual needs and preferences.

Personal anecdote about taking ADHD medication, its side effects, and managing them through exercise and meditation.

Invitation to viewers to subscribe, support on Patreon, and check out the tutorial for more details.

Transcripts

Hello Brains!

It's that time of year... back to school!

Or as I like to call it,

ADHD New Years.

This year, it's all going to be different.

The past is behind us,

we get a fresh start.

I'm going to be SO organized this year! [Explosion]

[Intro Music]

I'm not in school anymore, but I still get this feeling any time I get a new planner or productivity app.

Maybe... maybe this is the one!

It has a calendar, a place for my to-dos.

I mean yeah, I stopped using the last one after two weeks, but the last one didn't have THIS!

It even works, for a while.

I can't wait to set it up, or cross off my to-dos,

or fill in these boxes.

And suddenly, I'm flossing everyday, and eating SALAD.

Cut to... [Trashcan slamming shut]

Two weeks later, those boxes feel bossy.

The food tracker is overwhelming,

and I'm back to the freedom of random Post-It notes

lists wherever I feel like creating them,

and notebooks full of ideas and epiphanies that I will never find again.

Here's the ADHD conundrum:

to stay organized and on task, we need structure,

because that's not how our brains naturally work.

But then we reject that structure, because that's not how our brains naturally work!

Planners are structured predictably, consistently

logically, sequentially, neurotypically.

And that's not how we work.

There isn't a planner in the world that will know that you need ten pages between June and July just to doodle.

Not one that skips Mondays because some days you don't need a to-do list, you need a nap.

And it's not even the designer's fault.

Who could design something like that?

I mean seriously, unless a designer who also had ADHD designed a planner that was flexible enough

to keep up with their brain, but structured enough to keep them on track,

comprehensive enough to contain all the information they needed in one place,

but simple enough that they could open it without getting overwhelmed,

and adaptable enough that they could get bored with ALL of it, and just change it the next week!

And oh my god, someone did.

The Bullet Journal IS all that, and more.

I'll explain how it works in a second, and I even did a tutorial on it for you.

But first....

If you're like me, and you love using pen and paper, but you feel guilty using it because

obviously digital is better and more practical, and no....

That's not true!

Here's why analogue can actually be better than your digital system.

Although if you've found a digital system that works for you, ignore me entirely.

Here's a cat video!

1. Pen and paper help with memory encoding.

Our brains process information better when we write out the letters by hand, instead of just hitting the keys.

So stuff you write by hand, you're more likely to remember.

2. It's not online.

Having a physical planner to refer to makes it so your goals, dreams, to-dos, life....

can't be intruded on by pop-up ads or incoming texts.

For those of us who get distracted easily, that's a serious advantage.

3. It's still there.

Long after we've upgraded our phones or crashed our computers.

Which can help us to develop a sense of who we are and give us a record of life as we lived it.

OK, now that we've gotten the paper stigma out of the way....

Here's why the bullet journal is the best analogue system for ADHDers I've found.

It gives us the freedom of a regular notebook,

while providing the structure of a regular planner.

How does it do this? Magic! (I'm kidding).

There are a few basic elements of structure:

the index, a yearly, monthly, and daily log, a key,

but you create it as you go and design your own layouts.

So it's not only tailored to you today. It allows you to get bored and mix it up.

And all you really need is an empty notebook and a pen.

Here are the basic elements of this system and why they work so well for those of us with ADHD.

The Index! This is what allows us to create as we go.

Wanna create a list of every ice cream flavor you hate?

Cool! Flip to a blank page and do it.

Wanna be able to find it the next time you're about to order ice cream?

Put it in the index.

I don't know why we didn't think of this before!

Also, no more writing down a brilliant idea and being sure it's in your notebook... here...somewhere?

I think maybe this isn't the one.

The Symbol Key

Shorthand systems are great for speedy brains.

You probably already know this. You probably already use a version of it.

You probably also forget what your own symbols mean.

Writing them down for future reference? Brilliant!

The Yearly, Monthly, and Daily layouts.

There are infinite variations of this,

but they all accomplish the same thing that's helpful for ADHD brains:

natural visual limits of time.

Which can otherwise feel kind of... unlimited to us.

Migration!

Probably the best part of the whole system.

I explain more in the tutorial, but basically

it keeps important things from falling through the cracks, while letting unimportant things fade away.

How, you might ask?

When you have to hand-write a to-do over and over again and find space to do it,

it makes you really question how important it actually is.

Which simplifies your life.

[Ding!]

But for those of you who really need the searchability of a digital system,

(and weren't you supposed to be watching cat videos?)

You can make it digital!!!

There's a service called Evernote,

you may have heard of it,

that allows you to take pictures of your bullet journal and upload them to your private digital notebook.

Whaaaatt!

Staples? If you're watching, I'm sorry for the loss in planner sales.

But on the bright side, I'll be buying a lot more pens!

That's it for this week.

Check out the tutorial and let me know how the system works for you!

If you like what I do, subscribe. And if you love what I do,

consider supporting me on Patreon, like these Brains did.

[Singing] Did you ever know that you're my [Stops] What?

Edward says I have to stop before I get a copyright strike on my channel.

He says, "You're welcome".

Bye, Brains!

Check out the tutorial I was able to make!

Question Time!

Do you specifically have side effects when you take your meds?

Yeah, I'm on Vyvanse, and yeah a couple?

I'm not as hungry when I'm on them, and sometimes I get a little anxious

although if I exercise or meditate, that pretty much takes care of that.

as long as I'm not on too high a dose.

But I've been taking ADHD meds pretty much since I was a kid and I haven't grown a second head or anything, so.....I think I'm good.