Master Your Week with the GAP Method: Bullet Journal Planning

Summary

In this video, the presenter introduces the Gap method, a weekly planning system that has helped them stay productive amidst a busy life. The Gap method stands for Goals, Actions, and Protection, and involves breaking down larger projects into smaller, manageable tasks. The presenter uses a bullet journal for planning but emphasizes that any task manager can be used. They demonstrate how to define goals, list necessary actions, and protect time for these tasks, ensuring focus and productivity throughout the week.

Takeaways

• 📅 The Gap method is a weekly planning system used by the speaker since 2020 to stay productive and focused amidst a busy life.
• 📝 Gap stands for Goals, Actions, and Protection, which are the three main components of the planning system.
• 🎯 The speaker sets three big goals for each week, often broken down from larger projects into smaller, manageable tasks.
• 📑 Actions are the specific tasks or reminders that need to be completed to achieve the weekly goals.
• 🗓 Protection involves scheduling dedicated time in the calendar to work on the most important goals, ensuring they are prioritized.
• 📈 The speaker uses a bullet journal to plan and track tasks, but the Gap method can be adapted to any task management tool.
• 📝 It's important to be mindful of time and capacity when planning, as some goals may need to be extended or postponed.
• 🔄 The planning process works in reverse during the week; starting with protected time and working through action tasks to achieve goals.
• 📋 The daily log in the bullet journal includes appointments, meetings, events, and action tasks, especially those related to weekly goals.
• 📝 The speaker emphasizes writing down everything needed and wanted to do for the day before it begins to maintain focus and avoid distractions.
• 🌟 The Gap method is a combination of various planning styles and inspirations that the speaker has found helpful over the years.
• 🗣️ The speaker encourages viewers to ask questions or share ideas, as viewer interaction often inspires new video content.

Q & A

What is the Gap method mentioned in the video?

The Gap method is a weekly planning system the speaker uses to achieve goals. It stands for Goals, Actions, and Protection, and it is designed to help stay productive and focused amidst a busy life.

Why does the speaker use a bullet journal to plan their week?

The speaker uses a bullet journal because it allows them to visually organize and track their tasks in a single column, which helps in managing a busy schedule that includes running a marketing agency, hosting a community, and having four kids.

What are the three big goals the speaker has for the week of August 12th through 18th, 2024?

The three goals are: 1) Complete all the prompts for the social writing challenge in the community group, 2) Finish a client's launch playbook and promotional calendar, and 3) Finish the new trailer video for the channel.

How does the speaker break down big goals into smaller chunks?

The speaker breaks down big goals into smaller sub-goals or action tasks that can be accomplished over several weeks. This approach helps to stay on track and motivated.

What does 'protection' in the Gap method refer to?

'Protection' in the Gap method refers to the act of blocking or protecting time in one's schedule to work on the most important goals of the week, ensuring that time is dedicated to these tasks.

How does the speaker use their digital calendar to support the Gap method?

The speaker schedules their goals and action tasks into their digital calendar to ensure that the time for these goals is protected. This helps manage call availability for work and prevents other commitments from interfering with goal completion.

What is the purpose of listing action tasks below each goal in the bullet journal?

Listing action tasks below each goal helps the speaker see everything in a single column, making it easier to track progress and ensure that all necessary steps are accounted for in achieving the goal.

How does the speaker manage to stay on track and focused throughout the week?

The speaker stays on track and focused by writing down everything they need and want to do in a day before it begins. This practice helps prioritize tasks and avoid distractions.

What is the speaker's daily log setup in their bullet journal?

The speaker's daily log is set up to cover 2 to 3 days per page and 3 to 4 pages per week. It includes appointments, meetings, events, and action tasks that are part of the weekly goals.

How does the speaker handle additional notes or action tasks that are not assigned to a specific goal or day?

The speaker has a dedicated page in their bullet journal for additional notes or action tasks that they don't want to forget. This helps in keeping track of miscellaneous tasks that still need to be addressed.

What is the speaker's approach to incorporating viewer questions into their video content?

The speaker uses viewer questions as a starting point for many of their videos, indicating a responsive and interactive approach to content creation.

Outlines

00:00

📅 Introducing the Gap Method for Weekly Planning

The speaker introduces the Gap method, a weekly planning system they've been using since 2020 to achieve goals amidst a busy life running a marketing agency, hosting a community, and managing family life with four kids. The Gap method stands for Goals, Actions, and Protection, and it can be implemented with a bullet journal or any task management tool. The speaker outlines their three main goals for the week of August 12th through 18th, 2024, which include completing prompts for a social writing challenge, finishing a client's launch playbook and promotional calendar, and creating a new trailer video for the channel.

📝 Breaking Down Goals into Actionable Tasks

The speaker explains the process of breaking down larger goals into smaller, actionable tasks, which helps in staying on track and motivated. They provide examples of action tasks related to their goals, such as writing prompts, scheduling them, and adding personal posts for the community challenge. The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing that multiple action items may extend a goal beyond a single week, and the need to be mindful of time and capacity.

⏰ Protecting Time for Priority Goals

The concept of 'protection' in the Gap method refers to safeguarding time in one's schedule to work on the most important goals. The speaker identifies their most productive times during the week and schedules these for goal-oriented tasks. They suggest writing down these times on the Gap page and in a daily log, as well as in a digital calendar to ensure that time for goal completion is not compromised by other work commitments.

🗓️ Implementing the Gap Plan in Daily Logs

The speaker describes how they implement the Gap plan in their daily logs, using a bullet journal, field notes notebook, or analog to-do cards. They detail a daily log setup that spans 2 to 3 days per page and 3 to 4 pages per week. Additionally, they maintain a dedicated page for notes and action tasks that are not assigned to specific goals or days. The speaker's intention is to document all daily tasks and priorities before the day begins to maintain focus and avoid distractions.

🌟 Encouraging Engagement and Continuous Improvement

In the final paragraph, the speaker invites viewers to ask questions or share ideas in the comments, mentioning that many of their videos are inspired by viewer inquiries. They express a desire to hear from the audience and wish everyone a great week, highlighting the speaker's commitment to engagement and the continuous improvement of their planning and productivity methods.

Keywords

💡Weekly Planning System

A weekly planning system is a structured approach to organizing and managing tasks and goals on a weekly basis. In the video, the presenter introduces the Gap method, which they have been using since 2020 to achieve their goals amidst a busy life. This system is integral to the video's theme of productivity and time management.

💡Bullet Journal

A bullet journal is a customizable organization system that combines elements of a planner, diary, and to-do list. The presenter mentions using a bullet journal to plan their week and track tasks, highlighting its flexibility and usefulness in implementing the Gap method.

💡Gap Method

The Gap method stands for Goals, Actions, and Protection. It is the specific planning system the presenter uses, which involves setting goals, outlining the actions needed to achieve them, and protecting time to execute those actions. This method is central to the video's message of effective weekly planning.

💡Goals

Goals in the context of the video refer to the objectives one aims to accomplish within a week. The presenter has three big goals for the week, which are broken down into smaller, manageable tasks. Goals are a fundamental part of the Gap method and the video's focus on productivity.

💡Actions

Actions are the specific tasks or steps needed to achieve the set goals. The script mentions that actions are added below the goal in the bullet journal, allowing the presenter to see everything in a single column and ensuring that each goal is actionable.

💡Protection

Protection, in the video, refers to the act of blocking or reserving time in one's schedule to work on the most important goals. The presenter emphasizes the importance of protecting time to ensure that goals are prioritized and achieved.

💡Productivity

Productivity is the ability to accomplish tasks efficiently and effectively. The video's theme revolves around increasing productivity through a systematic planning approach, with the Gap method being a tool to stay focused and achieve more in less time.

💡Task Manager

A task manager is a tool or system used to keep track of tasks and projects. The presenter mentions that while they use a bullet journal, the Gap method can be applied with any task manager or software, indicating its adaptability.

💡Digital Calendar

A digital calendar is an electronic system used to schedule and remind users of upcoming events and appointments. The presenter uses a digital calendar to schedule and protect time for their goals, demonstrating the integration of digital tools with the Gap method.

💡Community

In the script, the community refers to a group that the presenter is part of and contributes to, such as the social writing challenge. The community aspect shows the social element of productivity and goal setting, where shared challenges can motivate and drive individual goals.

💡Motivation

Motivation is the drive or desire to achieve goals. The presenter mentions breaking down big goals into smaller chunks to stay motivated, illustrating how the Gap method can help maintain motivation over the course of a project.

Highlights

Introduction of the Gap method - a simple and effective weekly planning system used since 2020 for productivity and focus.

The Gap method stands for Goals, Actions, and Protection.

Use of a bullet journal to plan the week and track tasks, though any task manager can be used.

Setting three big goals for the week, often smaller sub-goals of larger projects.

Breaking down big goals into smaller chunks to stay on track and motivated.

Listing specific goals for the week: completing prompts for a social writing challenge, finishing a client's launch playbook, and creating a new trailer video.

Adding action tasks below each goal to see everything in a single column in the bullet journal.

The importance of being mindful of time and capacity when planning goals and action items.

Defining 'protection' as blocking time in the schedule for the most important goals.

Identifying best times during the week to work on goals and scheduling them into the calendar.

Using a digital calendar to ensure time for goals is protected, especially with work call availability.

Starting the week by working on action tasks during protected time blocks to achieve goals.

Laying out the days of the week in a bullet journal, using different tools like field notes or analog to-do cards.

Keeping a daily log of 2-3 days per page and 3-4 pages per week for task completion.

Having a dedicated page for additional notes or action tasks that are not assigned to a specific goal or day.

Writing down everything needed and wanted to do each day before it begins to stay focused on priorities.

Incorporating a combination of different planning styles and inspirations gathered over the years.

Encouraging viewers to ask questions or share ideas in the comments, as many videos are inspired by viewer inquiries.

Transcripts

in this video I'm going to show you a

simple effective weekly planning system

I call the Gap method this is the system

I've used since 2020 to achieve my goals

I help run a marketing agency host a

community for Content creators and have

four kids so life is pretty busy and

this helps me stay productive and

focused one thing you should know from

the beginning I like to use a bullet

journal to plan my week and track my

tasks but you can use the Gap method

with any task manager or software you

want Gap stands for goals actions and

protection now let's see how it works in

real life this week is August 12th

through 18th 2024 and I have three big

goals to accomplish these are often

smaller sub goals of larger projects

that I'm working on over several weeks I

love breaking down big goals into

smaller chunks to stay on track and

motivated my three goals for this week

are one complete all the prompts for the

social writing challenge in my community

group two finish a client's launch

Playbook and promotional calendar and

three finish the new trailer video for

this Channel Next are the actions often

the weekly goals still have a few

smaller tasks or reminders that have to

be done in order to Mark as complete I

add these action tasks below the goal so

I can see everything in a single column

of the bullet journal for the community

challenge I still need to write a

handful of prompts schedule all 21 of

them and then add a few of my own posts

in as examples and proof of concept for

the challenge I'll cover this more in

another video but it's important to

realize that if there are several veral

action items to a goal there's a good

chance that goal May stretch over 2

weeks or one of the other goals of the

week may need to be pushed into the next

week be mindful of your time and actual

capacity next is protection and by that

I mean protecting or blocking time in

your schedule to do these things you've

decided are the most important goals of

the week when I look at my calendar I

see that Monday and Wednesday morning

and Thursday afternoon are my best times

to work on these goals I write this all

down on the Gap page page and then into

my daily log and I also schedule it into

my digital calendar I do that because I

have call availability for work and this

ensures time for the goal is protected

Define your goals list the actions and

protect your time simple as that when

the week starts the system kind of works

in Reverse when I have a block of

protected time I like to start on the

action tasks and by completing each one

I achieve my goal after I've made my Gap

plan for the week I lay out the days of

the week in my bullet Journal some days

I'll also use a field notes notebook and

some days I use the analog to-do cards

from my friend Jeff at UGM monk my daily

bjo log is 2 to 3 days per page and 3 to

four pages per week each week I also

have a dedicated page for additional

notes or action tasks that I don't want

to forget but aren't assigned to a

specific goal or day I write down

appointments meetings and events for

each day and add action tasks that I

complete especially if they are a part

of the weekly goals my intention is to

write down everything I need and want to

do in a day before the day begins this

keeps me on track and focused for what

my priorities are and not be distracted

if something really needs to be done

then it goes on the action task page

this is what I do every week and have

done for the past four years it's a

combination of a bunch of different

styles and inspiration I've drawn from

over the years I hope that it's helpful

as you pursue the big goals and dreams

you have for your own life I love

getting questions or ideas in the

comments in fact most of my videos start

as answers to questions that viewers

have about the videos so please ask and

say hey I'd love to hear from you have a

great week