Thanks for watching! What do you think of the notecard strategy? Will you give it a try?

@kbaccari88

5 жыл бұрын

It's what I would do naturally, before I went down the bullet journal rabbit hole, when planners were $8 at Walgreens.

@melissakolb

5 жыл бұрын

I used to do something similar in college, just with a post-it note! Definitely helps consolidate everything! I do this if my day is INCREDIBLY busy, it helps me stay more organized :)

@hayleehaux2458

5 жыл бұрын

I do this when I'm too busy and dont want to be distracted by spreads and stuff

@UpperCaseX

5 жыл бұрын

Looks like its small enough to fit in your clutch purse

@MattRagland

5 жыл бұрын

i it’s called a satchel. Indiana Jones wears one.

Now that I am retired, don't use them as much, but during many years, at my job, I would carry a planning card with me all the time. I found them to be practical, handier, and easy to maintain.

the return of the infamous Hipster PDA?

I see a lot of Bullet Journal videos and I get overwhelmed with how ornate they make it. Then I’m reminded it’s a tool for organization and not for distraction. Thanks for the reminder. It makes me feel better about my non-beautiful notebook.

Matt, love it that you aren’t totally stuck with one approach. I’ve learned a lot from watching you work with various approaches. I started with straight bujo with your minimalist style combined with Ryder’s approach. I bought a bunch of colored pens and tried fancier. I pivoted when you brought up the Best Self Journal and did that for a quarter. I learned so much about what works for me through all that. Now, I’m using all that I’ve learned from you and others by using Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus Planner. I’m a very busy business guy, and what I’ve found is that I just don’t like rewriting and rewriting the same structures again and again. Hyatt’s structure isn’t ideal for me. But it works better for me than Best Self’s structure. And because that structure saves me 15 minutes a day, it’s a workable trade-off. Within his structure, his pre-printed pages, I take what I’ve learned from you about bujo and viewing time etc and I use all that.... specifically in the way I approach tasks, working within the preprinted day layout on the left hand page, and writing notes in the blank facing page he leaves on the daily spread. Further, his week and quarterly review process is built in and very good. You’ve been instrumental in helping me find *my* way, and it’s helped me so much to see how you aren’t rigid and stuck on one way. Is this the final solution for me? No. I’ve been tweaking productivity for 25 years now. But it’s been a rich journey, I keep getting better, my process keeps evolving, and I now know it isn’t the process that’s the savior-it is the ability to work with one’s mind. With *my* mind. No process has ever sustainably saved me from my own mind. It is liberating to discover that for me it is a dance of knowing mind reflects process and process reflects mind and each informs where the other is at. When I work it from this place, it just works better for me. Anyways, keep dishing out the good stuff. Appreciate you!

Bullet journal is a great relief for ADHD brains. To keep track of all tasks and reminders.. and to jot down the sudden flash of ideas. I use a similar one pager layout for my bullet journal. I divide the page into its 4 quadrants. One is recurrent tasks like meds, water, walk etc another is today's to do's third is my themes or overall goals to act as constant reminder. 4th is tasks that come during the day . The reverse of the page is for ideas and thoughts that come up, books or songs that come to mind, some quote in chance upon. Etc.

When I on the go, I leave the bullet journal at home and carry a pocket notebook. It's usually a field notes, pocket Moleskine, or Midori Passport Traveler's Notebook. Always gotta keep the pen and paper handy, in whatever form, to keep up with those pop-up ideas/tasks! Love your journaling videos! - Michelle

There is only so much space you can fill on these card, so they are great for not overwhelming yourself with tasks.

I often use a notecard for a day, especially if I'm out and about. I use it in addition to my little calendar and the stay at home bullet journal. Die you know that a few years ago 'hipster PDA' was quite popular? It consisted of a few notecards and a binder clip. I liked it very much😃.

@learntocrochet3952

5 жыл бұрын

Yes! I remember the hipster PDA...seems like a long time ago.

@jlstrick1

4 жыл бұрын

Nice reference! 43 folders anyone?

@piecesofmind9853

Жыл бұрын

Yay! I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers the hPDA. Those were fun days, I should give it another go.

I switched from a pretty bullet journal in A5 to the pocket with the basic task list. I love the notecard idea and I did try many years ago but sadly my add distracted so much I’d loose the cards and then completely forget what I wrote. The chunky little journal is easy to spot.

Actually mine has helped me a lot. I try to make it look nice but it's not my priority. I actually did a lot of overtime this week and I didn't use my bujo at all this week and as a result I didn't work on myself (my outside work projects)... I can't wait to get back to it

Used notecards for years even before I knew about Bullet Journal. Now that I retired I use them even more since it keeps things a little less bulky to handle and I normally don't have quite as many balls in the air now. It's a great concept for on the go.

@MattRagland

5 жыл бұрын

daseiber thanks for sharing!

Matt this is a wonderful idea. It reminds me of the hipster pda system from ages ago that used simple index cards clipped together in your pocket. I was completely fascinated by that system because it's so similar to what I use daily anyway (a daily list) and it was so very portable. Combining that type of notecard system with my bujo of three years now is genius. Thank you so much for the great ideas.😁

I sometimes migrate tasks to post-its notes. The bullet journal system doesn't require all pages to be in the same book. Cards and post-it notes can seamlessly be in the system.

I love this technique! Thanks Matt!

I’ve done something similar since long before I ever heard of bullet journals. When I tried using a bullet journal, I also found that I was spending too much time setting up the layouts the way I wanted them to look. Anytime I feel overwhelmed, I default back to my daily notecards (I use the 5”x8” notecards, though, or if I’m out, just a page in a medium sized spiral bound notebook). I don’t feel pressure to make them nice, since note cards are temporary, anyways, and I end up with the same information in front of me to help me keep on task throughout the day.

@MattRagland

5 жыл бұрын

Leisel Clayton agree! It’s an awesome simple “system” 😄

I've recently adopted a travelers notebook to keep my mobile paperwork in order and I've found that using a single note card on the front of the notebook under the elastic cord is helpful for things like a 'to do' list....easy to find and access and super simple to maintain. Thanks for the video.

Love it!

Watching your videos gave me more direction in using my journal at work and in my personal life! Thanks and always looking forward to your videos!

Great idea. Must try it as I can't carry my BUJO with a backpack full of workout gear and job essentials. Most days I just take a photo of my day log but this way is better :-)

A5 pocket bullet journal for monthly Franken log daily rapid logging and 5 minute journal. Desk collection bullet journal for long term logging and reference

Interesting idea. Thanks for sharing.

I just got some dot grid notecards (the spacing is to big for my taste but I'm still going to use them) about a week and a half ago and I'm planning on using them for a key and color key and week ahead.

soooo cool. GRACIAS

I've always used the small size because it fits in my purse/fanny pack. I use it mainly for to-do lists for the day, and 5-minute journal. I also have notes and lists (My morning routine is a list), Some day I'll try time-tracking a day!

Hi Matt - thanks for your inspiring videos. Where do you keep tasks (task-lists) that are not to be done in the current day/week? I have "a lot" of lists with tasks to be done in the future, work projects, things to do on my home etc. etc. All tasks that I won't have on my daily todo-lists because they are disturbing ;-) I also have lists where I write down tasks that comes to my mind during the week, but to be done at a later time - eg. in two weeks or so. This also includes task-lists for projects etc. etc.

Been using my passport midori like that for a while now but only task tracking and appointments I do like your layout on the card adding in hours, which I dont do currently. Thanks for the idea.

I do like the note card system. I settled on a field notes book a week to a page notes diary style for appointmentstop | top 3 tasks | birthdays | events | reminders; traveller's notebook inserts and sticky notes for daily out and about tasks inserted into the middle of the fieldnote book; all tucked into my wallet. A single A6 sticky note for at home reminders.

Enjoying your videos. Off topic...you could be my brother. You look exactly like my dad. Maybe my dad is your long lost grandfather? The resemblance is uncanny. Your mannerisms too. Your eyes, eyebrows, teeth, nose, and fingers look exactly like my dad. Probably not cool of me to bring this up here but I had to. Learning all about journals from you. I’ve kept a daily log on a 5x7 spiral notebook for years. Have to keep buying them so I just switched to Tul notebooks because pages can be removed or added.

so creative thank you

My current setup is an A6 leuchtturm diary, within which I use the bullet journal approach to tasks (migrating them). It has habit trackers for the whole year at the front (with space for 6 habits which can change each month). It has a couple of calendar things which I never look at. And then I just have a couple of sheets of squared paper in the back pocket with password hints and other things I'm going to want long-term, and a bookcase reading tracker in the plain paper provided in the back of the book. It's working great for me so far and really cuts out the unneccessary (to me) parts, just leaving me with the useful bits, and for very little effort. I also back up appointments and such onto Google calendar so I can see what time I have in the week and check when I can schedule things when I'm away from my diary.

@MattRagland

5 жыл бұрын

Great system Thomas, I'm working on a video about merging digital and analog, sounds like we're on the same page!

"Head out of our apps" is my favorite line from this video 😄

@MattRagland

5 жыл бұрын

New catchphrase haha 😄

@lachimiste1

5 жыл бұрын

The best part is that Matt’s clearly trying not to giggle when he says it. 😂

@MattRagland

5 жыл бұрын

lachimiste1 this is true 🤭

I started on Index cards cause I was poor college nerd and the Moleskins of the day seemed a bit look at me I’m cool. Once the method stuck I migrated to Moleskine chashier dotted and then hard cover MS dotted. Not I carry Index cards and Field Note in a small Notebook wallet made outta retired Sail from Rickshaw Bagworks. That’s the portable BuJo and I transfer when in a nice quiet environment like home, office or coffee shop (read as Whisky Bar)

Great!

Totally agree...

Ome other thing. "Simple" is where the small Monthly/Weekly planner I use comes in handy. I have six lines, each four and a half inches long, to write every task I need to do that day. I stick to this space. It's as much as I can get done, anyway, so adding space wouldn't help. The monthly squares are one inch wide, and an inch and a half high. Just enough space to write appointments. If it weren't for random thhings that come my way many days, or project ideas, or occasionally actually working on a writing project while at some random location, which can mean writin as much as 2,500 words in a day, this planner might actually be all I needed for everything. But I have to carry a small notebook, and I have to have a bujo for organizing it all, or nothing would ever get done. For most people, however, I suspect they need absolutely nothing except some kind of off the rackplanner of the kind that's been around for decades. Bujos very often are primarily an art project, as are the traveler's system, and at least one brand of off the rack planner. When a tiny bag of stickers costs $25, or a roll of decorated tape costs $12, it's an art project. not a productivity tool.

Aww congrats on the new baby!

@MattRagland

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you, he's the best :)

I do need a bullet journal but I found adding collections distract me from accomplishing anything. So I want add only a tracker to remind me of my tasks, vitamins, meds...

I was thinking the same thing. Note cards are more versatile. (And practical.)

Matt, you may have covered this in other videos? How to you structure Goals and Projects that require action items and follow up in your bullet journal?

Thank you.

Also - what do you think of the emoji thumbnail? Yay or nay?

@kbaccari88

5 жыл бұрын

My goodness. I just spent too much time "emoji thumbnail?". It's fine. I wouldn't make it a habit. You're not 5 minute crafts.

@MattRagland

5 жыл бұрын

Karen Naropa Baker mercy no - just a solo test. Nice 5 min crafts reference though 😂

I don't like notecards because they aren't joined together, and I also can't carry them well. That said, I never take my bullet journal with me, so I do carry a smaller notebook. As of this week, I now use three notebooks of varying sizes, and two Monthly/Weekly planners that are identical, except for the sizes of each. For me, more is less, and over the years I've found that a minimalist bullet journal, along with a Monthly/Weekly planner that is also minimalist, takes care of ninety percent of my needs, and a long distance notebook, along with a short distance from home notebook, takes care of the rest. I just need to write everything down in an orderly manner. It's easy to transfer it to my bullet journal and Monthly/Weekly planner when I'm settled down at home with a little time to spare. Note cards are a good idea for many, I think, but the whole point of a bullet journal is to find your own method, what works for you are what doesn't. I don't even understand spend hours making a bullet journal a work of art. If I had that much time to spare, I wouldn't need a bullet journal in the first place.

@ultravioletpisces3666

5 жыл бұрын

You can buy note cards that are bound. But then I guess you might as well have a notebook. Lol

I don't think notecards would work for me because the reason why I decided to start a bujo is for me to have everything in one place. However, instead of using the full-sized notebook, I now use a similar small soft-bound booklet as my bujo. I like it because it's easy for me to take it everywhere. The only problem is that it has limited pages for someone like me who loves to write a lot.

I still use the time blocking Matt especially when I lose focus or get overwhelmed because of ADHD

Field Notes!

@wherezthebeef

4 жыл бұрын

Meh... for the money, they don't seem worth it.

Hi Matt, i was indeed inspired about this single Note-Card system, i believe this video is about a year old. i have one question though. Are you still using this system for your work and life as of today? have you migrated? what other challenges have you faced / upgraded? best regards, Adrian Simoes.

Hello, what kind of notecard are you using ? Where I live I did not see a brand like this, thank you!

@MattRagland

5 жыл бұрын

Baron Fig Strategist Notecards - Get $10 off your first Baron Fig order with my code: baronfig.refr.cc/mcragland

I do use it at work. Sometimes I write in it, sometimes I wont.

@MattRagland

5 жыл бұрын

Yep, do what works for you!

NEED the 2.0 version of the time tracking sheet

Bujo’s are not necessary for me to keep track of every tasks, nor do I track my time. However, I have a small notebook that I keep for work when issues arrive. From what I have seen from most bujo videos ppl are keeping track of mundane things which should be committed to memory since it appears to serve the purpose of only filling up a book. I have always kept a diary and what I do is journal and write in appointments all in one book. I am currently using Scribbles that Matter journal already setup for the year

@jamesaritchie1

5 жыл бұрын

I have a very good memory. It's in the top five percent, in fact, but if you can commit all your mundane tasks to memory, your memory is better than mine, or you don't have nearly as many mundane tasks as I have. When I then add all the non-mundane tasks, and the pop up tasks I didn't expect, and everything else a bujo is for, it's the mundane tasks that suffere, unless they're written down and I can check them off/ It's really not about memory. It's about organization and productivity, two things a good memory seldom helps. I pretty much never forget what my tasks are, mundane or otherwise, but unless I write them down and schedule them, something isn't going to get done. When one thing doesn't get done, it can cascade over the course of a week, and suddenly I'm a dozen tasks behind. But I lead a busy life, busy enough that organization and scheduling and productivity all form a team, and relyimng on memory isn't the point. Anything written down has a far better chance of actually getting done. This s just a fact. So I write everything down that I need to do, or just want to do, mundane or not.

Levenger has a notecard system on steroids, which has intrigued me.

@forjazznjava

5 жыл бұрын

I used that and it is great. Now that system has migrated to my bujo.

Matt, does this mean you were wrong in all previous videos where you complemented BUJO method?

@MattRagland

5 жыл бұрын

No, it means I'm willing to try new methods and adjust as needed. I still think BuJo is the best baseline analog system :)

You could sell blank index cards as "Matt Ragland Productivity Note Cards" $29.95. College fund for your kids.

Less is better and I think I can adapt to this easier

pocketmod is much more flexible and useful.

Tips for not waisting time on "planning": Just use a pencil and a ruller. You don't need any supplies. Thus, I never spend more than 3 minutes planning or making a daily spread. But my bujo is still look nice.

@MattRagland

5 жыл бұрын

Good tips!

When you're 60, will you look back and remember how productive you were...or how wonder-filled your life was because you explored rather than planned...and all the wonderful life stories you have as a result?

What do you do with your note cards after? Do you put them in a pocket of your bujo, toss them, put them in a box, wrap them up with a rubber band and keep them in your underwear drawer? Lol...

Zettelkasten system is superior to bullet journal...

If your bullet journal is an art project, you're doing it wrong.

@MattRagland

5 жыл бұрын

I know for some people it's a form of meditation and focus, it's just not for me (or most on this channel). But I do think it's confused with productivity and scares off a lot of people.

I really do pity all you busy people with your families, work stress, appointments for this and that etc. I keep my life simple so I have 100% me time.