Why the Bullet Journal is the Best Planner for ADHD Brains
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2016
- This is why, in my opinion, the Bullet Journal is the best planner for ADHD brains. I just started using mine and loved it so much I made a tutorial too:
The Bullet Journal Tutorial: • How to Create a Bullet...
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Bullet Journal 101: www.bohoberry.com/bullet-journ...
Great article that explains bullet journals: www.buzzfeed.com/rachelwmille...
Bullet Journal (Ryder Carroll’s): bulletjournal.com/
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CZcams bullet journal possibilities:
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My issue is with bullet journals is that I don’t feel like designing my own “planner”. That is already overwhelming itself
Yeah, this is my thing. But!! Index!! Why have I never thought of indexes before??--actually wait i have but then i lost track of the index oh right
I sometimes feel like the only non-creative ADHD brain 😅 I’m very numbers and math focused and love a spreadsheet or chart, but the idea of physically designing and creating what I need is a lot
Best advice I could give as someone who has adhd and has been journaling for a year: Pilot Frixion pens because they’re erasable and just get started. It doesn’t have to be perfect and the journal will grow as you do. My journal has become an external brain, because our brains are good for having thoughts and not storing them. It reduces stress in my life and keeps me on track with my tasks. Cheers
Lol.."where's my list?? ",
'On the star bucks napkin mom..'
@@AskChristopherP rocketbook!!!!
"I'm gonna be so organized this year!" I feel so personally attacked right now. 😂
Yessss. . Applying that you're going to be organized this year.. or for me.... this week... makes you feel great. Haha until it doesnt
Lmao SAME
Yeah...
I thought that exact same thing 😂
Same!! 😂🤣😭
The crazy thing about Adult ADHD is how many of these practices some of us adopt even before being diagnosed. It just reaffirms that our minds work in alternative ways and we’re not alone
^this. Once I had invented the Bulettjournal myself. But instead of conquering the world with this idea, it kept me busy for two weeks until it ended up in the dustbin of history.
Me: sounds like a great plan!
ADHD: we'll get to it sometime..
Literally me 😭
🤣🤣🤣 I'm like no way can even began to create this planner
same tho
Samee 😂
Don't kid yourself. I stopped kidding myself 40 years ago and it's been a lot less stressful -- and no less organized (since of course you can't go downward from zero).
I AM CRYING LAUGHING SO HARD RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THIS LITERALLY EXPLAINS THE LAST 28 YEARS OF MY LIFE
27 😭
@@medicenmars6462
Same for me with 22 years
Yeah, here it's 75 years. Did not notice until I had 3 kids and 2 are ADHD. Need I say Good Times.
Every new school year, every new job, every hobby or new friend for the past 26 years.. Luckily now I know I don't have to feel like a complete failure, but still i do sometimes.. I even procrastinate making a bullet journal because I can't decide on how I want them to look (perfect of course.. but if I mess up I'll instantly stop working on it because it has to be perfect..)
I like how she says “we” it makes me feel like I’m not the only one❤️thank you❤️
I know!! I just found her channel! It is "we", you are not alone!! I have a dear friend who has her PhD but is as ADD as I am. We joke and say we are just more evolved than the " others" ( non ADDers). You are part of this tribe.
You aren't alone..
LOL!!!
@@bonnie3232 I like how you called us a "tribe". ;) - Of course we are not alone and I'd like to take this opportunity to recommend the book "The Gift of ADD" by I think it was Webber-something, I "misplaced" the author's name somewhere in my huge mind but Google it. Wonderful read! :)
From Egypt, u r not alone 😍
A planner that can schedule a bouncing pinball? Good luck planner companies
I'm not officially diagnosed with ADHD, I doubt that I even have it. But kudos to everyone who manages to deal with it, strategies made by people dealing with ADHD really work for me
Same I doubt I have ADHD but I struggle a lot with like motivation and attention so ya these strategies for dealing with ADHD help me a lot too
Glad it still helps
If you struggle and these techniques work, you might actually have it. Another key indicator is how you respond to caffeine (stimulants)
@@TheBaumcm How does one with ADHD respond to stimulants like caffeine?
@@sausan. I've seen people say a few different thing about their response to caffeine, because it's a stimulant for some people it helps them focus more than usual rather than making them more awake, and for some it makes them sleep.
My Bullet Journal story followed a depressingly familiar pattern. I spent hours and hours over several weeks researching how to Bullet Journal... excitedly reading many blogs and tutorials, watching videos, learning about different designs and strategies. I spent HOURS just researching the best notebooks and pens. I did little mock-ups of different BuJo designs. Finally I had everything I needed and it was time to start journaling... and it lasted about two days. 😩 When it came to making it a habit in my actual life, I just wouldn't put in the effort. Writing things down, keeping up the index, even just remembering to take the notebook with me when I went places, I would forget or more often... just wouldn't bother. And then it became yet another example of my failure, mocking me from my nightstand: "You're so lazy and dumb you couldn't even keep a simple DIY planner!" So the notebook was banished to the bottom shelf of a bookshelf, and that was the end of my Bullet Journal experiment.
I don't know where you are in your journey with ADHD after 2 years but if it helps, being cognizant/mindful of your habits and organizing/classifying them has helped me take control of them. Give James Clear's Atomic Habits a read to gain an in-depth understanding on the science of habit change. Give the exercises presented there a chance to become ingrained.
To expand on that, I mean try the first exercise for a few days or a week before moving on to the next exercise so you have time to make the connection between what you've read and your practice of habit change.
If you're serious about taking control of your habits, stick with it. Consistency and small incremental changes snowball into large cognitive gains in ways that still surprise me today.
damn, I’m so glad I’m not the only one who does this 😭 especially with the lengthy and detailed research on the topic and investing in good pens / journals just for it to not even survive a week 🤦🏻♀️
@@therealai777 👋😭
Idk who this may help, but if you have a calendar that you can place somewhere that you look everyday (fridge or bathroom door) write bullet journal on it for every single day until it’s a habit to check journal. Also setting multiple/daily alarms to check BuJO. Orrrr something I haven’t tried yet but am about to (may be extreme if you live with others), buy dry-erase markers and write a note to check BUJO on the bathroom mirror. I think studies say it takes 30 days to form a habit. And the more you write in the journal, the more you’ll depend on it; the more you depend on it, the less likely you will be to forget it. I think the beginning of anything for ADHDers is always overwhelming, but it gets easier with practice💙✨
😅😂😂😂🙈🙈👋👋👋
"you probably also forget what your own symbols mean"
I'm being personally attacked! 🤣🤣🤣
Though it's not physically possible, I gave myself side-eye at that. Then laughed at myself.
When I don't remember the meaning, I just laugh and think "try later".
😢This me
This got me too!!🤣
me checking my spreadsheets
NOOOO WHAT DOES IT MEEEEEEEEEEAN
"I'm gonna be so organized this year!" - me every New Year's, summer break, back to school time, October, November, and December.
I’ve actually tried so many productivity apps, and spend so long trying to figure out how to organize and automate tasks. I’ve never stick to them long term. But during my “unnecessary” research I’ve subscribed for free trials of task management platforms and I’ve learned a lot about software development on the side that helped me eventually land a job as a software developer :-)
The epitome of ADHD lol 😂😂😂
Oh that sounds so relatable to me. I was comparing various apps so passionately that I learnt what a Product should deliver and pain points of a customer and stuff that I landed a job in product management XD
So 2 years on i hope its still going really well :) yr post after watching and relating to brains was the ice on the cake :)
I love this so much, it is SUCH an ADHD way to find and especially learn a career. Nice job!
hey, can i talk to you regarding that matter? about landing a a job as a software developer
ADHD culture is getting distracted by going through old notebooks whole watching this
truth
Wow. Okay. I didn't come here to be attacked like this. 😅😅😅
ADHD is me remembering to order my planner while watching this. Then getting distracted by a new video about welding or something. Then remembering what I was doing. Then commenting on random comments on this video. Then playing with cat. Then ordering the planner. Then playing with cat. Then typing this comment.
I have like 15 notebooks with random pages filled in. I will never find the info in them again lol
i have 11 unfinished attempted journals :')
People always tell me that I can get huge amount of work done with the energy I have,but then my brain wanders and start asking myself random questions and before I know it hours have passed and I've done absolutely nothing 😔
omg SAME!
I guess they never seen a hamster wheel. Do the hamsters really go anywhere?
been a year, have you found the solution for that specific problem?
Yep. And then they tell you that “you have so much potential and you’re just not applying yourself,” and then get offended when we don’t immediately become neurotypical after hearing that.
SAME
I hate planners, but the bullet journal seems interesting except for the fact that I am constantly changing the way I organize my thoughts and tasks. So I apply the bullet journal concept (loosely) to a 3-ring binder so I can insert pages, docs, lists, etc as I collect things. I keep a pencil pouch and clear page protectors and blank paper in it and I use dividers for the sections. I use my phone as my calendar. I always have my phone on me. Except, of course, when I forget it.
'except i am constantly changing the way i organise my thoughts and tasks' this i literally why BuJos are great for ADHD ppl. You can change that weekly spread every week if you want. You can change to dailies. For me every monthly I do is different bar the 2 common spreads every month which are my line a day where i write down what happened that day bc i'll forget otherwise and the graph on which i plot my mood, sleep and pain levels (and tbf I've done my fair share of experimenting w that basic concept too).
@VeraMatson This seems so interesting. I'd like to try. do you happen to have a in depth how to do tutorial on how you do that?
@@melissasaal8577 Hi, I wrote that comment some three years ago, and I have since abandoned any sort of binder organization. I'm finding these days that I a more successful with tasks listed on my phone and in some sort of cloud-based storage where I can find the tasks more easily. I just cannot keep up with paper or binders, organizers. These days, I use a basic composition notebook to simply write things down to organize my mind, and also as an exercise to get it off my mind and onto paper, but then I have to keep important tasks online. For work, I have software that keeps tasks for my job, and for personal, I use G Tasks and my calendar. Hope that helps!
You can also just combine different ways. Have a binder and a bullet journal at the same time.
I switched to a binder method, too. I use a planner well but I discovered the daily/weekly pages were going to waste and I just needed monthly and a notebook. The binder lets me add/remove pages as needed.
I haven’t been officially diagnosed with ADHD (I always forget to bring it up to get tested even though in my brain I can relate very much with others who have been diagnosed but I’m not one to self diagnose) and this is literally perfect for me. I have like 20 random notebooks with one page filled in too that I can use
Same, on both counts 😂
I ended up making my own agenda from scratch (template, printing, binding) keeping in mind what kind of flexibilities I want. It turned into a DIY project for me, so that was a plus. AND every time I write it in (multiple times a day) it's a total confidence boost because I actually finished this project haha!
Just the ability to do that much indicates that your brain has a much better capacity for organizing and persistence and keeping on task and focusing, than mine does. I would never be able to do even that much.
OMG I finally found a voice for my brain. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. I just want to cry.
Andrea Holloway, girl, my exact words!
I literally did cry when I started watching her videos a year or so ago. Especially the one about what happened when she tried to stop her meds. I mean like, sobbing. it was like finally someone understood me and didn’t judge.
@@stacyaguilar2831 same
My first thought after like one minute of watching this video was "marry me!" :)
@@TheAstroChild uuuuuh? You know what I'm not gonna question it.
I loved this idea. Just I stop thinking about those kittens I ran 2 miles to the store to buy a notebook. Then I had lunch. While I was watching how to make a damascus steel knife in youtube I remembered why I had a new notebook in my hand. So I think maybe I need this.
hahahah that's so me! :)
Omg are you me?
Me to a tee
Kittens 😻😻😻😻😻
That damascus steel part is too real ahahah
I discovered a system like this myself. At first, I used to do it on paper: I would make a TODO list, and then I would use a highlighter to mark items that are done, and for the next day, I'do copy the things that I haven't done yet (and I would highlight them on the original list as I copied or discarded them). Using the highlighter is very satisfying. I no longer use this system every day, but every once in a while, when I'm feeling overwhelmed with little tasks, I pick it up again. I then switched to a OneNote system - probably similar to the Evernote system people have. The way I would use it, I would create pages for every day, and I would bold the items that are done and move them to the top of the page. For the next day, I'd copy the non-bolded items to start with. It's almost as satisfying as the pen-and-paper system, and it's easier to search and to have links, which is important for me.
What I don't do is plan monthly or yearly. Even the idea of it seems scary to me. Maybe I should give it a try
"sounds scary" --> "i should do it". 😂 #Same
I realized that writing everything I wanna do everyday then crossing things out really helps. I also cross them I before I start to do them and it makes me feel like I should do it but without pressure
That “adhd New Years” joke killed me, that was me every year and sure enough as soon as January hit everything would be over
🤣 Yep by Jan is always over.
i never lasted to October haha 😂
no but there's a second term
I've been doing exactly this in a blank notebook, and I always change the layout and add stickers and photograph it to Evernote. I thought I was insane but your video made me realize I'm managing my ADHD better than I give myself credit for. Thank you! :)
Isn't it great when we find out something we do is actually a great coping strategy we've found without even knowing? We really do have super-brains :D
I use a graphing notebook
I use a graphing notebook
Evernote is very, very, very useful (in combination with other things)(also index cards)(but mostly Evernote, for years now) :)
Hate to admit this, but Evernote overwhelms me. Sigh.
Jessica, your videos go beyond the mere tips and tricks kind of thing. Watching them is soothing and conforting for me. Even if I'm not using the techniques, it's like therapy knowing that I'm not a freak and I'm not alone. From the bottom of my heart thank you.
I feel the same when I watch this channel... Thank you Jess❤
Ditto
"here's a cat video"
I was legit looking away for a moment while still listening to the video and as soon as you said that
I turned back so quickly💀
I literally was scrolling past this comment when she said that and I had to rewind to understand how she suddenly got to cat video 😭😭😭😭 never felt so called out in my life
That one slayed me. Can’t stop giggling.
So like, I'm an aspie with ADHD and LET ME TELL EVERYONE, bullet journaling is a GOD SEND. I do everything from manually keeping track of appointments, to my feelings and pain level that day. It's the first thing IN MY WHOLE 35 YEARS ON THIS EARTH that I have been able to do this with. That includes journaling.
I cannot recommend this enough. It's your new bff, your brain, everything in one place in any way you want.
that's such a good idea, keeping track of feelings and pain level! I want to keep track of how I feel that day in my habit tracker so I can see how my good habits (or not doing them) affects me
What is your favorite notebook to use?
My ADHD husband is trying this! First time in 13 years of marriage that he's EVER made a to-do list. (thank you)
+Colleen Murphy woohooooo!! :D
You mean...a grown man changed?! What is this voodoo you speak of? He must be under 50. LOL ;-)
Colleen Murphy to do lists are not even ideal...try the “Law of Attraction planner” to do lists are actually limiting your way of connecting things together. Peace
I cried watching this video. For 25 years I literally thought my brain was broken. I genuinely thought I was dumb and incapable of becoming organized, put together, whatever else, which fueled my insecurity of becoming an adult. I have now, from this short 5:56 minute video, have just had one of the biggest questions of my life answered. Although this is so dramatic, I am literally healed from you're video. I genuinely hope that you will continuously be blessed with happiness, good luck, and very good fortune.
Im an elementary teacher, diagnosed at age 54 a year an a half ago. Meds have been a big help. I just stumbled upon your videos. And yes, I did stay up until 2 am watching one after the other. OMG!!!!! First...this particular one...SO ME!!!!! at the beginning of every school year middle school through 2 graduate degrees, and every year setting up my classroom and plan book as a teacher!!!!!! Second...Watching your segments is so validating. So much about my unintended behavior and thinking makes so much sense. You have touched upon things my therapist and I haven't gotten to yet (cuz I didn't think it was related). Thank You Thank You Thank You!!!!!! Please keep these coming!!!!
HA RIGHT " IM GUNNA BE SO ORGANIZED THIS YEAR" or "IM GUNNA DO MY HW RIGHT AFTER SCHOOL" LMAO NOPE
This basically happens to me every year >.
My life in a nutshell. I also tried to reach out to get help but then I said, "I'll be fine just on these supplements, essential oils, and cutting sugar out of my diet." But I keep finding myself awake at 4 in the morning compromising both youtube and hw by simultaneously doing both hw and youtube. Also during school I'm just full of regret and self-loathing, but also very proud, I got the homework done.
Raymond Tang I'm a lucky individual so stuff tends to work out for me.... most of the times :\.... when it doesn't....... ;~;....
I actually have been really organized, but it's making me anxious that it's gonna stop soon
Haha No I literally think that ever school year. then a week later I'm like "sleep... no more school. No studying, too hard....."
I've always loved the idea of a bullet journal, but I can't get myself to draw up the structural calendar parts (whether weekly, monthly, daily)! It's been so frustrating
There are stamps and stencils now I believe.
i just write the things i have to do with the date, then plan my day (sometimes) with the things i feel like doing .Then go back the following day (or after a few days haha), cross the completed tasks off my to do list, copy the to do list if it's too messy, and start planning again. Mostly I do that on loose sheets of paper that end up crumpled somewhere but don't do that 😂
Yes exactly - I love the flexibility it offers, but I don't like that I have to actually make time to design it and think about the way my brain works and how I'm using it and making it pretty (I'm creative but it's an easy way to lose an hour of your day unintentionally!). At the moment I use a Leuchtturm1917 weekly diary, the one with the week on one page and a lined page on the other that I can write lists, brain dumps, pretty things, or whatever I need that week. It provides the consistent structure my brain needs, but some space to be flexible. Combine with popping in a loose sheet of paper to plan 'today', which I can throw away at the end of the day and for a fresh start the next day.
Stencils have changed my life. Also it's like art therapy for people (me) who can't draw.
there are also stickers and post it notes for this. there's one from muji. cheers
I opened the therapy session once with: Help, I can't organize my life! And my therapist showed me the book about the Bullet Journal, and I'm doing it ever since. I almost finished my third year using this thing now. It makes me proud leaving through it, what I always do when I open it. It's really a game changer! :)
I kind of feel proud of me to have found a lot of coping mechanisms before knowing that I have ADHD. since I discovered bullet journal I knew it was for me, I absolutely love it, it was amazing when I finished a whole notebook with my bullet journal especially because the thing that I struggle more is to not abandon things in the middle.
She just spoke my life in the first 2 min
Me too! Hahah.
and me! Its creepy! I thought I was unique with my quirks!
literally omg!!
@@Jo-kh1yo so relatable getting tested in a couple of weeks
I watched this video and I started my bujo at 3am from an awesome notebook that I have had for the past year. I just never knew what to put in it and didn't want to mess it up.
Michael Austin my issue was always wanting it to look nice and clean but I’m trying to break that with my bujo
“You probably also forget what your own symbols mean”
Hey, I resemble that remark! I mean, the spreadsheet I made for work to track my software testing had six different colors... and asterisks, and bold fonts, and strike throughs... but it made sense! ... until I had to come back to it two weeks later...
True. 😀 I forget why I have used this particular colour. Then change it because "now" I think the coding is irrelevant. The Whole work looks like mess. And leads to frustration.
'Lists, wherever I feel like creating them'...
*looks at the pile of repurposed envelopes of bills scribbled with everything from life goals, doodles, random thoughts, ideas, to-do's, shopping lists and more*
relatable
ADD makes my life so hard in ways I feel people don't understand and look down on me for. This video makes me feel seen and understood. Thank you.
same
Holy cow it's almost painful how much identify with these things
Right?! I was laughing hysterically at the “not being able to remember which notebook” thing and my husband was like uh... I’m like do you not have the problem? Nope. Totally an ADD thing.
Nice to find a "home" isn't it.
omg the writing over and over and over
I’ve been bullet journaling for a few years and have 100% ditched planners so long ago I don’t even look at them anymore. Even if I drop it for a week or so it’s easy to pick up and start again.
Indeed. Sometimes I start a month page 3 days before it ends.
I’ve had “bullet” like journals in 2011 and 2017 and I didn’t even realize how well it worked for my ADHD brain until finding this video, I actually plan on starting another journal soon! :) I totally agree with holding onto them as a record of who we are, too, I love looking back on these journals!
Great video!!! After watching, I immediately went out and bought a bullet journal, some colorful pens, and even fun stencils. So excited about this, as you can probably imagine. This was about 2 months ago... So far, I have written my name in it. I have no idea where the bullet journal is, but I love my colored pens... so at least there's that!
Ring bound planners also work because you can switch out inserts for anything you want and if some pages don't work you either move them or toss them.
This is what I'll be switching to next, after my LT is used up (I want to actually FINISH something for once :P Filling out a journal seems like a reasonable goal :P )
Melissa Angelik binders with folders and a notebook and dividers help me. It's just hard to carry it around so I end up not using them
Watching this video years later, I have fallen in love with my RocketBook notebooks, which are so incredibly perfect for the bullet planner setup! Rocketbook allows for erasing and reuse when things are no longer needed, if you need more doodle room, or if you just need a change in colors! Plus, the app allows you to scan each page in, and predefine a place for it to go in the digital ether. I am going to have to combine these two, and maybe, just maybe, be able to know my thoughts!
Omg I’ve never heard anyone else compare “back to school” season to New Years!! I absolutely love the end of August, I can remake my entire life and do whatever I want!
OMFG!!! YES! I tried to explain this style of journaling to my therapist and she kind of blew me off, saying instead that any method will work as long as I do it long enough to make it a habit. I've been wanting to bullet journal for so long, but of course, being ADHD, the journal I bought has sat in my bookbag for a few months.
"any method will work as long as I do it long enough to make it a habit" - that's taking all the fun out of ADHD :-)
OMG, that's me every year.
How did you she "Blew you off" good boy
"ADHD new year" -- that is a PERFECT description of what every new semester feels like!! Also, congratulations on hitting 30k! I just saw your 25k subscriber video and I'm so glad you were able to reach so many of us ADHDers.
So glad I found this channel! I started a bullet journal last year and I love it. It is the best journal I've ever done. I log so much in it like my stress, mode and sleep. How I feel, what I'm grateful for, highlight of my day and more. It is so helpful.
I have ADHD, and I LOOOVE your videos! 😍
I saw your TED Talk some months ago, and then found your channel. It's really great helping me to not to feel alone, and I really benefit from your videos. Thanks (a LOT)! 🙏🏼😃💕
Hey! I tried the bullet journal but I got so overwhelmed with all the styles you can do and the constant writing and ruling that's involved with making your own bullet journal. Do you have any tips or suggestions to help because I love the idea of creating your own planner. Thank you!! You're amazing ❤️
Jada Himstedt just keep it simple
Watch the tutorial on the official bullet journal website/youtube channel. Just copy the exact demonstration and work from there, I did the same thing and personalised while using it. The concept is unbelievably simple and you'll soon find what works for you and what doesn't :)
keep it simple and maybe use a disc notebook. why? adding pages as you need it and not needing to think how much space are you going to use for this day or week or whoknows is beautiful. You can add more paper as you go or remove and it's fine. In my case with quad-lined paper. I got to the point that I bought Lavenger's portable puncher because I like the system enough to use it a lot, it's one of the cheapest punches out there at amazon and the holes are larger than Staples', so helps me to flip pages with ease, for discs I just get from staples, if you live in US i heard you can get iq360 at Walmart, also works. I live in Canada and we dont have it in our Walmart, which is sad, i wanted to try it. BUT. start small. you don't know if you will like this thing so if you want to try, get a cheap disc notebook at Staples or Walmart, who knows and test with the lined paper it comes with.
The person that initially came up with that idea also kept it super super simple and minimal! All those different style and addons are there because creative people started to 'abuse' the concept hahaha.
Just keep it minimal if it suits you. If youre into doodle or caligraphy do that! After all its your style
look at rachel aust x
U totally GET ME, everytime I write on 4 pages of a journal, find one thing off, I get mad and start a new one.
🙌🏾😱HELP💯👍🏾✌🏾
I rip the page out and rewrite it til I'm happy with it and even then I'll look at it a week later and hate it and want to rewrite the whole thing again.
Righhttt
i felt that to my CORE
I literally just went to the store and bought a bunch of new colorful pens!!! I feel like everything on your channel is directly talking about my life and I love it❤️❤️❤️
Something that’s helped me this semester at school was covering each week with stickers! The stickers encouraged me to open the notebook at the beginning of the week and made me more excited to open it throughout the week, especially when someone wrote me notes or helped putting the stickers in. Now I am perpetually trying to buy more stickers to add them to my planner
Jessica, I have an 18 year old daughter with ADHD. I stumbled upon your channel while searching for some study help for her as she is about to start college in the fall. You are a God send. Thank you so much for sharing your story (TEDx) and your adorable personality with all of us! As a mother, I simply don't have time to binge watch CZcams videos, however, I couldn't help but do just that on your channel. You are as helpful to those with ADHD as you are to those who love them. I'm sharing your channel with other moms so they can steer their kids to it as well!
SKIM FOR IDEAS ON HOW TO CONCENTRATE
Hey, I want to send this information to anyone and everyone who struggles with ADHD, hope you can comment and possibly help me or anyone else out by commenting with suggestions and or ideas.
For me having ADHD means bouncing off the walls, having a very low attention span, never being able to concentration off of adderal/ caffeine, being very disorganized, and generally having problems completing tasks because of the said problems. After being diagnosed in the past year, I feel very lucky that I have made it this far in school without flunking out. Due to my very good memory and guessing, I have more or less figured out how to barely make it in high school. Barely making it though sucks, doing things last minute as well as upsetting my parents. So I've decided in the past six weeks of diagnosis that I need both structure and the self discipline of distractions. Through research, I have recently found the following things to improve my life, and I hope that others with the same problems can try these things:
Evernote:
due to never being able to be organized and loosing almost anything/ forgetting things places, I have found Evernote VERY useful. Not only can you track your goals but also take pictures of pieces of paper and add notes to them so you never forget anything. Although it sucks to use at first, its very loose structure is amazing, allowing you to basically make the structure any way that you want.
Add block:
Researching for projects, work, etc can be very hard with adds distracting you all the time. Although add block is controversial, its an essential tool for me in being productive and has been something that has seriously changed my life, especially because you can block anything on a page that is distracting (Like top ten lists/ click bait)
Recognizing How Much Time Your Wasting:
Personally, I feel as though time slips away no matter what I am doing. Locating and monitoring the time you are doing something non productive, such as watching CZcams. I personally have noticed how much time I've wasted on the site, and have realized that I must limit the time that I am on. I do this by allowing myself 5 videos a day, and have been gradually turning that amount lower and lower, until I'm on the site as little as possible. Why? because I saw that I was wasting so much time on CZcams (About 3 hours a day). This can be applied to anything, from social media to video games. Recognize what is taking your time away and limit it. I have also done this with social media and texting by deciding to delete Snap Chat, Instagram, and twitter off my phone and told my friends that I cant text them as much anymore (They understand my struggle and supported me with it)
Stop Using Excuses:
No matter what, never use this as an excuse, because that does nothing. You were born with this, so use it as a tool and never use it as an excuse. Even though it takes me twice as long on tests and homework because of having ADHD, I have understood that this is just one of my flaws and obstacles in life, and everyone has these in front of them one way or another. You have to overcome it and understand that if you want to be happy, you have to really try and establish these habits and choices
Never take a break until all tasks are done for the day:
As soon as I see myself stop being productive, I fall apart and waste time, getting nothing done.
Never Listen to music, CZcams, etc while working:
Background noise leads to loss of concentration. I personally wear earmuffs now so that I can hear nothing but my own thoughts while working.
Through the past six weeks, I've used these items ever since I've been diagnosed and have really understood my weaknesses. I hope this helps anyone who has ADHD and can not get anything done. Also realize that you really can't give up if you want to complete your goals, and there is no "Solution" or ultimate plan or setup that benefits all. Like I said before, comment if you want to add any other tips to anyone else that has ADHD, or items/ habits that you have found useful and beneficial to you.
I find your tips is useful. I just made a decision to just live with ADHD now. And I want to overcome this as life lesson so that I can keep happy and strong. I find myself feel very much freedom and contented now. Futhermore, I want to make a positive things everyday even it's just a small things that looks easy to others, but for me it's mean a lot. I decided to make this bullet journal so that I can coop with my adhd. I hope so. 😁
im sorry i couldnt read the whole missive, but, I have found exercise settles me and helps keep me on my path. plus I sleep better.
Yes ! Thank you. - living with depression, pain and ptsd. not adhd. But you help! And the battery never goes flat with pen and paper.
I can't use a physical planner, I'll forget where I put it too easily and I'll never be around when I have a random thought to write down. I use Trello to organize my mind. It allows me the similar structure with flexibility as your bullet journal with the added benefit of being online so it's accessible from any device.
LOL yup
I wanna try a bullet journal at some point but the problem is that I'm so scattered sometimes that I need a digital notification to remind me to actually *look* in a physical planner. Otherwise, I've just found it easier to put everything into Google Calendar because my phone gives me notifications. I might try it anyway though!
Robin C. use your analog bullet journal in conjunction with digital reminders. once you write something you need a prompt to create a quick calendar entry
That's exactly what I started doing. I need the digital for immediacy (and when my appointments change, which happens a lot, usually a couple times a day), but the paper bullet journal helps me organize my thoughts, retain/reinforce plans and ideas, and FIND THINGS AGAIN. Google calendar is invaluable for searching on events when I need to find something, but the bullet journal helps me find ideas, and goals, AND when I want to add something, I can add it in one place so things start to develop. Meaning, let's say you have crafts ideas, or business ideas/reminders. If you think of one, and it's on page 32, next time you have another idea, you can add it to page 32, and so on, and it will all be right there in one spot when you want to find it again. My previous system was write it on post its, scraps of paper, 15 different notebooks, etc. Never to be seen again.
horsepanther your comment was very helpful.
That feeling is me every semester, and It's more than just about planners, I really don't know how to turn that feeling into constructive work and getting things done, it's why I'm really afraid to go back this semester because I know that even with the best intentions like that it could all go to shit in the first few weeks, help!
You are fabulous! I very much enjoy watching your videos. I was diagnosed with ADHD recently at the age of 60, and you certainly know how to keep me interested and motivated. It's great not to be going it alone anymore. Thanks so much!
This video is 2 years old, but I’m going to rewatch it infinite times because WOW I need to unify my job, my personal life, my student life and my ADHD dreams and insights altogether. Tried to use a BuJo some years ago, but the pages got confused but now I got an intelligent notebook and can transfer the pages as I wish (ok, that’s not a new thing, but just an insight). Thanks!
After trying and failing a number of systems (including bullet journaling) as you've described and becoming extremely frustrated with the process, I finally did a search for ADHD and bullet journal. Your videos were at the top of the list. You just spoke to me-directly to me. ( Not really, but you know what I mean ;-) ) I'm really looking forward to going through your videos.
I love that I’ve found this! As I’m sitting with a desk covered in post it notes, 3 notebooks, 1 planner, and a journal that I haven’t started. I got so ADHD when I noticed we have the same shirt on too and had to rewatch 30 seconds of it twice to stop fixating on the same shirt and pay attention to the words you were saying! Thank you for this channel!
You are honestly an angel, these videos are everything I’ve ever needed being a gifted person with ADHD. Thank you!!!
This is awesome. I’m a little late to the game, but I was looking into bullet journaling and I was all “I’ve tried so many different planners, why will this one work when the others didn’t?” You’ve answered that question for me, so I thank you!! I have ADD which was just diagnosed a few years ago, and I’ve always thought how different my childhood would’ve been if I’d been diagnosed then. Oh well, not dwelling on it! Just glad you are making these videos so I know I’m not alone ❤️
Thank you so much for the tips! I have ADHD and this has been so helpful for me! I found you while searching for bullet journal tutorials and when I saw "How to ADHD" I jumped in excitement! Also, thank you so much for Captioning your videos! My learning disability makes it difficult to retain information from audio alone so having the captions helps me understand and focus so much more! You're awesome and I'm subscribed!!
I just found your channel and I think I’ve watched every video already. I’m 35 and finally figuring out that I have ADHD, your channel has helped me understand so much about how my brain works. Literally everything you say is exactly how my brain works, it’s like I finally belong! After living so long feeling wrong and lazy it’s a huge relief to know that it’s not my fault and I’m not the problem. Thank you!
IT WOOOOOORKS!!!!! Tried this out after watching this video on the 3rd of May. Exactly 3 months later I have just filled the final page for an entire A5 moleskine.
Have been searching for "the" planner for the longest time. You hit the nail on the head when you discuss the need for structure and unstructure but with the index it pulls everything together! Thank you so much. Just about to page number the next one! Also I use a squared notebook as I find it much easier to structure my handwriting.
I love you. Your vocabulary, speaking style and speed, effort, attitude, and your channel ♥️♥️ I’m extremely grateful that you make this content. You! There are so many people who can make similar content but it really means something more when it comes from you.
my gf discovered bujos on a fb page, talked me about it and how much it could help me with my adhd. so asked for advices on a subrredit, where a dude came up with a link to this vid. i loved you and this channel and now have like LITERALLY 2 HOURS of watching your videos (some of them almost made me cry). i canot do more thank you and congrat you for this excellent work, im totally suscribing, but now i will close the explorer because have an open notebook with a "index" in the top of the page just lying there for hours now waiting to be completed.
pd: if my english horrifies you, yeah im not an english native but also means that your awesome work have come down all the way to chile. saludos.
I been doing really well with Google calanders. Reminders automatically move to the next day if I dont get thwm done. Events are colored coded and let me know when something is due.
Recently diagnosed. Deeply grateful to have you as my guide, Jessica. Already not losing to-do lists thanks to my brand new bullet journal, which I thought would be confusing but is easy. Wrote down the same shopping list 3 times on three different scraps of paper, though. 😆 Thank you thank you thank you. Every one of your videos is a revelation.
The thing I most appreciate in these videos is how they are cut for ADHD brains. I don't need to timejump and timeskip like I do while watching other videos/shows/movies.
Keep it awesome. You've changed my life.
Wow I unknowingly started doing something similar but labeling with symbols is GENIUS!! I've been wasting time reading over my whole list to avoid forgetting priorities. This is SO EYE-OPENING!! 😲👌🏼
I LOVE the bullet journal. It's spontaneous, and makes me sit at my desk and do stuff.
I have..."extra energy", as in I feel like I drank 3 cups of coffee and have that energy all day, every day nonstop.
But not ADHD because my mom doesnt belive in mental illnesses.
what, like...any?
How to ADHD The ones with visible effects she does. Like mentally disabled, autistic, or someone who is visibly adhd (like always running around and stuff).
I've tried to talk to her about me possibly having it, and she said that if I went to a doctor and got diagnosed, that she would disown me. Conversation over xD
*facepalm*
I'm sorry.
One thing to consider -- ADHD is highly genetic, is it possible that she doesn't think you could have it because she deals with the same things you do and she believes she doesn't have it?
How to ADHD Actually that is exactly the reason. She told me the same thing almost word-for-word
She's probably scared and can't even admit it to herself. I've had similar (although less extreme) reactions from my mum, who could be the poster for ADHD. I'm actually probably a milder case (I haven't got tested yet, reaching a diagnosis as an adult here in Italy is almost impossible).
Be patient until you're more independent, then go get your diagnosis and don't feel obliged to tell her :) Just do what you think is best for you - I'm sure she thinks she's doing what's best for you too, but parents can't always get everything right, can they?
I do something similar, but in a 3 ring binder so I can reorganize the order of my pages as needed, and I use little sticky tabs and plastic dividers to keep different categories of things separated. Like one for chores and do dos, one for silly ideas, one for goals, one for the billions of lists, etc. The 3 ring binder makes it even easier to change it up when you need to. Bullet journal in a 3 ring binder is probably the single most powerful adhd organizational tool ever and with this method I am unstoppable... aaaaaas soon as I can get up to check it.
notebook full of ideas that I will never find again. I cant really express how much I am grateful to find your channel.
My bujo has been *awesome* for about a month and a half now! I'm falling into this cycle of using the basic system --> adding trackers and illustrations and challenges to make it more fun --> getting too busy or uninterested --> dropping the dead weight and going back to the basic system... etc. Usually (most recently with todoist) there's not much fluff built in to the system, so when I need to abandon something... I abandon the whole thing. I'm definitely still a little bit afraid that I'll stop using my bullet journal after the honeymoon period is over, but every time I complete that cycle I feel a little bit more confident. =)
Brooke Henry I wish you luck on keeping it up. I have the same worries. Are you still using it 1 month since posting this comment?
Thanks =) Yes I am!
Found you while searching for bullet journal tutorials. You're my new fave CZcamsr! I'll be checking out your Patreon page sometime in the near future. Just wanted to take a moment now and let you know how great your videos are and that I look forward to seeing more in the future. Have you considered doing more bullet journal videos? I'd love to see your process.
Planning on an update vid, yeah! :D
hurray!
you're the best. I just discovered your videos recently and they are super helpful to me, both for understanding what's going on with my head and for doing the things. thanks.
You are a lifesaver. It’s like you went inside my brain and spoke my thoughts. But actually explained them. Brilliant
Fantastic channel - thank you! I was ADHD before it became cool (diagnosed in 1975 with...something). Just want to add my digital option - Remember the Milk. Very flexible with creating lists and scheduling next tasks. Great flexibility to move tasks around as well. Thx again :)
i've been working with a bullet journal for like half a year now anddd i love it! It's the only thing that sticks
yay good to hear! Mine's sticking so far too :D I'm not perfect with it but I still use it
Omg been using this method for 3 months now dumped 4 cups of tea on it and it's filling up nicely suprized I never thought of this before but it's really helpful to look back at the month and seeing what I did accomplish. Fantastic thank you again!!!
😆I found this video in mid-distraction while writing in my "sort of working planner". Jessica, thank you for helping to make my distractions much more productive!
LOVE this video! Totally sharing... thanks for a wonderful overview AND for sharing my links! Much love :)
OMG, I need to check out the tutorial! I have like 6 analogue planners, another 4 on my iPad, like 15+ of spiral notebooks and like 10+ binders full of stuff! Some of them are duplicates of others as far as what they're used for. An example would be my novels. I have 3 spiral notebooks for the same book, barely full because I forget where the others are so I buy more lol. My planners usually have duplicate information which I write down, then I ignore the planners for the rest of the year. It's so annoying!
Thank you so much, it´s the second time I watched this video, and this time the relief is so big that moved me. I've been using bujo for years, sometimes it works, some doesn't. But I can adapt and make it work. I spend a lot of hours searching for a planner because I'm lazy, and don't want to make bullet journal anymore. But no planner fit my needs and requirements. And I was very frustrated to see that everyone commented that they liked the planners so much and I couldn't even choose one. I identified a lot with this video and felt comforted. Thanks for the reminder.
WOW NEVER HAVE I WATCHED A VIDEO THAT HAD THE PERFECT MUSIC, CUTS, TEMPO, PITCH OF VOICE, AND VISUAL AIDS TO ACTIVATE MY HYPER FOCOUS SO WELL!!! THIS IS AWESOME I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS EXACT KIND OF CHANNEL EVER SINCE I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ADD!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH
Holy wow, everything you said about new planners and new school years hit home. "My last planner didn't have THIS!" Hilarious and very accurate.. Just find your channel. Helps me feel a bit more normal. Thanks for the great content!
I tried to bullet journal and it was too overwhelming to me, however I did find the BEST planner that incorporates all of that plus a teeny bit of structure. Erin Condren's Deluxe Monthly Planner with added notebook pages. Best planner decision I ever made.
I have just recently been diagnosed with ADHD as a middle aged adult and it’s such a relief to finally understand that the many significant issues I’ve struggled with my entire life weren’t simply down to me being a “terrible” (clumsy, lazy, useless, hopeless, messy, disorganised) human despite being thoroughly exhausted daily by my best efforts to achieve what often seemed to be accepted as the basics of adulting (accompanied by constant anxiety and depression over my failure to progress in life). I was admittedly cautious about starting medication due to high blood pressure (medicated) but ironically, along with calming my brain down, it has also significantly reduced my blood pressure and heart rate! Its early days but medication really is life changing (finding the right dosage and schedule took time and patience) It’s quite an extraordinary experience to listen to someone describe my internal landscape so accurately and feel like someone understands for once. Currently I have been relying on a big and small Moleskine diary (one side dates, one side for writing thoughts and doodles), my fleuro orange (easier to find) mechanical pencil, a bright yellow mini binder for my random notes, reminders and lists, highlighters and of course multiple coloured sticky notes. As someone who has spent their whole life writing lists, losing lists and then writing lists of my lists the bullet journal definitely sounds worth a go.
Happy Planner has helped me so much. I can create and print my own pages for it adjusting them to work best for my brain and what my goals are and how my life works week to week.
I've just never thought of indexing my any of the pages in my journals...or combining a planner and journal....or sticking with one journal at a time. 😬
Oh, and another great app I found for organizing is Our Home App. I hyper focused on it forabout 2 hours to organize my family. Yes we did stop using every day after a couple months, but I found it to be farely simple and easy to use.
I get that everyone is different, but I just wanted to say I'm one of those people who actually remembers things better when typing them. I also can recall or think through certain problems easier if I type them up on a pretend keyboard.... it can look really awkward sometimes when my fingers start flailing on the table... or in thin air, but it works!
viziroth I love to write, but my handwriting has gotten worse, so typing pretty much the only way.
There is a character from an anime who does that (The anime is Monster), he holds his hand down to his side and 'types' to record information, and 'types' to recall it.
I agree with snikrepak though, I can barely read my handwriting, so even if it's better for my brain, it's not better for me.
If you somehow get bored of bullet journaling or find out it just doesn't work for you, I found something a while ago that could help! It's called the anti-planner and it was written by someone who has adhd, Dani Donovan. This book isn't exactly a planner, rather a book filled with different ways to game-ify, organize, and get your tasks done. There's even sections for when you feel burnt out or overwhelmed by your tasks. This thing has helped me so much.
I started watching your videos to understand my boyfriend, but each video I watch I ask myself if I have adhd too and this video is sooo relatable! Thank you for the good work, best wishes from Brazil!
I dont have any kind of attention disorder(most probably) but still i subscribed. Because of you. You are full of energy(actually explosion of energy). 😆😆
You are me, I am you and I take Vyvanse too.
Adding this comment before I forget - use timestamps on your Bullet Journal, e.g. on the left margin of your entry, write your start time. And when you think about the time, write the time again. You'll see a log of how long you've been on that same entry. Then you can decide if you want to keep writing, or move on. But time won't "disappear" anymore. You can see exactly how long you've been working on that task, and it won't be a time dump. Happy Bullet Journaling! Love this channel!!
You don't know how much I needed this... thank you! I've been doing the Bullet journal method for years, but always end up tryhing to go digital. Does not work. But this makes me feel better and know why \I kept coming back. Now if I can just stick to one journal....