Apps Can Stink - Use Paper

As nerdy as I am, you’d probably assume I use my phone for everything.

I used to be on the hunt for the best to-do app… the best quick note-taking app… the best, well, anything app. Turns out a lot of apps just didn’t do it for me. I was wasting more time dorking around with my phone than actually using these apps as tools. More than a few apps were discontinued. Some moved to subscription models. Others would change their interface and I’d lose that muscle memory needed to do things quickly.

So instead, I carry a small pocket notebook filled with a personalized Bullet Journal system. As a result I spend less time staring at my phone and remember more of my to-do lists and notes. Do I post about using notebooks a bit much? ….probably. But almost every time I talk with someone about it, they’re curious and want to know more about my setup. So here we are.

I’ve carried pocket notebooks around for a long time. I was casually aware of the Bullet Journal System, but really only used them for to-do lists and occasionally scratching a note here or there. It wasn’t until I put together a solid monthly, weekly, and daily setup together in 2022 that journaling finally clicked.

This system has evolved over the years but the core idea has stayed pretty much the same:

1. Only have 2-3 loose intentions for the month/week
2. Write down everything coming up for the month/week
3. Jot down to-dos, notes, or anything else I want to remember during the day
4. Review and record my thoughts at the end of the week/month
5. Repeat

And while I have my preferences (Leather Journal Cover¹, Pocket Moleskine Cahier Dotted Journal, Black Marvy Uchida LePen, Zebra Midliner Highlighters, and Post-It Flags), I don’t want to be tied to any one object or system. I want this to be as flexible and resilient as possible. So all I really need is some form of paper and a pencil or pen.

Monthly Layout

• Flag banner and orange highlight across the top identifying the 2-page monthly layout helps finding the months when flipping through the pages
• 2-3 loosely held intentions for the month, nothing high-pressure
• Mini-calendar drawn up with the week number and starting on Monday (because I’m like that)
• List everything coming up this month and beyond until the right page is full
• At the end of the month, record notes/thoughts of important/memorable things

After this is done it’s on to the…

Weekly Layout & Daily Log

Weekly Layout

I really live my life 1 week at a time.

• Pointed banner and pink highlight across the top of the weekly spread
• 2-3 loosely held intentions for the week that usually relate to the monthly intentions, but not always
• Habit tracking/encouragement for the week (I try to do at least 2 things each day and each one 3 times during the week)
• List everything coming up this week, mostly from the Monthly Layout but adding in other new additions or smaller things
• At the end of the week, record notes/thoughts of important/memorable things

Daily Log

• Box banner and blue highlight to start the log
• List to-dos at the beginning of the day (or the night before) and as the day goes along
• Jot down anything of note or that I want to remember in a rapid log format
• At the end of the day, note something that made my day hard and something that made my day better

Signifiers

Rapid logging in the moment is much easier with a core set of bullets that I can glance at and immediately understand. Some people really love to expand on this, but I found if I get too detailed gets harder to skim.

• - Just a note, could be anything
• ・ To-do/task
• ✕ Completed to-do/task
• > Didn’t do something, moved to a future day/week/month
• + Note of something extra good/that made me smile
• ○ Event/appointment
• ◆ Something that made my day hard
• ★ Something that made my day easy/better

Bonus Index Cards

Sometimes I just need a bit of scrap paper or have to write something down for someone else. Blank 3x5" index cards are great for this. It also helps that I have stacks of these always at the ready for when I’m running a D&D game. (Well, and at my desk for work.)

So That’s It

If you’ve been wanting to try something similar, start simple. Grab any notebook or paper you can keep in your pocket. Start with the weekly layout or daily log… everything else can grow (or even simplify) from there. Try to stick with it for a few weeks. And don’t hold on to anything too tightly. Scratch out those mistakes, try again, and let it evolve into your system.