A Neurodivergent Guide to Bullet Journals
Hey yāall, so Iām sure youāve heard of the bullet journal. As pinterest shows, itās become a neurotypical mess of a concept, all the stress and obligation of a planner with none of the convenience of pre-made planners.
This is, as I recently learned, not the original concept. As HowToADHD wonderfully describes, it was a system created by someone with ADHD as a simple, adaptable system to create order while having room for chaos.
So, from someone who tried it in 2014, failed, and tried again in the year 2017, here is the definitive neurodivergent guide to the bullet journal from an OCD, ADHD, PTSD, schizotypal fucker.
Three years ago, I donāt know if I had an answer. To get organized?? No clue.
Now, it has one purpose. To get my wild brain fuckery down on paper. I think all dayĀ āI need to call the apartment Iām hungry is the dog fed I need cuddles is my queue big enough where is my monkey overalls why dont I wear my old fall out boy shirt moreā and bam, forgot to call the landlord. If I write downĀ āCall landlordā then I have the freedom to find my overalls and get some candy, while having a physical reminder and obligation to call my landlord.
The problem I had, and a lot of other people did, is looking at the pretty inspo pics and trying to make it pretty, with all number of cool trackers and doodads. However this helps us ND ppl very little. We get so hyperfocused on the idea of it, and 2 weeks later itās in a closet somewhere.Ā
It doesnāt have to look pretty. You donāt need training in calligraphy. It will be messy, there will be things scratched out. And thatās ok. This is a tool to help you find some sort of organization.
I made the mistake of going for a complex key. This had tasks, subtasks, finished, partially finished, inspo, ideas, poems, lists, all while trying to be color coded and neat. This is not reasonable This time around, I stuck to the bare bones as the creator intended, found on the website.
This might sound silly, but dots work better than squares, which I used last time. They take less time to draw and can be modded recklessly.Ā
In addition, donāt feel the need to make lists, trackers, and other things right away. If you like to, go ahead! But really this is to track the shit you have to do, and the shit you did.Ā
You donāt gotta do it so much
Ideally, you do this once a day. But hey, that is a lot to commit to. Personally, I keep mine beside my bed, or in my work space. This way I have it in a place Iāll remember, and if Iām in bed, Iām likely to pick it up and write down the shit for tomorrow while Iām here. But if Iām having an episode, I shouldnāt feel bad for missing a day or two.
Itās whatever you need it to be
Honestly, this is the most important. This is a system skeleton, not a rigid system. You do what you can, you do what you need to, Itās no more and no less than what it needs to do. Donāt need to track adulting, but do need a mood tracker. Here you go! Need somewhere to put all our lists and reminders? Go ahead! Need a place to write down the Important ā¢ delusions? Itās numbered!
Good luck! And if you need anything else, message me!
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