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Shadowing practice: Minimal bullet journal setup » for productivity + mindfulness

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  1. There was an overwhelming number of requests for this video.0:00
  2. I'm going to show you today how I bullet journal.0:03
  3. So in a video recently I mentioned that I've been bullet journaling now for the last nine months and I said that I loved it and then the comment section0:07
  4. kind of blew up surprisingly with people saying that they wanted to see how I do it.0:15
  5. So that's what we're going to do today.0:20
  6. I'm going to disclaimer right now because I mentioned it in that video as well that my design for it is incredibly minimal.0:21
  7. I know there's a lot of YouTubers who create the most beautiful bullet journal spreads and I envy their artistic abilities but for me I think bullet journaling is a0:28
  8. bit more about pouring out and organizing my thoughts so I can be as efficient as possible but as with everything I'm going to say today do with it what0:38
  9. you want.0:45
  10. This is just my method and the beautiful thing about bullet journaling is you can customize it however you'd like.0:45
  11. Now I genuinely don't know how I functioned before learning the system because I was someone who had notes everywhere on my iCal, the stickies of my computer, on the0:51
  12. notes section of my phone.1:01
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  1. I would jot things down on random scrap pieces of paper and then it always felt like there was information coming at me from every direction but at the same1:02
  2. time I couldn't really find anything when I was looking for it but now with this system I feel like I've got a little built -in secretary always reminding me1:09
  3. of what I need to do so that's nice.1:17
  4. So the low down.1:19
  5. Today I'm going to show you the start of my 2020 journal and give you a skeletal structure of how I plan my year, month, week and so forth.1:20
  6. Periodically I'm also going to show you into the 2019 journal just for reference and a brief thank you as well to Audible for partnering with us on today's video1:29
  7. but I'm going to chat more about them at the end for now we're going to delve into what you're going to need to get started.1:37
  8. So two things are essential of course which is going to be the bullet journal and a pen or a pencil.1:42
  9. I'm going to link everything that we're using in the description box in case you're interested.1:48
  10. Two other things I highly recommend they're not necessary but very handy is a whiteout and a ruler.1:52
  11. I think one reason people don't even start with bullet journaling is because of perfectionism and to that I say whiteout is your best friend and then finally two items1:58
  12. you might want to consider but they're just for fun and that's going to be markers and washi tape.2:08
  13. Okay let's get journaling.2:13
  14. I'm starting this journal with a key kind of like a legend so to start off I like to indicate how many boxes there are both vertically and horizontally because2:15
  15. it sucks when at the start of each month you forget and then you have to count them one by one all over again.2:24
  16. So one of my main methods is to split things up into columns of three so here I'm also indicating how many boxes are needed in order to split a2:29
  17. page up into three parts.2:37
  18. So now I'm going to go on to show you what some symbols mean.2:39
  19. These are not my own the system comes from writer Carol who's the creator of the whole bullet journal method so a dot or a bullet indicates a task.2:42
  20. Now if you put an x over that dot it's going to indicate that the task has been completed.2:51
  21. An arrow to the right means the task is being moved to a following day and then a dash is when it's something you just need to note like a2:55
  22. birthday or an event it's not a task in itself.3:04
  23. When you cross something out it means that it's canceled or no longer relevant and finally a star or asterisk means that it's something important.3:08
  24. You're welcome to create your own system of course whatever works for you.3:16
  25. Next we're moving on to creating a year at a glance.3:19
  26. For this section I begin by splitting each page into three columns.3:22
  27. At the top of each column goes a calendar.3:26
  28. I like to put Monday through Sunday written along the top of each of those months from January through to December.3:29
  29. This part can definitely get a little bit repetitive with writing days of each month over and over again but the plus side is you only have to do this3:35
  30. once at the start of each year.3:44
  31. The section is where I put birthdays appointments anniversaries upcoming events holidays pretty much anytime somebody tells you about something that's happening in the future put it in here so3:46
  32. that you don't forget.3:57
  33. Here you can see I'm transferring over the relevant dates from my previous journal to my new one.3:58
  34. So this way you can kind of see the first half of the year spread out over the first two pages and the second half of the year spread out4:03
  35. over the second two pages.4:10
  36. So that's your year at a glance.4:12
  37. Next we're moving on to the month at a glance.4:14
  38. So here we're going to create the first month's calendar which is of course January and the first month is always the hardest because you have to count and divide4:17
  39. the squares properly and then in the next month it's really easy because you just kind of copy and paste that template over.4:25
  40. Again I write Monday through Sunday along the top and then I plop the days of the month into each square and now is the part where you refer back4:31
  41. to the year at a glance and transfer over any relevant dates and then you're done.4:39
  42. This year I'm also going to do something different which is using a little bit of washi tape folding it over the edge of the paper so that way in4:44
  43. the future it's really easy for me to just flip back to that calendar really quickly instead of needing to flip through a whole bunch of pages first looking for4:51
  44. it.4:58
  45. Next we're going to do the start of month essentials or at least what I find essential personally.4:59
  46. The first thing I like to do at the start of each month is a quick check -in with myself a place where I can just write down where I'm5:05
  47. at emotionally for this section.5:10
  48. I try to write a lot of I feel statements like I feel happy or sad because I also try to check in with myself physically which has actually come5:12
  49. a lot in handy because about a year ago I fractured my tailbone in a snowboarding accident and keeping track of how the progress has been is really handy because5:21
  50. I feel like otherwise the days and months just kind of bleed together so you can put anything physical here if you have aches or pains or if you want5:30
  51. to make note of a skin condition or your bowel movements anything goes and then another thing I also like to keep track of is where I'm at spiritually which5:37
  52. sounds super hippy but it's essentially just a place to check in with if I'm feeling aligned with what's important to me I write down how my relationships are going5:46
  53. things like that and so that's just me checking in and then the next section is quite easily one of my favorite sections of the entire bullet journal and that5:54
  54. is the brain dump.6:02
  55. I know I'm somebody who is prone to anxiety and sometimes I get even more tense when I'm trying to keep track of everything that needs to be done things6:04
  56. I need to do if I need to keep track of ideas so when something pops up in my mind instead of letting it occupy prime real estate in there6:11
  57. I just open up this section of the journal and plop it down and it frees up so much mental capacity it's amazing so most of the things that do6:19
  58. pop up in my head are related to pickle plimes so I gave that the most space here but I also have a little personal section at the bottom but6:28
  59. you can break this up in whatever way is relevant to you I'm going to show you an example here of how these two pages end up looking when it's6:36
  60. all filled out and now we're going to move on to the next section these are kind of optional start of the month pages so first up is the tracker6:43
  61. or the habit tracker I don't do the tracker every month I do it maybe every three to six months I think that one reason people don't keep up with6:51
  62. journaling when they've started it is because they give themselves too many things to do at least that's what I did when I first started and this part might be6:59
  63. one of those things that makes it feel like bullet journaling is just a bit too much so use it at your discretion or maybe just try to track a7:08
  64. few things as opposed to several I do think it's really helpful for mindfulness purposes to see how often things are happening in your life like how often you're practicing7:15
  65. mindfulness through yoga or meditation or in my case how often I'm uploading a youtube video or a blog post if there is one thing I can say about the7:24
  66. habit tracker though it's to use it as a tool to build awareness not as a tool that's going to let you kind of criticize self -lose judge yourself for7:33
  67. not doing enough for not being enough that is definitely not the point of this thing it is just to build awareness maybe that's another reason I don't do it7:42
  68. every month just to kind of take it easy you know so the page next to that we are going to write a list of gratitudes this is probably the7:49
  69. most cliche but also the most underrated section I feel like when I'm writing a list of gratitudes it can sometimes feel like you know a waste of time but7:57
  70. I think the effects of writing these lists they they take hold slowly you don't really realize it right away I think it's helped me to change my outlook to8:06
  71. kind of just generally day -to -day appreciate the little things a bit more I think we also live in a bit of a toxic complaining culture I complain pretty8:14
  72. often and I think when I take a moment to write down some gratitudes it shifts things it humbles you it brings you back down to earth so I try8:23
  73. to write down three gratitudes a day I also try to squeeze it all onto one line if I can so that way I can see a whole month's overview8:32
  74. on one page which is always nice if you're having a bad day it's a nice thing to refer to and I don't always keep up with the tracker and8:39
  75. and the gratitudes sometimes I miss it and that's okay just pick it back up whenever you can it's not a big deal right so now we're going to move8:46
  76. on to the next section which is the week at a glance for this section we're again going to split each page into thirds and at the top of each8:55
  77. column we're going to put little boxes where we can fill in the days of the week in this layout Saturday and Sunday are together in the right most column9:01
  78. just because I generally have fewer tasks on the weekend so once I've filled that all in I'm going to go and try to find my washi tape so that9:09
  79. I can flip back to the month overview and then I transfer over any relevant notes for that week I feel like that repetitive motion of carrying things over from9:16
  80. year to month and then month to week really helps to cement it in my mind so that I don't forget and then I try always the night before to9:26
  81. plan my next day and I always start by writing out the numbers one through three at the top of each column and this is where I write down the9:33
  82. three most important high priority things I want to get done that day and I think this is key I think sometimes we X things off of our list these9:41
  83. menial tasks that we got done and we falsely feel accomplished when in reality we didn't get any of the critical things done you know so I think three important9:49
  84. things need to go first and then you can jot note any other tasks that need to be done underneath that I also like to take a moment to just9:59
  85. go back to my brain dump section see if there's anything I might be able to carry over to that day no pressure if not just take a look and10:05
  86. then some days I like to also get an overview of what my hours are going to look like in that day and I want to block my tasks into10:13
  87. sections so that's where I use the bottom of that column if I need to so I put in the times from about 7am to 8 or 10 pm and10:20
  88. then I block my tasks accordingly remember you want to schedule those high priority items first I personally really like this method because I like to be able to see10:28
  89. the whole week at a glance on these two open pages but if you think you need more room you can spread it out over four pages just using the10:39
  90. same structure so three top priority items come first smaller tasks go under that and then you can block your time if need be now as you go through the10:47
  91. day remember that you want to X things off when you finished it and if you didn't get it done in that day just put a little arrow to indicate10:57
  92. that you're going to carry it over to the next day or one of the following days as for the following blank pages I just like to leave those blank11:03
  93. for now you never know when you want to take notes from a meeting or if you have certain ideas that you want to write down or an accomplishments list11:11
  94. honestly anything goes it's nice to just have it kind of sandwiched between two separate weeks and it's only when a new week is over that I'll go ahead and11:18
  95. create another week at a glance spread in my journal so if I can summarize I started off with a key or a legend and then I went on to11:27
  96. making a year at a glance which is spread over four pages I then moved on to a month at a glance so this first month being January and then11:36
  97. we moved on to the start of month essentials which for me is a monthly check -in as well as my favorite the brain dump and then we're following this11:45
  98. up with the optional habit tracker and the highly recommended gratitude list then finally I move on to the week at a glance again customize this one however you'd like11:53
  99. 2020 is coming up so with the new year some of you might be interested in creating a goals or a vision page if there's only one thing I can12:04
  100. recommend it would be in the beginning keep it really simple keep it minimal so that way you keep up with the bullet journaling like I said I I've I've12:11
  101. seen so many people just stop because they give themselves too many things to do but that's just my two cents and a brief thank you as well again to12:20
  102. audible for partnering with us on today's video if you're looking for a resource on bullet journaling I can definitely recommend checking out writer carol's audiobook the bullet journal method12:27
  103. track the past order the present design the future he's actually the creator of the whole bujo system as it's called and he does a really wonderful job at explaining12:36
  104. the many benefits of bullet journaling one of which he points out is something I really resonate with which is that journaling is mindfulness meets productivity it's really refreshing to12:46
  105. be able to step away from our data or our wi -fi these things that get us easily distracted by notifications or emails or social media when we bullet journal12:57
  106. it's just this time where we take a moment to live with some more intention and as I've mentioned it can sometimes get really repetitive this act of writing the13:07
  107. dates down over and over again and it can take a little while so if you want you can also listen to an audiobook while you're doing it maybe even13:16
  108. an audiobook like this one just to motivate you and get you even more in the mood for all the benefits that come with bullet journaling so if you're interested13:23
  109. in getting this book for free or any other audiobook that you'd like plus a 30 -day free membership visit audible .com forward slash pickle plans or see the link13:31
  110. in the description box below and audible members now get one free audiobook per month plus two free audible originals I hope you guys enjoyed this video never made one13:39
  111. like it before so if you did like it feel free to give it a thumbs up it always means a lot and if you use any of these techniques13:48
  112. or anything take a picture share it on instagram it's always fun to see hope you guys have a lovely start to your new year thanks a lot for watching13:54
  113. pickle plans signing off and we'll see you in the new year14:01

A fast, unscripted American vlog for B2 english speaking practice

This clip is a creator explaining, straight to camera, why she started a bullet journal and how she uses it. There is no script and no second speaker to lean on: one voice carries the whole thing, at 221 words per minute, faster than most of the catalogue. That speed is exactly why it is worth practising speaking on. At B2 you already understand this kind of talk; the gap is producing it at the same clip, without the pauses a textbook dialogue gives you.

It also gives you real american accent training instead of a studio recording. She restarts a thought mid sentence, chains clauses together, and drops in a throwaway aside like "so that's nice." That is the texture of ordinary spoken English, and it is a better model for how to pronounce english words in an american accent than anything read from a page.

The language in this clip: shadow this line for its run on rhythm

Three lines here reward a close listen before you try to say them back.

  • "kind of blew up surprisingly with people saying that they wanted to see how I do it." Four ideas stacked with no full stop between them. Shadow this line slowly first, then at speed, and notice where her voice barely dips instead of stopping.
  • "I'm going to disclaimer right now because I mentioned it in that video as well that my design for it is incredibly minimal." She turns the noun "disclaimer" into a verb, which native speakers do constantly and no grammar book teaches. Say the sentence with the stress on "disclaimer" itself, the way she does.
  • "So the low down." Two words after a long run of clauses. This is the shape a fast talker uses to signal a new section is starting, and copying that short, flat delivery is as useful as the long lines.
  • "I couldn't really find anything when I was looking for it" runs straight into the next clause with no full stop, her complaint about the old system linked directly to the fix that follows it.

How to work through lines 1 to 21 for english listening practice

The clip's own opening gives you a natural four step order, not a generic drill.

  • Play lines 1 to 5 once through without repeating, just to catch why she is making the video at all: the request in the comments after her last one.
  • Isolate line 6, the "disclaimer" line, and repeat it five times before moving on. It is the densest single sentence in the opening and worth more repetition than the rest.
  • Take lines 11 to 15 as one block. This is where the pace and the run on clauses peak, so shadow it in halves before trying it whole to keep your speaking practice from falling behind her.
  • Finish on line 16, "So the low down", and line 17 together, and listen for how sharply the rhythm resets after the long block before it. Getting that reset right does more for sounding fluent than any single hard word.
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