A couple (few?) years ago, I found this…daily planning pad at Target. It had space for like 3 to-dos, and this amazing checklist that I love on my difficult days. It has things like “got out of bed before noon”, “put on pants today”, (and my absolute fave) “didn’t put alcohol in my coffee today”😄 Every so often I’ll break out that planner pad and check off the “no alcohol in my coffee” box (plus anything else if it applied), rip it off, and tape it in my current planner. It’s a reminder that, yes that day sucked…but i survived it.😌
This is possibly the most validating and helpful video with regards to planning and disability, especially regarding mental health. I struggle with not being a absolute booty hole to myself because of my mental health struggles, and it's challenging when the illness is not visible to everyone and you seem alright to those around you. Thank you so very much for taking the time to film this and communicate this. I needed to hear it and am grateful for your presence here.
My daily pages are crucial for me. I write a list of every little thing I do or plan to do. I then check off what I do. I look at those check marks as wins. So on bad days I can say yo myself look at what you did. I can also say that ACCEPTING my limitations was the most difficult part.
I did the same when suffering from a spell of depression. It was suggested I just set a small goal like three things. Yay! I ticked them off... then that little voice says 'Great. And what did you do for the other 23 and a half hours??' .
@@JT1358you did the heavy task of rest. I was the same until I started seeing my recovery and rest time as a task instead of me being ideal this changed a lot for me. I hope you get to a place to see those 23 hours of rest as another 23 tasks ticked off 🫶🏽
For years I've been muddling through and completely refusing to face the reality that I struggle with invisible chronic illness. Everything you're talking about, how sometimes changing your pjs and getting back into bed feels like a herculean task, how it's so hard to actually plan because we can't "rely" on our abilities to do things from one day to the next - I've never felt so seen or so real in my entire life. This is so validating and so scary. But this year I'm tired of fighting the tides and I'm wanting to face the reality that I need to adapt my life and my self-compassion to better serve me instead of running myself ragged.
This was great. Thank you. I have a physical handicap as well as Fibromyalgia. One thing that really helps me is to plan "down days". I know that if I have a big event or I do a lot of physical activities that I am going to have to recover. Planning time for that takes away the guilt. It's not perfect. Occasionally I plan a down day and I feel good and do all the things and I need a down day the next day. But recognizing the necessity of recovery time and writing it in my planner as a to do gives it equal importance to all of my other tasks. If I don't do it I will feel worse later and I will get less done and I will beat myself up. I also have a lot of symptoms that are affected by the barometric pressure, so I use a weather app to predict when I might need to adjust my expectations. Knowing your triggers really helps to manage your life in a way that feels like you have more control. That's why tracking helps. Not to make you feel like you failed but to be aware of patterns and increase your awareness of what you can actually do as opposed to what you should do. I love your advice about being kind to yourself. You have to be. Giving up control is hard and we all have to give ourselves and each other some grace.
I have EDS, POTS, MCAS, ADHD, and about a dozen other medical problems. Up until now I can’t stay on a planner system because I’m constantly exhausted and in pain. I never know how bad my symptoms will be from day to day. I just feel overwhelmed and like a failure constantly. 😢 I appreciate you for sharing this video for all of us in the same boat. Hoping I can adopt some of these practices and get more organized.
6:52 I started a ”did” list when I was depressed. Eventually I got to the point where I was trying to do things so that I could add to it, but that took a long time.
Cindy, thank you for sharing this video. It is a wonderful reminder to someone currently not chronically ill of the struggles that everyday people face. I’d like to add something if I may - I know many people who wear prosthetics and oftentimes, they feel like they “shouldn’t” use assisted mobility carts in the grocery store, since they have their prosthetics. I would encourage anyone who would be supported by the use of an assisted cart in the store (those with prosthetics, chronic fatigue, or the elderly, etc) to use them!! Someone fought for those carts to be mandated, and you deserve to shop as comfortably as possible. Please try to have the capacity to give yourself or others the permission.
All my appointments have two alerts; 2 days before in case I need to prepare something for it and 2 hours before in case I forgot it again and need to take a shower or if it’s not near, …
CINDY - Your video and ALL the comments below are a complete Public Service Announcement for those who have to adapt their days as a constant! I read as many comments as I could here as well and I related to so very many. I have chronic pain and fatigue issues - brain fog is a given too. I do a list night before and next day I wake up and there is a lot of "oh well - best laid plans - nope ". I'm also one that is motivated by checking things off - so yes Cindy you rang my bell there ;-) One hint I have is on any extra pages in your planner or a notebook you keep on hand - keep an extensive list of passive tasks that you can do that don't take physical or mental effort beyond your lower ability levels. With this I pepper my nightly list with a balance of active and passive tasks. Passive tasks can include self care tips. My favorite right now -- as a tea lover - I get lots of teas at Christmas - so try an new tea today goes on the list. Other things like whittle down emails, or write a card to a friend, clean out the bedside drawers are all things I can accomplish - when the big tasks would hurt or take too much energy. Thank you Cindy and thank you all - we are accomplishing life too and get extra credit because our achievements are really humongous considering our starting line is way, way, way behind where the rest of the folks have theirs. Best wishes for us all in 2024!!!!
This is the best planner video! Thank you for this. As a chronic migraine sufferer, I have to "PIVOT!" a lot!! The mental aspect of it is something I have to work through. I struggle to tune out the negative self talk. I do what I can when I can, and then take rest when I need to. It's not lazy if you are ill or in pain. Just existing is WORK sometimes.
Wow. The first few minutes really hit me. I never thought about the fact that I am hard on MYSELF because of low productivity. Thank you. You are an amazing woman and I'm happy that you share with us.
This might not be something that you or your child are comfortable with, but I would love a video on the things you and your child due to help with having both physical and mental chronic illness as a kid. My kid is in the same boat and we are always looking for easier/gentler ways to get through the day while managing school (mine is currently in high school). There were some ideas in this video that I think may make a big difference for me as someone who is chronically ill and trying to make it through my to do lists. Thanks!
This helps me with executive functioning - a daily page broken into categories like personal, work, home, family. Brain dump tasks into categories then make a list of the first three items I WANT to do, then the next three, then the next three. I typically get through the things I NEED to do this way. Some days I can't figure out what to do first, in what order, so if I can cherry pick knowing everything I don't want to forget is there on the list I manage to get it all done! I do this everyday and like you suggested I also have a weekly list of things that need to be done. I pick off of that list everyday as I do my brain dump.
I have so many thoughts, but not enough energy here. 😅 But ummm this was great!! I've been thinking a lot lately that I would love to hear other chronically ill folks talk realistically about their planners and planning. I just can't relate to so much of healthy and able-bodied people's content anymore. Your video was such lovely validation for what I experience. Rolling weeklies have been my go-to for years now. But still working on that 'be kind to yourself' part; some weeks it's easier than others, y'know.
I list the smallest thing that I've done on my daily. That way when I start kicking myself for low productivity, I can look back and see all of the things that I did, and there's immediate grace. 💖🌞🌵😷
I love the hell out of this video. I hit “share” SO FAST. It was exactly what I needed to see today. And thank you for reminding us to be kind to ourselves- the hellscape thrives off our self-loathing so not only is it a way to stay sane it’s a way to give capitalism the finger. ❤❤
Sometimes a to do list is not helpful, but a ta da list can be. My to do list is a bully and I can forget to celebrate how much i have done. A ta da list where i write out what I have accomplished can really help. Eg today feeling like i have not got much done because i only crossed one this off the to do list, but I have actually done a load fo laundry, cooked tea, walked, run errands (involving several shops) , but the bin out, done some brain heavy prep work for a project... Means i can look at the day and go actually i was super productive and then curl up with pain killers and a hot water bottle feeling better about a rough day which was spent in bed all bar 4 hrs of it.
I have SOOOO much to say about this video. However, for now I’m just going to say, Thank You. You’ve been more helpful than you know. Peace ☮️ Love ❤️ & all the good stuff for all. 🌸
This was such a great video. Perfect combination of no fucks left to give and fierce compassion. Decision fatigue is my nemesis. I use a Weeks because the space matches my capacity. One thing that helps is I have a little section for “response waiting” for when I’ve put requests out but haven’t heard back yet. This saves me so much general anxiety from having to remember how long I’ve been waiting.
I loved this video! I am in recovery for depression, ptsd, and anxiety as well as having lupus and sever rheumatoid arthritis and migraines. I fully agree and teach clients I work with this same concepts. Make a simple list… got out of bed - ✅ showered-✅ got dressed ✅. Until you can start adding the more complicated day to day stuff… (adulting) Everyday can be a struggle and it’s ok to not do it all. There are days where I get out of bed and move to the couch and it wears me out and I go back to bed. And then there are days that I feel like I can take on the world. You take it one day at a time, one hour at a time, moment by moment. 😊
Thank you so much for this video! As someone who has on days and off days both mentally and physically, I think switching to a weekly to-do list instead of daily will really help me not feel like a failure if I get nothing done because a migraine kicked in the door or because I forgot my brain meds or whatever. One tip that's really helped me keep both my planner habit and my journal habit is to use stationery supplies that I love, so planning/journaling is like a little extra treat. I love my fountain pens, so I use them in my planner and journal and it's really motivating. I like to pick out what pen and ink I'm going to use and swap them out pretty often. The last time I started a new journal I thought "well I don't have to decorate my pages with washi or stickers or anything, I can just focus on writing." Big mistake! I went weeks without journaling. But as soon as I picked up the washi again, I was motivated to journal every day. Taking the time to put a few things on the page first helps me get into a reflective/creative mindset to journal.
Thank you so much. I am in the middle of consciously changing how I plan. My adult daughter has medical and mental health issues that both threaten her life. I have always been someone who values high productivity but I have a great understanding of what she goes through. Just a couple months ago, I found out I have a tumor in my throat. I have spent the last 4 months really beating myself up for being exhausted 24/7 because this thing is sucking the life out of me. I just went on medical leave and I'm accepting help from family now, but it's amazing how I could give endless compassion to my daughter and not any for myself.
Thank you! Saving this one to watch again 😊 I had stopped using my planner because it was not making me feel good about myself and what I was or wasn’t getting done.
Thank you for this video, and for acknowledging the toxic productivity that we try to impose on ourselves (or more often, are made to feel guilty for not even attempting). On low spoons weeks, which for at least a year, have been every week for me, I will have my running weekly to-do list, and move things to my daily to-do list AFTER the task is complete, and then check it off. I’ll even add stuff like “do dishes” on the daily todo list AFTER I’ve done it, so I can have more checks to show myself all the stuff that I have accomplished. I only put un-done stuff on my daily to do list if it absolutely has to be done that day. It’s decent motivation on good days, and good for my mental health on all days.
I had to momentarily rant about this cause that was the moment I was turned off by R. Hollis as well. It was the Pinterest quote, "Its Okay if all you did today was breathe." And she grossly attacked the phrase and all who relate to it by saying that that was wrong and you shouldn't be okay with just that. I was so upset. Anyway, thank you for this video. My PCOS causes so many varying issues and limitations and my recent flare up has hit hard. Getting out of bed most days is the biggest battle.
Great video! I've been chronically ill for 30 years, since I was 16. Then 2 years ago I had a subarachnoid hemorrhage in my brain and almost died. I'm having to learn even more tricks to function. I just started using my phone alarms to remind me. Thank you for your wonderful and helpful videos.
Cindy, I am feeling this video so much. Covid19 hit me hard (like autoimmune-self-destroying hard), so much so that I have been using a wheelchair since 2021. Oh, and it gave me ME/CFS and chronic pain which is immune to painkillers (not even morphine works, they tried it in the clinic). I alternated between hospital stays and being bedridden at home all of 2021 and a good portion of 2022, I had to get used to using a wheelchair, to be disabled and I had to come to terms with the fact that after 3 hours of *anything* my energy for the day is gone. I couldn't use my planner in 2021 and 2022, because I was too weak to hold a pen. 2023 I slowly regained a bit of feeling in my fingers and end of 2023 I was able to write neatly enough to have fun with pens again. I have been using a Hobonichi since 2015, but 2021 to 2023 were the only years in the last 35 years that I haven't used any paper planner. I bought myself a Hobonichi Weeks for 2024 and I am so happy to finally regain a little bit of my former me. Yeah for babysteps.
There are days that I just can't brush my damn hair. A high bar/low bar set of options for habits is also good - if my habit tracker or to do list says brush my teeth with my fancy ass smart toothbrush for 2 solid minutes, some mornings that's fine. Some mornings I can brush my teeth for half that time without turning on the fancy brush, and if I can still mark it off that's so much better and I don't feel like a loser because I can't mark it off because I didn't do it "right". Done is better than perfect, yeah? Thanks for covering this topic. (Arwen)
❤❤❤ this video brought me to tears. I’ve never felt so validated by a video. I felt like you were talking just to me and my life. I have Systemic Lupus, Major Depressive Disorder and ADHD to name a few. I am a 42 y/o “retired” RN and single mother to 2 teenage girls. My life is fucking hard at best. THANK YOU CINDY. Please do more videos like these. Happy New Year.
Thank you so much for this. I am immune compromised and am currently in bed with bronchitis. I had a bunch of stuff in my planner for this week that won't be happening. I've just started moving toward using the sidebar as you described, and I'm hoping this will work better for me in 2024. I've never seen the challenges of chronic illness addressed in the planner community. I feel seen. Thank you.
My son has a chronic physical illness & he is autistic with OCD and generalised anxiety disorder which has temporarily paused his education and pretty much everything else. I have had a couple of heart surgeries. My husband has life long chronic illness. And some days getting showered & dressed does feel like an achievement. Especially as plans are derailed so much that with all the effort in the world won’t be enough to get much more done.
I decided I would magically be better at the start of this year and planned out the first week of my schedule beyond my usual (only put in medical appointments). WELL. Fourth day in, and I'm so glad I had 'cancelled' stickers on hand. Thank you so much for this video. I think accepting where you're actually at and shutting out all the 'shoulds' from the world is the biggest battle. I'm trying to learn that I don't have to justify my existence... I'm allowed to just be a human at my own capacity. I'm trying. That's enough.
I'm not chronically ill, but I've been using the alistair method for a few years at this point and with some color coding to differentiate between hobbies/habits and regular tasks, it works so damn well and is very versatile. It's my main weekly layout.
Great reminder that your value as a human has NOTHING to do with "productivity." The fact that you made it through 2023 is an accomplishment enough--it's fine if you made zero videos, didn't write a book, didn't travel, didn't do all the year-end-brag-stuff otherse did. LAZY IS FINE. Your mind and body need rest--sometimes more than other times, maybe even more than other people. IT IS FINE! Also, reminder that many people living with chronic medical conditions that zap all their energy do not "look sick." Don't be ableist and judgey; have more grace for other people than you have for yourself.
Sometimes, it’s good to have a space for projects on its own, if you get a new idea then you write it down as a project. Go back for something to do when avaible.
Totally agree with you in regards to the toxic positivity people -- the ones who have barely been physically ill and who don't have any mental health issues and don't even know anyone with mental health struggles -- they often have an approach to their planner that I just CAN'T. I plan my month & week by my 5 Major Goal Areas. In the past, I have down-sized from 1/2-letter planners because those had just too much space to plan and make lists, which I filled up with NO regard as to how long it would take me to DO each of those items. I long ago stopped planning out each day in the week at the beginning of the week, because invariably either something urgent would come up & I'd do that, or I hadn't slept well the previous night and had no energy or brain power to do the the things I'd planned for that day. Where do you migrate those tasks to if all the rest of the days that week are (over-optimistically) filled with tasks? Best case: I would trash that week (me-made & printed weeklies) and re-plan; worst case: not getting a day's task list done would totally derail me & I'd get nothing done for the rest of the week. So, I'm now planning in a Personal-size binder, with me-made Hobonichi-Weeks-esque pages. I use the grid (on the left for me) to plan my week by my 5 Major Goal Areas. The night before, I write out the next day's plan in the horizontal weekly. I also really like having a monthly tracker. I have the 21 items in my a.m. routine, the 9 items in my daily routine, and the 11 items in my p.m. routine on the back of my fold-out monthly. I REALLY like checking things off. Even the next day, I can't always remember exactly what I did the previous day. When I plan (monthly, weekly) I set goals for myself for some things like going for a walk, putting devices on a table (so I don't watch stuff on my laptop in bed). It's hard to review how I did for the week or the month when I don't remember what I did... ALSO LOVE the little dopamine hits from checking things off. In that regard, I started using a set of horizontal weekly inserts just to stick Avery foil stars on... One star to cheer myself on for each thing I accomplish that day... and some days the stars are for what some [able-ist] folks probably don't even think about & wouldn't consider an accomplishment, like: I got out of bed! I got dressed! I started washing the dishes! I FINISHED washing the dishes! (finishing tasks is sometimes hard for me). I have given some thought as to how to make plans that can accommodate both many-spoon days and low-spoon days. If I'm low on spoons, I often don't even plan. And, often when I plan, I'm in a stretch of having many many spoons, which I over-optimistically think will continue forever, and then I make OOPS (best acronym ever: Over-Optimistic Planning Syndrome) plans, that go to hell in a handbasket when I inevitably have a low-spoon day or two, or even week. Other than allowing myself Grace for not getting everything done, & trying to make realistic & not OOPS plans, I don't have a great system. I have struggled with planning Projects (some household projects, most sewing & knitting projects). I have a hard time breaking projects down into steps; I could spend a great chunk of time planning out the steps of a project (that I could otherwise have actually been WORKING on said project), and I'd probably have forgotten a step or 2, or gotten them out of order. I'm currently using a Kanban-type fold-out in my Project Binder with sections for: Active, Next Up, Incubating, Parked, and Finished! I write the projects on slips of Super-Sticky Post Its. I do a major re-organization of my Project Board & project pages Quarterly, moving around the slips of Post Its & rearranging project pages. I keep only the Project Pages for Active & Next Up projects in my Project Binder, & store Project Pages for Incubating & Parked projects in an Archive Binder.
I have always loved the raw honest way you present information. This video though was by far the most relatable. As someone with several chronic illnesses I often struggle getting everything done. I am also a college student, and Mom. All of this together means sometimes I have to not do the dishes everyday or vacuuming doesn’t get done. I am lucky if I can delegate help to do the baseboards once a year. As a student I have to be extra aware of my energy levels and work ahead when able for days I can’t work at all. Having patience with myself can be difficult on the days I just can’t as I often have mandatory class work. I am often borrowing from other days. By a semesters end I am usually ill for several weeks and struggle with finals as a result let alone basic tasks. Also thank you for sharing your journey as one day my illness will lead to kidney failure. You have given me a different perspective for when dialysis becomes a reality for me. Hopefully not for many years to come.
This was exactly what I needed to hear. I've really been struggling with fibromyalgia and long Covid, and feeling like a failure because I can't do anywhere near as much as I could before. Many days getting out of bed is a big triumph but I'm still trying to keep my job so I constantly feel like a loser.
Love, love, love this! I have long Covid and have been struggling with decreased productivity. Thank you for being real and honest and helpful. A definite new fan.
I’m currently temporarily able-bodied, but I’m also in grad school and can fixate on an endless pile of work which means forgetting to do human things like eat or take a break. This year, I started using Gcal to block off time for my morning routine, lunch, and dinner so I get notifications to stop what I’m doing instead of ignoring all my body’s signals because Capitalism Syndrome has conditioned me to do work above all else, including my own health and self-care needs. I adored everything about this video, thank you 💕
This was an amazing video to kick off the new year! I know for sure my biggest bully in my life is myself and your last tip to be kind to ourselves is so crucial. I hope you are able to share more videos like this, it really helps so much 🧡
I have been using the Alastair's method for my weekly tasks for a couple years now and it seems to work the best for me. I can plot out in pencil the day I would like to do it but I give myself the flexibility to get it done anytime during the week. I will look at the list the night before to see what I feel up to getting done and plan my priorities of the day. So if I get those priorities done and nothing else it is ok. Happy New Year!
The weekly to dos are such a good idea! It really is so hard to have a structured life when you never know when you’ll have a bad day or a good day but giving yourself a week to do none time sensitive tasks is a fantastic idea. Thank you so much!
Thank you for this and opening it up with some of my biggest rants about the planner space. I'm glad some systems work for people, but when (yes always men) write books about productivity they are rarely even parents, primary caregivers, etc. Like, I don't have that much agency and choice in my life. I use the alastair method in my weeklys where I have a few rows across all the days and I've assigned certain cleaning chores and house tasks. I have a baseline of 1 thing a week like this so I can add another thing that's either adhoc or on a monthly/quarterly rotation. This a) helps keep the scale of things balanced because I only have so much time, b) I use roughly the same order of things in each week so I learn a general rhythm/routine even when I can't get my weekly planner setup, but c) I can complete them anytime during the week without an issue. And finally, d) they are all things that could be fine if done every 2 or even 3 weeks, so if it needs to get skipped a week, there really isn't a backlog. Just having this pattern/system setup has helped me keep the house in such better shape without having to spend the weekend catching up on things. I'm still working on my daily pages. I got an extra clearance hobonichi cousin to experiment in, where I'm just drawing out what certain spreads might look like. I love this kind of video! I love that your kids are getting a foundation in these skills and you're able to help support them as they are transitioning into adulthood. Another video like this I'd like to see are maybe you and another person sharing different planner styles for the same tasks/needs. Maybe even have a digital mockup of a spread you can both draw on. Sort of like a master class lesson where you both learn/teach eachother some tips.
I really enjoyed this video as someone who struggles with executive function and mental health. Thank you for always keeping it real, Cindy. Planners have become overwhelming for me and a simple dot grid journal and is very helpful.
This is my favorite video. Thank you Cindy. I needed all those reminders. ❤ my chronic illness has been acute the last three months so this is helpful.
I feel so many things and I'm not even 5 minutes into this video. My husband deals with mental illness, and while he's figured out a really good treatment plan, there is still a good chunk of time where everything falls on me. Learning how to schedule everything and maintain everything has been a struggle for me too. And it's frustrating because all of the advice to people in my situation seems to just boil down to "suck it up and run shit".
I make a focus list for the week. I made a list for this week. Calling AAA and figuring out some financial things and math is NOT my friend. These two things got done and I DELEGATED one of the tasks. I feel accomplished today as those were the major have to do things. Laundry can wait.
👏👏👏👏I have fibromyalgia and depression and I woke up Christmas morning with my first ever shingles outbreak- happy new year to me 😐 I've actually been doing really well recently and setbacks are soooo demoralizing. I love hearing people with chronic illnesses talk about things like planning, organizing, goal setting, etc. For a long time I just kind of gave up on all of those things, but over the last 2 years I've started to pick them up again and realized that I can do those things, but I have to be really thoughtful about how I approach it. Bullet journaling has been super helpful since I can adapt the system to work for me instead of trying to fit my square peg into the round holes of pre-printed system. It's also pushed me to be more artistic, which has been fun and I've surprised myself with how well some of my ambitious spreads have turned out. I use tiered goals- particularly with exercise. There's a bare minimum, there's a basic ideal and then there's a top tier. Since getting started is often the hardest part, once I get going I can often exceed the minimum. I also print out on sticker paper monthly trackers that take up 2 pages in my journal with all of my potential daily activities grouped into 4 charts, health & hygiene, personal habits, leisure and cleaning/household. These include the necessary items like 'brush teeth in the am', 'eat dinner,' 'wash sheets' and fun activities like read new book, re-watched tv/movie, etc. I don't do all of these everyday, but it helps to remember important things like meds and I can quickly see when the last time I did something like laundry or washing my hair, or watched a new movie, etc. so I know I should prioritize those tasks.
The three biggest things which have supported my planning and life living with anxiety are: 1- setting up a digital second brain, as I was finding just the sheer amount of information I was getting at work and in my personal life to be overwhelming. Knowing that there was a single place to put all the digital information that was organized how I think helped lift away a lot of overhead/mental noise and I immediately felt it work for me in all areas of life. 2- using the rolling weekly set up in my planner, similar to how Meghan Rhiannon used in her old Hobonichi Weeks. It helps me keep track of when things start, how long they’ve been in progress, and allows flexibility of when they get done rather than beating myself up when I’m not energetic enough to get something done on a specific day. 3- morning pages and journaling. Even if it’s only 5 minutes, it’s vital to making sense of the world and feeling grounded.
I loved this video so much! And I cannot describe how happy my heart felt about the color palette and coordination of your planners, blouse, skin, and nails. 😍😍😍😍😍
My planner friend has been Post-its - mostly for monthly layouts. If I need to change or reschedule my plans (once or multiple times) for reasons beyond physical control, it is somehow easier on me mentally to move around post-its instead of scratching out/erasing plans over and over, which can feel demoralizing and leaves a physical mark in addition to the mental frustration. Hope this helps someone… thank YOU, Cindy, for your voice and care ❤️. Excellent and helpful video!!
I don't use instacart. I buy a monthly/yearly delivery subscription for each store I shop. That way if something is wrong with the order, I deal directly with the store. One is a big box store, so I can order bolts to bacon. If an item is out of stock and I don't want a substitution, I order again the next day as there's no extra charge. Some subscriptions even put the items in your cupboards for you. 💖🌞🌵😷
I COULD CRY thank you so much for such a raw validating video ive ever witnessed!!!!!! Ive been chronically I'll or in pain since bout age 9 (26 now) and I'm JUST teaching myself how to treat myself gently on the more low functioning days where getting out of bed is a major feat in itself and hearing someone else know what its like is so freeing ❤ ive learned to have a mental planning of a Low Functional, Medium and high functioning day and on the low days its just eating and getting out of bed then the higher days are made for laundry,dishes, and being on my feet for more than 10 minutes at a time 😂 . I cant thank you enough for this video❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉
I have a chronic illness and really had to change my planning style, especially when the pandemic hit. I've moved away from paper planners mostly. I created a Google Sheets planner I use for everyday - makes it really easy to move tasks around based on my energy levels for the day and check them off once they're done, and I keep a running list of things to do there. I also use a digital planner for day job stuff and to keep track of meetings. I wasn't as into it initially (because I loved to use washi and stickers and all the things in my paper planner) but now I've gotten really into it, especially as there are more digital washi, etc. I can layer in. I just finished my 5 year journal at the end of 2023 and I've created a digital version of that to use moving forward too - so much easier for me to manage with my health, and I feel excited about planning and journaling again.
This is absolute gold! Thank you so much for sharing this information! I don’t have any chronic illness, but I sometimes get hit HARD physically or mentally and cannot be bothered with much of anything. Just eating something on those days is a win for me. It’s often enough that I feel pretty terrible about not staying on top of my task list. This video was soooo helpful in so many ways. Thank you, again!
Ok . You are officially one of my favourite people! I fucking love you! So relate to how you think and work. I have MS so ya some days getting out of bed is a freaking win andI will take it. And a gold star for brushing your teeth? All over it! I have a son who is on the spectrum and deals with some similar issues to your child. We have charts for him and I celebrate and reward anything he’s able to accomplish on a regular basis for himself. It helps get him in the right mindset and develop healthy habits. Habits take time to make and break and sometimes even longer with neurodivergent people. Celebrate the wins you can and yeat whatever you need to but most of all, be kind wherever and whenever you can.❤️
After 2 years of planning I’ve learned that I have to have my daily checklists otherwise I don’t feel like I’ve gotten anything done. It needs to be on the day and it needs to be daily, so for funsies I decorate a weekly layout but I have a daily planner that’s my work horse
This is so helpful and real! I have type 1 diabetes and even though it's mostly managed through a pump, there are unpredictable days. Seeing an influencer who keeps it real is so comforting. Thank you
I just discovered her channel after buying a cute handwriting book from Amazon lol That's awesome! Not that he also has type 1, but that him and I have something in common. Type 1 can feel lonely sometimes
Great video, Cindy. I struggle with inattention and bounce back and forth between hyperfocusing and losing focus. Healthcare people disagree on whether it's ADHD or depression + anxiety. So I'm operating on the assumption that it's mostly ADHD with sides of the other 2. I've adapted those Bullet Journal keys, too. I'm trying to get into the routine of being mindful about how I spend my days, but ordinary time blocking is not really working for me yet. I'm going to try incorporating the weekly task list. Just need to figure out where to put it since I don't have weekly spreads in my A6 HON
I'm 41 and just recently found out I probably have ADHD, not officially diagnosed yet. I just recently got the Anti-Planner and it has so many strategies to help with neurodiverse brains. I've also found timers on my phone to be so helpful throughout the day. One of my current "mantras" is "Juat 10 minutes..." I tend to feel overwhelmed about starting things. So I've found if I commit to doing something for 10 minutes (or any time frame that doesn't feel overwhelming) knowing I give myself permission to be done if I need to be, once the timer goes off, really has helped me work on what I need to do. Kinda a modified pomodoro technique. Time blocking was useless for me as either I couldn't make my brain do stuff at those times or my other health stuff was flared so I wasn't able to do stuff at the assigned time block.
In addition to smart phones-using smart devices (Amazon Echos for example) can be very helpful to set up reminders and alarms-good for the whole family. We have a reminder in the evening to feed the dog -so whoever is home gets the job.
Awesome video. I have chronic migraines and have to cancel plans regularly. I saw a meme I think, it was something to the effect of when I'm resting, I'm not being lazy. I'm listening to my body and recuperating. I understand the brain fog. I have times I can't put a sentence together- I can't find the word or words I want. Thank you again for sharing.
Thank you for this video! Although I do not have a permanent disability, I appreciate all of what you said and you gave amazing tips. I have always wondered what to do with the Notes pages at the end of my planner months because I never seem to use them but you have inspired me to brain dump my lists and mark them the way you do before I move them over to the weeks. Daily checklists are also more motivating to me than habit trackers. I like the idea of a habit tracker but I feel like my tasks/habits do not stay the same. I am pregnant and have SPD which has rendered me immobile for months now (or extreme pain when I do move) and lacking on my “habits” like cleaning and walking the dog have been so disappointing to me. It’s time I redirect and I will use your tracking methods provided. THANK YOU!
You've just flicked my light bulb switch! Weekly to-do - why haven't I thought of that before? I've tried daily to-doing - but they are demoralising, cos like you, I don't fire on all four cylinders every day. I'm bipolar & have arthritis, so yeah, some days are shitty, but I think your advice in this video is gonna make my 'good days' so much better & stop making me feel guilty on the bad one's. Thanks so much!
12.35 that's me, with a separate notebook for general 'I need to write that down' stuff. Great video Cindy - it applies to us all, even without the sickness. I use check-boxes for everything, but use right and left arrows to migrate, a cross for something cancelled, a tick for done, and a dot for something started but still ongoing. My little version.
24:30 I have my phone set with recurring daily alarms at noon and 5 p.m. to remind me to take my meds, and with recurring alarms for the two days a week that I have a recurring medical appointment. So if I don't check my calendar, or if I have brain fog, I have an external, automated, audible reminder.
Thank you for this ❤❤❤❤ Best video yet. I haven't even set up my journal for this year yet because it all seems so hard. I really need it to help with my executive function though. So many great tips in this video. I'm just going to brain dump on a page and start a running to do list. It's a start 😊
This was your first video I've watched as it showed up in my algorithm, but it's such a great video that I appreciate so much. Thank you for putting this out.
Planning is soo hard for me. Everything is soo different day to day and then the Autism needs structure and sameness while adhd gets bored because I need something new... Thank you for a great video. I want to watch more people with chronic stuff because their way of planning feels wayy more realistic
I've got a memo planner on a kitchen wall, that helps me have structure every day. That is a huge improvement for me. And I use reminders on my smart phone, send text messages to myself, and use my bullet journal.
God Bless you for making this video.!!! 💖💖 You have helped me so very much! And you’re right, we are hard on ourselves when we can’t do something partly because that’s who we are, and partly because society doesn’t see our issues, so they push push push us! Please make more of these videos you really helped me and I am sure u have helped many others as well.!! 💖💖 Many Blessings to you.
I have PMDD and whew! It's something else. I love this video. Helps to keep me in check as I am struggling this first week of the year with my new planner. I had all these big plans and I haven't cracked it open yet 😢
I really really needed to hear this right now. I have the awesome privilege of having mental health obstacles like your kid, AND I’m about 1.5 years into being sick AF and nobody can figure out why. I’m feeling quite deflated with little spoons left, and I have definitely been a dick to myself as I stare at my naked, empty planners. So yeah….thanks for the tips, thanks for the reminders, and thanks for the validation.
i think the biggest thing with trying to be productive and kind to ourselves is resetting our mindset and reminding ourselves when we forget (tasks or even our new 100%) that our lives will be full of resets and that is okay.
First!!! 😄🥳🥳🥳 Happy New Year from Germany, Cindy! Love your channel, your honesty and your wonderfully un-sugarcoated language! 😝😂 Thank you for sharing so much of your journey. I will keep watching and sending my best wishes for you and your family. May 2024 treat you kindly.🙏🍀🌈 Lots of love, Katrin💕
Randomly came across this video and I’m glad I did! I am a lupus warrior and I literally switched to an EC daily duo this year bc I got so overwhelmed by looking at my full week in a spread. Now, I have a week at a glance page for the major events for the week plus a running task list, and then I plan by the day. I can’t take it more than one day at a time right now. Love that you’ve made chronic illness and the love of planning a thing. They do NOT have to be mutually exclusive, and toxic productivity will kill us faster than the illness!
This is my favorite video yet. I’ve lived with multiple disabilities my entire life, and my 2023 planner was fucking BLANK and spent several months lost under the bed. I didn’t bother buying one for 2022. I decided I was going to buy one for 2024 and am looking outside of the box for ‘plans”. I’m thinking of even getting a Weeks to use as a “one word a day” kind of deal. I realized by doing this…my Erin Condren monthly planner is too SMALL!!!
I started using bullet journals three years ago when my chronic illness induced brain fog made it so I would miss and forget important things. I wish I had found your channel then. This is exactly everything I had to learn for myself, I just discovered your channel, it is amazing, you are so lovely, thank you for this content!!!!! ❤❤❤❤
A couple (few?) years ago, I found this…daily planning pad at Target. It had space for like 3 to-dos, and this amazing checklist that I love on my difficult days. It has things like “got out of bed before noon”, “put on pants today”, (and my absolute fave) “didn’t put alcohol in my coffee today”😄 Every so often I’ll break out that planner pad and check off the “no alcohol in my coffee” box (plus anything else if it applied), rip it off, and tape it in my current planner. It’s a reminder that, yes that day sucked…but i survived it.😌
This is possibly the most validating and helpful video with regards to planning and disability, especially regarding mental health. I struggle with not being a absolute booty hole to myself because of my mental health struggles, and it's challenging when the illness is not visible to everyone and you seem alright to those around you. Thank you so very much for taking the time to film this and communicate this. I needed to hear it and am grateful for your presence here.
"Don't be a fucking dick to yourself," is going to be my mantra for the year. You're amazing.
❤
I may need to steal this 😊
My daily pages are crucial for me. I write a list of every little thing I do or plan to do. I then check off what I do. I look at those check marks as wins. So on bad days I can say yo myself look at what you did. I can also say that ACCEPTING my limitations was the most difficult part.
This
Sometimes all you can do is brush your teeth. Check it off and be proud that got done.
I did the same when suffering from a spell of depression. It was suggested I just set a small goal like three things. Yay! I ticked them off... then that little voice says 'Great. And what did you do for the other 23 and a half hours??' .
@@JT1358you did the heavy task of rest. I was the same until I started seeing my recovery and rest time as a task instead of me being ideal this changed a lot for me. I hope you get to a place to see those 23 hours of rest as another 23 tasks ticked off 🫶🏽
For years I've been muddling through and completely refusing to face the reality that I struggle with invisible chronic illness. Everything you're talking about, how sometimes changing your pjs and getting back into bed feels like a herculean task, how it's so hard to actually plan because we can't "rely" on our abilities to do things from one day to the next - I've never felt so seen or so real in my entire life. This is so validating and so scary. But this year I'm tired of fighting the tides and I'm wanting to face the reality that I need to adapt my life and my self-compassion to better serve me instead of running myself ragged.
This was great. Thank you. I have a physical handicap as well as Fibromyalgia. One thing that really helps me is to plan "down days". I know that if I have a big event or I do a lot of physical activities that I am going to have to recover. Planning time for that takes away the guilt. It's not perfect. Occasionally I plan a down day and I feel good and do all the things and I need a down day the next day. But recognizing the necessity of recovery time and writing it in my planner as a to do gives it equal importance to all of my other tasks. If I don't do it I will feel worse later and I will get less done and I will beat myself up. I also have a lot of symptoms that are affected by the barometric pressure, so I use a weather app to predict when I might need to adjust my expectations. Knowing your triggers really helps to manage your life in a way that feels like you have more control. That's why tracking helps. Not to make you feel like you failed but to be aware of patterns and increase your awareness of what you can actually do as opposed to what you should do. I love your advice about being kind to yourself. You have to be. Giving up control is hard and we all have to give ourselves and each other some grace.
I have EDS, POTS, MCAS, ADHD, and about a dozen other medical problems. Up until now I can’t stay on a planner system because I’m constantly exhausted and in pain. I never know how bad my symptoms will be from day to day. I just feel overwhelmed and like a failure constantly. 😢 I appreciate you for sharing this video for all of us in the same boat. Hoping I can adopt some of these practices and get more organized.
6:52 I started a ”did” list when I was depressed. Eventually I got to the point where I was trying to do things so that I could add to it, but that took a long time.
Cindy, thank you for sharing this video. It is a wonderful reminder to someone currently not chronically ill of the struggles that everyday people face. I’d like to add something if I may - I know many people who wear prosthetics and oftentimes, they feel like they “shouldn’t” use assisted mobility carts in the grocery store, since they have their prosthetics. I would encourage anyone who would be supported by the use of an assisted cart in the store (those with prosthetics, chronic fatigue, or the elderly, etc) to use them!! Someone fought for those carts to be mandated, and you deserve to shop as comfortably as possible. Please try to have the capacity to give yourself or others the permission.
All my appointments have two alerts; 2 days before in case I need to prepare something for it and 2 hours before in case I forgot it again and need to take a shower or if it’s not near, …
CINDY - Your video and ALL the comments below are a complete Public Service Announcement for those who have to adapt their days as a constant! I read as many comments as I could here as well and I related to so very many. I have chronic pain and fatigue issues - brain fog is a given too. I do a list night before and next day I wake up and there is a lot of "oh well - best laid plans - nope ". I'm also one that is motivated by checking things off - so yes Cindy you rang my bell there ;-) One hint I have is on any extra pages in your planner or a notebook you keep on hand - keep an extensive list of passive tasks that you can do that don't take physical or mental effort beyond your lower ability levels. With this I pepper my nightly list with a balance of active and passive tasks. Passive tasks can include self care tips. My favorite right now -- as a tea lover - I get lots of teas at Christmas - so try an new tea today goes on the list. Other things like whittle down emails, or write a card to a friend, clean out the bedside drawers are all things I can accomplish - when the big tasks would hurt or take too much energy. Thank you Cindy and thank you all - we are accomplishing life too and get extra credit because our achievements are really humongous considering our starting line is way, way, way behind where the rest of the folks have theirs. Best wishes for us all in 2024!!!!
This is the best planner video! Thank you for this. As a chronic migraine sufferer, I have to "PIVOT!" a lot!! The mental aspect of it is something I have to work through. I struggle to tune out the negative self talk. I do what I can when I can, and then take rest when I need to. It's not lazy if you are ill or in pain. Just existing is WORK sometimes.
Wow. The first few minutes really hit me. I never thought about the fact that I am hard on MYSELF because of low productivity. Thank you. You are an amazing woman and I'm happy that you share with us.
This might not be something that you or your child are comfortable with, but I would love a video on the things you and your child due to help with having both physical and mental chronic illness as a kid. My kid is in the same boat and we are always looking for easier/gentler ways to get through the day while managing school (mine is currently in high school). There were some ideas in this video that I think may make a big difference for me as someone who is chronically ill and trying to make it through my to do lists. Thanks!
This helps me with executive functioning - a daily page broken into categories like personal, work, home, family. Brain dump tasks into categories then make a list of the first three items I WANT to do, then the next three, then the next three. I typically get through the things I NEED to do this way. Some days I can't figure out what to do first, in what order, so if I can cherry pick knowing everything I don't want to forget is there on the list I manage to get it all done! I do this everyday and like you suggested I also have a weekly list of things that need to be done. I pick off of that list everyday as I do my brain dump.
I have so many thoughts, but not enough energy here. 😅 But ummm this was great!! I've been thinking a lot lately that I would love to hear other chronically ill folks talk realistically about their planners and planning. I just can't relate to so much of healthy and able-bodied people's content anymore. Your video was such lovely validation for what I experience. Rolling weeklies have been my go-to for years now. But still working on that 'be kind to yourself' part; some weeks it's easier than others, y'know.
I list the smallest thing that I've done on my daily. That way when I start kicking myself for low productivity, I can look back and see all of the things that I did, and there's immediate grace. 💖🌞🌵😷
I love the hell out of this video. I hit “share” SO FAST. It was exactly what I needed to see today. And thank you for reminding us to be kind to ourselves- the hellscape thrives off our self-loathing so not only is it a way to stay sane it’s a way to give capitalism the finger. ❤❤
Sometimes a to do list is not helpful, but a ta da list can be. My to do list is a bully and I can forget to celebrate how much i have done. A ta da list where i write out what I have accomplished can really help. Eg today feeling like i have not got much done because i only crossed one this off the to do list, but I have actually done a load fo laundry, cooked tea, walked, run errands (involving several shops) , but the bin out, done some brain heavy prep work for a project... Means i can look at the day and go actually i was super productive and then curl up with pain killers and a hot water bottle feeling better about a rough day which was spent in bed all bar 4 hrs of it.
I LOVE this idea, thanks!
I have SOOOO much to say about this video. However, for now I’m just going to say, Thank You. You’ve been more helpful than you know.
Peace ☮️ Love ❤️ & all the good stuff for all. 🌸
Love this video. For me just knowing that my to do list isn’t an all or nothing thing helps a lot
This was such a great video. Perfect combination of no fucks left to give and fierce compassion. Decision fatigue is my nemesis. I use a Weeks because the space matches my capacity. One thing that helps is I have a little section for “response waiting” for when I’ve put requests out but haven’t heard back yet. This saves me so much general anxiety from having to remember how long I’ve been waiting.
I loved this video! I am in recovery for depression, ptsd, and anxiety as well as having lupus and sever rheumatoid arthritis and migraines. I fully agree and teach clients I work with this same concepts. Make a simple list… got out of bed - ✅ showered-✅ got dressed ✅. Until you can start adding the more complicated day to day stuff… (adulting) Everyday can be a struggle and it’s ok to not do it all. There are days where I get out of bed and move to the couch and it wears me out and I go back to bed. And then there are days that I feel like I can take on the world. You take it one day at a time, one hour at a time, moment by moment. 😊
#BreakTheProductivitySTIGMA. ♥️🫂♥️🌻
Thank you so much for this video! As someone who has on days and off days both mentally and physically, I think switching to a weekly to-do list instead of daily will really help me not feel like a failure if I get nothing done because a migraine kicked in the door or because I forgot my brain meds or whatever.
One tip that's really helped me keep both my planner habit and my journal habit is to use stationery supplies that I love, so planning/journaling is like a little extra treat. I love my fountain pens, so I use them in my planner and journal and it's really motivating. I like to pick out what pen and ink I'm going to use and swap them out pretty often. The last time I started a new journal I thought "well I don't have to decorate my pages with washi or stickers or anything, I can just focus on writing." Big mistake! I went weeks without journaling. But as soon as I picked up the washi again, I was motivated to journal every day. Taking the time to put a few things on the page first helps me get into a reflective/creative mindset to journal.
Thank you so much. I am in the middle of consciously changing how I plan. My adult daughter has medical and mental health issues that both threaten her life. I have always been someone who values high productivity but I have a great understanding of what she goes through. Just a couple months ago, I found out I have a tumor in my throat. I have spent the last 4 months really beating myself up for being exhausted 24/7 because this thing is sucking the life out of me. I just went on medical leave and I'm accepting help from family now, but it's amazing how I could give endless compassion to my daughter and not any for myself.
♥️🫂♥️🌻 #BreakTheProductivitySTIGMA
Thank you! Saving this one to watch again 😊 I had stopped using my planner because it was not making me feel good about myself and what I was or wasn’t getting done.
♥️🫂♥️🌻 #BreakTheProductivitySTIGMA
Thank you for this. Hustle culture is so destructive. I deal with health issues and it’s hard. ❤
#BreakTheProductivitySTIGMA ❤🫂❤
Thank you for this video, and for acknowledging the toxic productivity that we try to impose on ourselves (or more often, are made to feel guilty for not even attempting). On low spoons weeks, which for at least a year, have been every week for me, I will have my running weekly to-do list, and move things to my daily to-do list AFTER the task is complete, and then check it off. I’ll even add stuff like “do dishes” on the daily todo list AFTER I’ve done it, so I can have more checks to show myself all the stuff that I have accomplished. I only put un-done stuff on my daily to do list if it absolutely has to be done that day. It’s decent motivation on good days, and good for my mental health on all days.
I had to momentarily rant about this cause that was the moment I was turned off by R. Hollis as well. It was the Pinterest quote, "Its Okay if all you did today was breathe." And she grossly attacked the phrase and all who relate to it by saying that that was wrong and you shouldn't be okay with just that. I was so upset.
Anyway, thank you for this video. My PCOS causes so many varying issues and limitations and my recent flare up has hit hard. Getting out of bed most days is the biggest battle.
Great video! I've been chronically ill for 30 years, since I was 16. Then 2 years ago I had a subarachnoid hemorrhage in my brain and almost died. I'm having to learn even more tricks to function. I just started using my phone alarms to remind me. Thank you for your wonderful and helpful videos.
Cindy, I am feeling this video so much. Covid19 hit me hard (like autoimmune-self-destroying hard), so much so that I have been using a wheelchair since 2021. Oh, and it gave me ME/CFS and chronic pain which is immune to painkillers (not even morphine works, they tried it in the clinic). I alternated between hospital stays and being bedridden at home all of 2021 and a good portion of 2022, I had to get used to using a wheelchair, to be disabled and I had to come to terms with the fact that after 3 hours of *anything* my energy for the day is gone.
I couldn't use my planner in 2021 and 2022, because I was too weak to hold a pen. 2023 I slowly regained a bit of feeling in my fingers and end of 2023 I was able to write neatly enough to have fun with pens again.
I have been using a Hobonichi since 2015, but 2021 to 2023 were the only years in the last 35 years that I haven't used any paper planner. I bought myself a Hobonichi Weeks for 2024 and I am so happy to finally regain a little bit of my former me. Yeah for babysteps.
There are days that I just can't brush my damn hair. A high bar/low bar set of options for habits is also good - if my habit tracker or to do list says brush my teeth with my fancy ass smart toothbrush for 2 solid minutes, some mornings that's fine. Some mornings I can brush my teeth for half that time without turning on the fancy brush, and if I can still mark it off that's so much better and I don't feel like a loser because I can't mark it off because I didn't do it "right". Done is better than perfect, yeah? Thanks for covering this topic. (Arwen)
❤❤❤ this video brought me to tears. I’ve never felt so validated by a video. I felt like you were talking just to me and my life. I have Systemic Lupus, Major Depressive Disorder and ADHD to name a few. I am a 42 y/o “retired” RN and single mother to 2 teenage girls. My life is fucking hard at best. THANK YOU CINDY. Please do more videos like these. Happy New Year.
Thank you so much for this. I am immune compromised and am currently in bed with bronchitis. I had a bunch of stuff in my planner for this week that won't be happening. I've just started moving toward using the sidebar as you described, and I'm hoping this will work better for me in 2024. I've never seen the challenges of chronic illness addressed in the planner community. I feel seen. Thank you.
I'm still watching but I wanted to say THANK YOU for this. I have a chronic illness and this is exactly what I need ❤
My son has a chronic physical illness & he is autistic with OCD and generalised anxiety disorder which has temporarily paused his education and pretty much everything else. I have had a couple of heart surgeries. My husband has life long chronic illness. And some days getting showered & dressed does feel like an achievement. Especially as plans are derailed so much that with all the effort in the world won’t be enough to get much more done.
I decided I would magically be better at the start of this year and planned out the first week of my schedule beyond my usual (only put in medical appointments). WELL. Fourth day in, and I'm so glad I had 'cancelled' stickers on hand. Thank you so much for this video. I think accepting where you're actually at and shutting out all the 'shoulds' from the world is the biggest battle. I'm trying to learn that I don't have to justify my existence... I'm allowed to just be a human at my own capacity. I'm trying. That's enough.
I'm not chronically ill, but I've been using the alistair method for a few years at this point and with some color coding to differentiate between hobbies/habits and regular tasks, it works so damn well and is very versatile. It's my main weekly layout.
Great reminder that your value as a human has NOTHING to do with "productivity." The fact that you made it through 2023 is an accomplishment enough--it's fine if you made zero videos, didn't write a book, didn't travel, didn't do all the year-end-brag-stuff otherse did. LAZY IS FINE. Your mind and body need rest--sometimes more than other times, maybe even more than other people. IT IS FINE! Also, reminder that many people living with chronic medical conditions that zap all their energy do not "look sick." Don't be ableist and judgey; have more grace for other people than you have for yourself.
Sometimes, it’s good to have a space for projects on its own, if you get a new idea then you write it down as a project. Go back for something to do when avaible.
Totally agree with you in regards to the toxic positivity people -- the ones who have barely been physically ill and who don't have any mental health issues and don't even know anyone with mental health struggles -- they often have an approach to their planner that I just CAN'T. I plan my month & week by my 5 Major Goal Areas. In the past, I have down-sized from 1/2-letter planners because those had just too much space to plan and make lists, which I filled up with NO regard as to how long it would take me to DO each of those items. I long ago stopped planning out each day in the week at the beginning of the week, because invariably either something urgent would come up & I'd do that, or I hadn't slept well the previous night and had no energy or brain power to do the the things I'd planned for that day. Where do you migrate those tasks to if all the rest of the days that week are (over-optimistically) filled with tasks? Best case: I would trash that week (me-made & printed weeklies) and re-plan; worst case: not getting a day's task list done would totally derail me & I'd get nothing done for the rest of the week. So, I'm now planning in a Personal-size binder, with me-made Hobonichi-Weeks-esque pages. I use the grid (on the left for me) to plan my week by my 5 Major Goal Areas. The night before, I write out the next day's plan in the horizontal weekly. I also really like having a monthly tracker. I have the 21 items in my a.m. routine, the 9 items in my daily routine, and the 11 items in my p.m. routine on the back of my fold-out monthly. I REALLY like checking things off. Even the next day, I can't always remember exactly what I did the previous day. When I plan (monthly, weekly) I set goals for myself for some things like going for a walk, putting devices on a table (so I don't watch stuff on my laptop in bed). It's hard to review how I did for the week or the month when I don't remember what I did... ALSO LOVE the little dopamine hits from checking things off. In that regard, I started using a set of horizontal weekly inserts just to stick Avery foil stars on... One star to cheer myself on for each thing I accomplish that day... and some days the stars are for what some [able-ist] folks probably don't even think about & wouldn't consider an accomplishment, like: I got out of bed! I got dressed! I started washing the dishes! I FINISHED washing the dishes! (finishing tasks is sometimes hard for me).
I have given some thought as to how to make plans that can accommodate both many-spoon days and low-spoon days. If I'm low on spoons, I often don't even plan. And, often when I plan, I'm in a stretch of having many many spoons, which I over-optimistically think will continue forever, and then I make OOPS (best acronym ever: Over-Optimistic Planning Syndrome) plans, that go to hell in a handbasket when I inevitably have a low-spoon day or two, or even week. Other than allowing myself Grace for not getting everything done, & trying to make realistic & not OOPS plans, I don't have a great system.
I have struggled with planning Projects (some household projects, most sewing & knitting projects). I have a hard time breaking projects down into steps; I could spend a great chunk of time planning out the steps of a project (that I could otherwise have actually been WORKING on said project), and I'd probably have forgotten a step or 2, or gotten them out of order. I'm currently using a Kanban-type fold-out in my Project Binder with sections for: Active, Next Up, Incubating, Parked, and Finished! I write the projects on slips of Super-Sticky Post Its. I do a major re-organization of my Project Board & project pages Quarterly, moving around the slips of Post Its & rearranging project pages. I keep only the Project Pages for Active & Next Up projects in my Project Binder, & store Project Pages for Incubating & Parked projects in an Archive Binder.
I have always loved the raw honest way you present information. This video though was by far the most relatable. As someone with several chronic illnesses I often struggle getting everything done. I am also a college student, and Mom. All of this together means sometimes I have to not do the dishes everyday or vacuuming doesn’t get done. I am lucky if I can delegate help to do the baseboards once a year. As a student I have to be extra aware of my energy levels and work ahead when able for days I can’t work at all. Having patience with myself can be difficult on the days I just can’t as I often have mandatory class work. I am often borrowing from other days. By a semesters end I am usually ill for several weeks and struggle with finals as a result let alone basic tasks. Also thank you for sharing your journey as one day my illness will lead to kidney failure. You have given me a different perspective for when dialysis becomes a reality for me. Hopefully not for many years to come.
♥️🫂♥️🌻 #BreakTheProductivitySTIGMA
This was exactly what I needed to hear. I've really been struggling with fibromyalgia and long Covid, and feeling like a failure because I can't do anywhere near as much as I could before. Many days getting out of bed is a big triumph but I'm still trying to keep my job so I constantly feel like a loser.
Thank you Cindy😊
Love, love, love this! I have long Covid and have been struggling with decreased productivity. Thank you for being real and honest and helpful. A definite new fan.
I’m currently temporarily able-bodied, but I’m also in grad school and can fixate on an endless pile of work which means forgetting to do human things like eat or take a break. This year, I started using Gcal to block off time for my morning routine, lunch, and dinner so I get notifications to stop what I’m doing instead of ignoring all my body’s signals because Capitalism Syndrome has conditioned me to do work above all else, including my own health and self-care needs. I adored everything about this video, thank you 💕
This was an amazing video to kick off the new year! I know for sure my biggest bully in my life is myself and your last tip to be kind to ourselves is so crucial. I hope you are able to share more videos like this, it really helps so much 🧡
I have been using the Alastair's method for my weekly tasks for a couple years now and it seems to work the best for me. I can plot out in pencil the day I would like to do it but I give myself the flexibility to get it done anytime during the week. I will look at the list the night before to see what I feel up to getting done and plan my priorities of the day. So if I get those priorities done and nothing else it is ok. Happy New Year!
The weekly to dos are such a good idea! It really is so hard to have a structured life when you never know when you’ll have a bad day or a good day but giving yourself a week to do none time sensitive tasks is a fantastic idea. Thank you so much!
Thank you for this and opening it up with some of my biggest rants about the planner space. I'm glad some systems work for people, but when (yes always men) write books about productivity they are rarely even parents, primary caregivers, etc. Like, I don't have that much agency and choice in my life.
I use the alastair method in my weeklys where I have a few rows across all the days and I've assigned certain cleaning chores and house tasks. I have a baseline of 1 thing a week like this so I can add another thing that's either adhoc or on a monthly/quarterly rotation. This a) helps keep the scale of things balanced because I only have so much time, b) I use roughly the same order of things in each week so I learn a general rhythm/routine even when I can't get my weekly planner setup, but c) I can complete them anytime during the week without an issue. And finally, d) they are all things that could be fine if done every 2 or even 3 weeks, so if it needs to get skipped a week, there really isn't a backlog.
Just having this pattern/system setup has helped me keep the house in such better shape without having to spend the weekend catching up on things.
I'm still working on my daily pages. I got an extra clearance hobonichi cousin to experiment in, where I'm just drawing out what certain spreads might look like.
I love this kind of video! I love that your kids are getting a foundation in these skills and you're able to help support them as they are transitioning into adulthood. Another video like this I'd like to see are maybe you and another person sharing different planner styles for the same tasks/needs. Maybe even have a digital mockup of a spread you can both draw on. Sort of like a master class lesson where you both learn/teach eachother some tips.
I really enjoyed this video as someone who struggles with executive function and mental health. Thank you for always keeping it real, Cindy. Planners have become overwhelming for me and a simple dot grid journal and is very helpful.
This is my favorite video. Thank you Cindy. I needed all those reminders. ❤ my chronic illness has been acute the last three months so this is helpful.
I feel so many things and I'm not even 5 minutes into this video. My husband deals with mental illness, and while he's figured out a really good treatment plan, there is still a good chunk of time where everything falls on me. Learning how to schedule everything and maintain everything has been a struggle for me too. And it's frustrating because all of the advice to people in my situation seems to just boil down to "suck it up and run shit".
Thank you, for this🙏🏾
I make a focus list for the week. I made a list for this week. Calling AAA and figuring out some financial things and math is NOT my friend. These two things got done and I DELEGATED one of the tasks. I feel accomplished today as those were the major have to do things. Laundry can wait.
Thank you i feel so seen. ❤
👏👏👏👏I have fibromyalgia and depression and I woke up Christmas morning with my first ever shingles outbreak- happy new year to me 😐 I've actually been doing really well recently and setbacks are soooo demoralizing. I love hearing people with chronic illnesses talk about things like planning, organizing, goal setting, etc. For a long time I just kind of gave up on all of those things, but over the last 2 years I've started to pick them up again and realized that I can do those things, but I have to be really thoughtful about how I approach it. Bullet journaling has been super helpful since I can adapt the system to work for me instead of trying to fit my square peg into the round holes of pre-printed system. It's also pushed me to be more artistic, which has been fun and I've surprised myself with how well some of my ambitious spreads have turned out. I use tiered goals- particularly with exercise. There's a bare minimum, there's a basic ideal and then there's a top tier. Since getting started is often the hardest part, once I get going I can often exceed the minimum. I also print out on sticker paper monthly trackers that take up 2 pages in my journal with all of my potential daily activities grouped into 4 charts, health & hygiene, personal habits, leisure and cleaning/household. These include the necessary items like 'brush teeth in the am', 'eat dinner,' 'wash sheets' and fun activities like read new book, re-watched tv/movie, etc. I don't do all of these everyday, but it helps to remember important things like meds and I can quickly see when the last time I did something like laundry or washing my hair, or watched a new movie, etc. so I know I should prioritize those tasks.
The three biggest things which have supported my planning and life living with anxiety are:
1- setting up a digital second brain, as I was finding just the sheer amount of information I was getting at work and in my personal life to be overwhelming. Knowing that there was a single place to put all the digital information that was organized how I think helped lift away a lot of overhead/mental noise and I immediately felt it work for me in all areas of life.
2- using the rolling weekly set up in my planner, similar to how Meghan Rhiannon used in her old Hobonichi Weeks. It helps me keep track of when things start, how long they’ve been in progress, and allows flexibility of when they get done rather than beating myself up when I’m not energetic enough to get something done on a specific day.
3- morning pages and journaling. Even if it’s only 5 minutes, it’s vital to making sense of the world and feeling grounded.
THANK YOU
I loved this video so much! And I cannot describe how happy my heart felt about the color palette and coordination of your planners, blouse, skin, and nails. 😍😍😍😍😍
Thankyou for making this video 🧡🌸🧡
Thank you for validating chronic illness struggles ❤❤❤
My planner friend has been Post-its - mostly for monthly layouts. If I need to change or reschedule my plans (once or multiple times) for reasons beyond physical control, it is somehow easier on me mentally to move around post-its instead of scratching out/erasing plans over and over, which can feel demoralizing and leaves a physical mark in addition to the mental frustration. Hope this helps someone… thank YOU, Cindy, for your voice and care ❤️. Excellent and helpful video!!
I don't use instacart. I buy a monthly/yearly delivery subscription for each store I shop. That way if something is wrong with the order, I deal directly with the store. One is a big box store, so I can order bolts to bacon. If an item is out of stock and I don't want a substitution, I order again the next day as there's no extra charge. Some subscriptions even put the items in your cupboards for you. 💖🌞🌵😷
I COULD CRY thank you so much for such a raw validating video ive ever witnessed!!!!!! Ive been chronically I'll or in pain since bout age 9 (26 now) and I'm JUST teaching myself how to treat myself gently on the more low functioning days where getting out of bed is a major feat in itself and hearing someone else know what its like is so freeing ❤ ive learned to have a mental planning of a Low Functional, Medium and high functioning day and on the low days its just eating and getting out of bed then the higher days are made for laundry,dishes, and being on my feet for more than 10 minutes at a time 😂 . I cant thank you enough for this video❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉
I have a chronic illness and really had to change my planning style, especially when the pandemic hit. I've moved away from paper planners mostly. I created a Google Sheets planner I use for everyday - makes it really easy to move tasks around based on my energy levels for the day and check them off once they're done, and I keep a running list of things to do there. I also use a digital planner for day job stuff and to keep track of meetings. I wasn't as into it initially (because I loved to use washi and stickers and all the things in my paper planner) but now I've gotten really into it, especially as there are more digital washi, etc. I can layer in. I just finished my 5 year journal at the end of 2023 and I've created a digital version of that to use moving forward too - so much easier for me to manage with my health, and I feel excited about planning and journaling again.
This is absolute gold! Thank you so much for sharing this information! I don’t have any chronic illness, but I sometimes get hit HARD physically or mentally and cannot be bothered with much of anything. Just eating something on those days is a win for me. It’s often enough that I feel pretty terrible about not staying on top of my task list. This video was soooo helpful in so many ways. Thank you, again!
Ok . You are officially one of my favourite people! I fucking love you! So relate to how you think and work. I have MS so ya some days getting out of bed is a freaking win andI will take it. And a gold star for brushing your teeth? All over it! I have a son who is on the spectrum and deals with some similar issues to your child. We have charts for him and I celebrate and reward anything he’s able to accomplish on a regular basis for himself. It helps get him in the right mindset and develop healthy habits. Habits take time to make and break and sometimes even longer with neurodivergent people. Celebrate the wins you can and yeat whatever you need to but most of all, be kind wherever and whenever you can.❤️
After 2 years of planning I’ve learned that I have to have my daily checklists otherwise I don’t feel like I’ve gotten anything done. It needs to be on the day and it needs to be daily, so for funsies I decorate a weekly layout but I have a daily planner that’s my work horse
And yes! I use my tasks/reminder and calendar features.
This is so helpful and real! I have type 1 diabetes and even though it's mostly managed through a pump, there are unpredictable days. Seeing an influencer who keeps it real is so comforting. Thank you
I don’t know how familiar you are with Cindy’s content, but her husband, Jesse, has Type 1 and has spoken about it on the channel from time to time.
I just discovered her channel after buying a cute handwriting book from Amazon lol
That's awesome! Not that he also has type 1, but that him and I have something in common. Type 1 can feel lonely sometimes
Great video, Cindy. I struggle with inattention and bounce back and forth between hyperfocusing and losing focus. Healthcare people disagree on whether it's ADHD or depression + anxiety. So I'm operating on the assumption that it's mostly ADHD with sides of the other 2. I've adapted those Bullet Journal keys, too. I'm trying to get into the routine of being mindful about how I spend my days, but ordinary time blocking is not really working for me yet. I'm going to try incorporating the weekly task list. Just need to figure out where to put it since I don't have weekly spreads in my A6 HON
I'm 41 and just recently found out I probably have ADHD, not officially diagnosed yet. I just recently got the Anti-Planner and it has so many strategies to help with neurodiverse brains. I've also found timers on my phone to be so helpful throughout the day. One of my current "mantras" is "Juat 10 minutes..." I tend to feel overwhelmed about starting things. So I've found if I commit to doing something for 10 minutes (or any time frame that doesn't feel overwhelming) knowing I give myself permission to be done if I need to be, once the timer goes off, really has helped me work on what I need to do. Kinda a modified pomodoro technique. Time blocking was useless for me as either I couldn't make my brain do stuff at those times or my other health stuff was flared so I wasn't able to do stuff at the assigned time block.
In addition to smart phones-using smart devices (Amazon Echos for example) can be very helpful to set up reminders and alarms-good for the whole family. We have a reminder in the evening to feed the dog -so whoever is home gets the job.
Awesome video. I have chronic migraines and have to cancel plans regularly. I saw a meme I think, it was something to the effect of when I'm resting, I'm not being lazy. I'm listening to my body and recuperating. I understand the brain fog. I have times I can't put a sentence together- I can't find the word or words I want. Thank you again for sharing.
I’ve been planning while sick since NYE 😭 my planner is a6 so I just toughed it out for a couple seconds. But man even that was hard.
Thank you for this video! Although I do not have a permanent disability, I appreciate all of what you said and you gave amazing tips. I have always wondered what to do with the Notes pages at the end of my planner months because I never seem to use them but you have inspired me to brain dump my lists and mark them the way you do before I move them over to the weeks. Daily checklists are also more motivating to me than habit trackers. I like the idea of a habit tracker but I feel like my tasks/habits do not stay the same. I am pregnant and have SPD which has rendered me immobile for months now (or extreme pain when I do move) and lacking on my “habits” like cleaning and walking the dog have been so disappointing to me. It’s time I redirect and I will use your tracking methods provided. THANK YOU!
You've just flicked my light bulb switch! Weekly to-do - why haven't I thought of that before? I've tried daily to-doing - but they are demoralising, cos like you, I don't fire on all four cylinders every day. I'm bipolar & have arthritis, so yeah, some days are shitty, but I think your advice in this video is gonna make my 'good days' so much better & stop making me feel guilty on the bad one's. Thanks so much!
12.35 that's me, with a separate notebook for general 'I need to write that down' stuff.
Great video Cindy - it applies to us all, even without the sickness.
I use check-boxes for everything, but use right and left arrows to migrate, a cross for something cancelled, a tick for done, and a dot for something started but still ongoing.
My little version.
24:30 I have my phone set with recurring daily alarms at noon and 5 p.m. to remind me to take my meds, and with recurring alarms for the two days a week that I have a recurring medical appointment. So if I don't check my calendar, or if I have brain fog, I have an external, automated, audible reminder.
Thank you for this ❤❤❤❤ Best video yet. I haven't even set up my journal for this year yet because it all seems so hard. I really need it to help with my executive function though.
So many great tips in this video. I'm just going to brain dump on a page and start a running to do list. It's a start 😊
This was your first video I've watched as it showed up in my algorithm, but it's such a great video that I appreciate so much. Thank you for putting this out.
Planning is soo hard for me. Everything is soo different day to day and then the Autism needs structure and sameness while adhd gets bored because I need something new... Thank you for a great video. I want to watch more people with chronic stuff because their way of planning feels wayy more realistic
I've got a memo planner on a kitchen wall, that helps me have structure every day. That is a huge improvement for me.
And I use reminders on my smart phone, send text messages to myself, and use my bullet journal.
God Bless you for making this video.!!! 💖💖 You have helped me so very much! And you’re right, we are hard on ourselves when we can’t do something partly because that’s who we are, and partly because society doesn’t see our issues, so they push push push us! Please make more of these videos you really helped me and I am sure u have helped many others as well.!! 💖💖 Many Blessings to you.
I have PMDD and whew! It's something else. I love this video. Helps to keep me in check as I am struggling this first week of the year with my new planner. I had all these big plans and I haven't cracked it open yet 😢
This is the most relatable video I’ve ever watched. Thank you for taking the time and making the effort to film this.
I really really needed to hear this right now. I have the awesome privilege of having mental health obstacles like your kid, AND I’m about 1.5 years into being sick AF and nobody can figure out why. I’m feeling quite deflated with little spoons left, and I have definitely been a dick to myself as I stare at my naked, empty planners. So yeah….thanks for the tips, thanks for the reminders, and thanks for the validation.
♥️🫂♥️🌻 #BreakTheProductivitySTIGMA
Great video Cindy! Thank you for always keeping it real!
i just washed my hair-win!
i think the biggest thing with trying to be productive and kind to ourselves is resetting our mindset and reminding ourselves when we forget (tasks or even our new 100%) that our lives will be full of resets and that is okay.
Thank you so much for this video. It's very useful indeed
First!!! 😄🥳🥳🥳
Happy New Year from Germany, Cindy! Love your channel, your honesty and your wonderfully un-sugarcoated language! 😝😂
Thank you for sharing so much of your journey. I will keep watching and sending my best wishes for you and your family. May 2024 treat you kindly.🙏🍀🌈
Lots of love,
Katrin💕
AMAZING!!! excellent video! thank you so much for doing it
thank you so much for this video
Truly appreciate you sharing.
Thank you❣
Randomly came across this video and I’m glad I did! I am a lupus warrior and I literally switched to an EC daily duo this year bc I got so overwhelmed by looking at my full week in a spread. Now, I have a week at a glance page for the major events for the week plus a running task list, and then I plan by the day. I can’t take it more than one day at a time right now. Love that you’ve made chronic illness and the love of planning a thing. They do NOT have to be mutually exclusive, and toxic productivity will kill us faster than the illness!
Thank you, Cindy. This was amazing! ❤️🇨🇦
This is my favorite video yet. I’ve lived with multiple disabilities my entire life, and my 2023 planner was fucking BLANK and spent several months lost under the bed. I didn’t bother buying one for 2022. I decided I was going to buy one for 2024 and am looking outside of the box for ‘plans”. I’m thinking of even getting a Weeks to use as a “one word a day” kind of deal. I realized by doing this…my Erin Condren monthly planner is too SMALL!!!
I started using bullet journals three years ago when my chronic illness induced brain fog made it so I would miss and forget important things. I wish I had found your channel then. This is exactly everything I had to learn for myself, I just discovered your channel, it is amazing, you are so lovely, thank you for this content!!!!! ❤❤❤❤