A notebook to save you from infinite scrolling.

The life tracker system is a journalling method I developed to help me optimize and document my life. It's one of the lowest friction ways to start the habit of journalling. Just wanted to share this with you guys, hope you found it helpful. I'll see you next week

Outline:
00:00 The Life Tracker System
1:07 Best Journal brand
1:40 Set up guide
6:35 Tips and tricks
7:23 Showing my journal
9:11 How I discovered this system
10:02 Why you need to start journalling

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[reysu]

A lot of you guys asked me what pens I use, so I made a video about it here:

Hope you enjoy :)

[bluesunx]

But infinite scrolling brought me here

[fernandourrea]

Thanks. I am 65years old. I am beginning with my first journal and I really like your format. I am coping it right now.
Do not worry if you did not started at 20 I am beginning at my age! Thanks kid!

[tristanrujano]

This is the best Journaling video I’ve seen. It really encapsulates the quote “Know thyself”. You’re not just jotting to-do lists or goals for the year, you’re examining yourself and instructing yourself on how to progress

[amyschmidt]

I started Journaling when I was 14 and that was 51 years ago. I did not have access to any fancy book for that very first journal but instead I made my own book out of scrap paper, string and the covers are cardboard covered with magazine clippings of birds, glued on with rubber cement. That journal is still intact 51 years later! Along with 30 or so from over the years. My children want me to save so they can read one day, but I think I will redact some things. I suggest to everyone to think about how you want to handle privacy, confidentiality and other people's feelings. If you leave out specific names when writing about sensitive topics that makes Journaling just as productive and removes some of the risks involved. You will know who the person is, but it remains anonymous to future readers.

[margaretanni]

My stepdad used to work at Leuchtturm and he often came home with slightly damaged journals. In the end we had two big boxes full of them. Made great presents for everyone we knew :)

[rep]

The only reason I like to journal is to make my life a story, I'm 16 and it pains me to think that most of what I'm feeling right now or what I'm experiencing now might be forgotten. That's why I want to write more about myself, so I can revisit it later. This all started when encountered a journal of mine when I was 7; I drew comics, and princesses, and shared childish things, but that ignited my passion for journaling. Thank you, I haven't written anything in my journal as school was getting more difficult, but you've made me passionate about it again. Thank you.

[cassandrascott]

So nice to see someone that has set up a system and has used it for years! So many people like to show your their “set up”, but never use it

[ToKiniAndy]

We found my wife's grandfathers journals after he passed away, and it was so fascinating seeing what he was thinking about and going through, and tracking. It made almost everyone in the house that day consider starting to journal. I tried using an app as well, but found I had the same issues as you. I might give this a try. 😊

[farahizzah]

Ive been journaling for 3 years now and have seen a lot of journaling videos, and this is one of the most simple and easy to copy journaling system. The first 2 years of my journaling, I focus too much on making my journal look aesthetic. For someone who's not artistic at all, it's tiring to keep thinking how to decorate every page. Then I realized it doesnt matter, just create your own system, it doesnt have to be beautiful, it doesnt have to be difficult.

[YahanYu-uqzk]

I'm 17 and I used to watch a lot of bullet journal youtubers with their neat format, plans, doodles etc. and tried to copy their style or write along, but my enthusiasm usually wouldn't last over 2 months, which caused me to have quite a few abandoned journals. Your video is really inspiring, especially for me as a high schooler, since I don't have that much time to pour onto the aesthetics of the journal, but what you do already catches the "essence" of jounaling (imo). So thanks! I'll give your method a try and look forward to continuing this habit!

[LuOsorio]

I've always wanted to journal but I'm too much of a perfectionist and if I missed some days I would abandon it completely, your way of journaling offers a lot of flexibility, I will try it out and see if I can be consistent with it. Thank you!

[my_artysytd]

This is the best journaling video in my opinion because everything is taught so simply and so well without adding in too much stuff or stickers or a beautiful handwriting. Usefullness over aesthetic is what is needed when someone wants to do stuff for real :D
Thank you so much for this video, it changed my life.

[ianjones]

Incredible. Ive been struggling for over 5+ years on how to journal with no fiction that's meaningful and productive. Thank you.

[charlotteice]

In my bullet journal, I have letters for tracking and planning my life, which is an extension of what you're doing:
[A] something I achieved (e.g. washed dishes)
[L] something I learned (e.g. using focus of my camera)
[G] something I'm grateful for (e.g. the time to learn stuff)
[P] something I'm proud of myself for (e.g. a photo that looks nice)
□ something that happened (e.g. made tortillas for dinner; got up late); there are usually multiple of these
○ an appointment/meeting etc
And of course the bullet points and associated symbols for classic bullet journaling.
Anything that influenced my feelings I color green for positive influence or red for negative influence.

On the left side of my page, I have the following system: the left third is taken up by a line graph for my mood, sleep, stress level etc with each day taking up one row and 0 being on the left and 10 on the right. This is inspired by Elsa Rhae's setup and the thought behind it is that you can put the months side by side by pushing the page towards the middle, but that has become irrelevant since I moved to OneNote for journalling.
To the right of the graph, I have a habit tracker, just like yours and to its right, the date and day of the week is written. In the right third of the left page, I have a rolling weekly for my week's to-dos that I rarely use, but I don't need the space so it's nice to have a free spot.

I also use the Year in Pixels app for its intended purpose and additionally, I use its notes function for a more detailed account of what I did each day (in terms of work, I need that as I'm a trainee). It can look like this: "got up at 11:35 | breakfast | work: thing1\thing{thing I did inbetween}2\thing3 | cooked (spaghetti with cheese sauce)\ate | ...".
This actually has really come in useful: I tend to forget what I did, so it's useful for mindfulness. It has also come in clutch when I needed to refer back to something, like what I did on a day at school, when something significant happened (the bullet journal is also useful for that) and more. The whole tracking aspect with the gratitude, achievements etc also really helps me reflect and have a less negatively tinted view of myself and the world around me. Being able to see at a glance using colors what made me happy and what made me sad/frustrated is the most recent addition, but it's been great so far. It really helps me be more mindful of this stuff.
The sum of all this has really helped me clear up the fog: a few years ago, I had a bit of a breakdown because I felt like all the newly created past disappeared into a fog of trauma and suppression while all the future was foggy and undirected. It really made me feel like a passenger in my life with every memory being taken away as it was created. Journaling has helped me gain control of my memories. It started as a mere memory support with clues and no real data, and those old entries still serve me, and it evolved to become increasingly detailed. Now, I can draw a line back all the way until fall 2018 and each day along that line, I can populate with what I did. No gaps, no "where did the year go?". Throughout that process of populating the dates with memories, my journal entries are a great help, and the process of creating them in the first place already serves me, it makes recalling what happened a conscious act, so the things I recall are solidified, instead of disappearing in fog. I finally feel like the captain of my ship again and that is a gift of immeasurable value.

[fffries]

I just recently started making a habit out of journaling. This method really seems to allow for flexibility with the process, while still leaving room to be creative. Definitely trying this!

[ellleigh]

This is actually the best and most accessible journaling method I’ve found. I’ve always struggled with pre-structured planners, just doing it your way seems so much easier! Thank you!

[zivyanco]

Love your casual and easy approach, feels very coherent and natural. Definitely one of the best journal vids.

[space_]

Just gotta say I've been watching the occasional journaling video on youtube for months now and this is the best one by far. Practical, simple, and elegant. This seems easy enough to start doing right away and still very comprehensive at the same time. Thank you for this

[soumyaranjansahoo]

I have been journalling for like 14 years and words are simply not enough how much this thing helps me to keep my life organised which helps me devote time for myself. Thanks for creating these videos and keeping people like us motivated...😉