On my intentional shift back to paper

As one who relies heavily on the integrated nature of technology in order to manage the tasks associated with my job, an intentional shift back to paper is allowing me to be more intentional and reflective.

I will admit that historically my ability to manage digital engagement was difficult. Truthfully, I am still working on a more successful detachment from the consumption that inevitably happens by being connected. By looking at paper based activities and solutions, my goal is to create opportunities to shift my attention to a different vision of content creation.

Productivity: Bullet Journal

For the purposes of transparency, I am drawing a very defined line between use of technology for my job (as required for effectiveness) and how I use technology in my personal life.

This can be best exemplified by my use of planning procedures. For my job, it is imperative that I continue to use Google Calendar for scheduling appointments with students and also Google Keep, Tasks, and Sheets for managing collaborative projects with colleagues.

The difference comes in how determine what I need to do each day and how I prioritize those tasks. With poor success in the past trying to apply a more open planning format, I am working within the parameters of the Bullet Journal style. You can learn more about the concept of Bullet Journaling at bulletjournal.com, created by Ryder Carroll.

The flexibility of this journaling style will allow me to amend the structure of my journal as I reflect on which journaling practices are serving me well. With that in mind, I played around with the structure at the end of 2020 and will be using the following guidelines to start 2021.

Daily Goal: You read that right, ONE goal. It is normally for one to have many things to accomplish each day. What I am seeking to do is to set a singular focus of the most important thing for that day.

Weekly Tasks: Weekly tasks are documented at the beginning of the week and help me to formulate my Daily Goal for each day. These weekly tasks can also consist of tasks from previous weeks that were not prioritized, but still need to be accomplished. This migration (more on that later)from week to week help me to remember those less important tasks and also reflect on whether they continue to hold the value when originally identified.

This simple structure is allowing me to be focused on what needs to be completed, without the intimidating feeling of a “task list.” By only identifying one goal for each day, I can focus my effort on a single point and not be distracted by other tasks. Yet, having the weekly tasks allow me to reflect on what was not accomplished, or what still needs done, so that I can make sure that nothing is forgotten and tasks that no longer hold importance can be scratched from the list.

Reflection: Daily Meditation Journal

My goal is to consolidate all of my writing into one journal, but I am not yet committed to a structure that will successfully serve each practice. With that in mind,

I will be using a separate journal for establishing my meditation practice, specifically a guide journal entitled 100 Days to Calm by Amy Leigh Mercree.

I did not start the journal yet, but am excited to use a tool to help me develop consistency in my medication practice. I can’t provide further detail on the quality of the book, but intend to follow up with a later post.

After completing a few courses within the Headspace App (which I highly recommend), I determined I still need to develop a consistent practice. The use of the book will help me explore meditation across a variety of topics and also document my experience in each practice.

Creation: Pencil Sketching

During 2020, I considered the possibility of creating digital content that would be shared on YouTube. After struggling to consider the topic of this content, I ultimately determined that the space was quite crowded and my motivation to carve out my own space did not serve me in the way that I originally anticipated.

With a perpetual urge to explore, I became inspired by a social media post (ironic, based on this post… I know) that showcased an artist pencil sketching his surroundings. There was a simplicity and a personal element to this practice that struck me as an extension of my desire to explore new mediums that align with other aspects of my life I am seeking to foster.

With my historically low success in “artistic” endeavors, I set out on this creative journey with less focus on the quality of the product and more on the process of creation being in line with the acceptance of experience in growth.

As far as resources, I wanted to invest a bit to make sure I felt comfortable with the medium. I purchased a sketching pencil and a dedicated sketch pad. This did add yet another notebook to my stack, but as I mentioned previously, my goal is to consolidate these all into a single notebook in the future.

My name is Andrew Julian and I am a computer science teacher and seeker of outdoor adventure that is on a journey in seeking my best life. I have a website at andrewjohnjulian.com that outlines some of those visions and also my Medium page that documents my thoughts on a variety of topics.

If you decide to read my posts, I appreciate the value of your time and hope that your experience with my ideas bring you closer to your goals.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Turning The Page: Trying to use Paper in a…