A notebook to save you from infinite scrolling (3 minutes journal)

We're all guilty of it. One day, my younger son asked me, Mom, what are you watching on your phone? It was during a precious moment of rest with my family and I wasn't doing anything important or urgent on my phone. I had simply picked up the phone and started mindlessly scrolling through Instagram posts when I could have been more intentional with my time with them. Why do we often fall back on our phone and start scrolling aimlessly? It happens because it has become our default. It's so easy to access with endless new content and constant stimulation. This directionless state makes us vulnerable to falling into the trap of mindless activities, but we all know it eventually leaves us with an unpleasant, unsettling feeling afterwards. One of the best ways to address this is this, a notebook. By writing things down as we become more intentional about how we spend our time and reflect on where it's leading us, we can save ourselves from drifting into a directionless default. When you have clear actions planned out, preferably ones aligned with the goals you want to achieve and the person you aspire to become, you're less likely to feel directionless. Instead, you can take control of your day and feel accomplished as you take each small step towards your destination. That's the power of planning and reflecting which we're going to discuss today. In today's video, I'm going to be sharing exactly how to use this little notebook in as little as three minutes a day, what to write, and how to write it with my own example. As you start incorporating this habit, you'll experience a shift from mindless scrolling and empty feelings to a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment at the end of your day. So, if you're ready, let me grab a notebook and let's get started. This simple journaling system, which I call the three-part journal, is something my husband and I designed together for his daily journaling needs. He used to be a post-it guy, relying heavily on post-it notes, jotting down to-do lists, ideas that came to his mind, or lessons he had learned from certain incidents or content he has consumed, like books or videos. And I thought maybe I could help him do all of these more efficiently through journaling with a notebook. It's not that I'm against using post-it in any way. They're great. I have a bunch of them on hand all the time. But his desk was literally running out of space. So, I thought it would be fun to come up with a more organized and efficient way to capture his notes and free up some desk space and his mind. One thing to note, unlike me who loves pens, papers, stickers, my husband isn't the type to enjoy spending too much time journaling. He claims he would prefer to focus more on doing and completing tasks to get the job done, and wouldn't want to spend too much time drawing outlines or reading manuals on how to do it. If you've been following me for a while, you know I love journaling. It's kind of my jam. But even between a husband and wife, there can be different styles of approaching productivity. And since we should respect our differences, I thought why not help him design the simplest version of the journaling system that suits him. So, after some discussion and actual trials, we came up with, I think, the simplest possible journaling system that takes minimal time to use. That's how the three-part journal was born. It's not some completely new way of approaching journaling. However, the goal is to keep it minimal and simple, lowering the entry barrier while still maintaining its benefits. If you're someone who hasn't journaled yet or is on the fence about it, my objective with this video is to convince you to start by the end of it. You can follow the method I will be sharing in the video or choose any other approach that works for you. If you're someone who already journals, you can think of this as a friendly chat over a cup of tea about how powerful journaling can be, especially in terms of the core ideas about the three-part journal, which are planning, reflecting, with a specific direction in mind. The system has three parts, and the first is goal setting. When you open the notebook, the very first page is dedicated to this section. By the way, this is a notebook I custom designed and crafted for my husband. However, you can use any notebook for this system, preferably one with dotted or lined paper rather than blank pages, so that you can benefit from the structured layout. I made this section extendable so that every time he opens the notebook to start journaling, his goals are right there, and he can see them as a reminder. Here, you can write down a maximum of three goals. The timeline is up to you, but in this particular notebook I designed, I included a habit tracker, or action tracker, whichever you prefer to call it, with a total of three pages for goal setting, each page dedicated to one month. I find three months to be a reasonable time frame. It's long enough to see meaningful change, but not so long that it feels intangible or overwhelming. As an example, I wrote two goals here. Number one, being a gentle and caring mom and wife. Number two, losing an extra three kilogram. Next, write down one or two actions you'll take to achieve those goals. For example, two actions for the first goal could be forgiving at least one incident. As you know, forgiveness is not an easy thing to do. We humans have a natural tendency to want to get back at those who have wronged or treated us unfairly, even for small things, and even towards our loved ones. However, when I make forgiveness one of my actions to achieve this goal, I feel much lighter and more at peace in situations where I need to forgive my boys or myself knowing I have committed to checking off at least one act of forgiveness per day. Spending time with them wholeheartedly could be my second action for the goal. And for the second goal, I could write down running and lifting weights. These habit tracker boxes allow you to check off each day you complete your actions. This way, you can see if you skip days and hold yourself accountable for your progress. When setting up the goal setting section in your notebook, you can use a ruler to draw habit tracker boxes like this for three months of checkoffs. The best part is that you only need to create the setup once every three months. The second part of the journal is for planning. This is your to-do list for tomorrow, and it's dedicated to the left side of your notebook. Since this is a to-do list for tomorrow, you can write tomorrow's date here. For example, in my case, December 7th. This way, when tomorrow comes, you can leave the notebook open on your desk, making it easy to glance at your tasks and check them off as you complete them. And as you can see, the to-do list is divided into two parts. The top section is for action tasks related to your goals, which you can easily reference them from the extendable first page of the goal setting section on the far left. For example, I might write run for 10 minutes. This is one of the actions related to my goals. It can vary slightly each day. Tomorrow, for instance, I'm planning to run for only 10 minutes because I have a talking head video shoot scheduled, which takes quite a bit of energy. Even if you already have your goals and actions written down here on the left, it's helpful to specify them in detail as you write down and plan for tomorrow. Imagine what you'll do, how you'll do it, and how long you'll dedicate to each action. This bottom two-thirds of the left side is for your to-do list of daily chores and responsibilities. If life's to-dos can be categorized into two parts, they would be managing life and leading life. While the top section focuses on leading, steering your life toward fulfilling your goals, the bottom section is for managing the day-to-day tasks necessary to keep life running smoothly. For instance, in the managing part, I might note down tasks like completing the payment for my kids' hot lunch or researching Christmas gifts for my parents and in-laws. This planning to-do section is where everything you aim to accomplish for tomorrow, whether actions related to your goals or day-to-day responsibilities, they come together in one place. The beauty of the system is that the goals and habit tracker you see on the left seamlessly influence your planning, ensuring your to-do list remains intentional and directed towards what truly matters to you. The right side of the notebook is reserved for writing down your reflections for the day. For example, this would be the reflection for December 7th, the day after I wrote the to-dos on the left side. Reflection is one of the most crucial steps in mastering or fine-tuning your goals and becoming the person you aspire to be. For example, if your goal is related to running a business, analyzing data and reflecting on your progress can help you determine whether to stay the course or make a necessary pivot. Even for personal growth, meaningful results are impossible without reflection. Without identifying the problems within ourselves, we can't work on solutions or adapt effectively. If you have to take just one tip from this video, let it be this. Start reflecting every day, even if it's just for three minutes. So here are some helpful prompts to guide your reflection. What threw a pebble into your pond of mind and why? In other words, what made you feel something strongly today? Whether it was gratitude, joy, frustration, or even anger, and why? How can you adjust or improve for tomorrow? You can also try answering these questions in alignment with the goals you've set. For instance, since one of my goals is to be a gentle and caring mom and wife, I can reflect on how I acted in alignment with this goal today. I might ask myself, what was my emotional state regarding this goal? How did I show gentleness and care today? Were there moments when I could improve? So make time for reflection, preferably with those goals in mind, or at least start from there. For example, here's what I could write down. I was a bit sensitive and irritated because I was preoccupied with the deadline I had to meet, but Joey encouraged me with his gentle hug. By analyzing your day and performance, you create an opportunity to build self-awareness and refine your approach for continuous improvement. This way, you move one step closer to achieving your goal. As you can see, this is as simple as it gets when it comes to journaling, but it's still powerful even with the small amount of time you spend daily because it harnesses the power of planning and reflecting. More importantly, it's about planning and reflecting with your set goal in mind. Life can be hectic and we're often busy trying to remedy all the wear and tear, but then you get directionless, stagnant, and tired of doing everything you do managing your life, eventually falling back into mindless activities that leave you feeling empty and unsettled. In other words, managing your life is certainly necessary, but it shouldn't take off all your day. Leading your life in a specific direction is also crucial, and you do this by setting goals, pursuing something meaningful, and becoming the person you want to be. From my experience, journaling is one of the best ways to do just that. The solution needs to be tangible, which is why I think having a notebook on your desk that you can reach all the time is a great idea to help you stay consistent. It should be also be simple enough with a low entry barrier so you can easily start and stick to it. You don't have to replace all your screen time with journaling or anything else right away, but just taking as little as three minutes a day before scrolling or watching your favorite show on Netflix can make a huge difference in the coming year. So I recommend getting a notebook and trying this for at least seven days to see how it impacts how you feel. Back to my gift for my husband. He actually likes it and has been enjoying using it so far. It serves its purpose, and he also mentioned that he often opens the notebook thinking he's just gonna spend three minutes, but then almost always ends up spending more time on it. That's why finding a journaling system that works for you and that suits your style and personality is so important. And don't worry, this is just another one I made for filming this video, not the one he's using. But if you're more like me and enjoy spending time journaling and writing things down a bit more and you want to take your journaling to the next level, you can check out this video where I share the system I'm currently using. And also please let me know in the comments whether I convinced you to start journaling by now. If not, also let me know in the comments what's holding you back. I would love to hear your thoughts. That's it for today. As always, thank you so much for watching and I'll see you in the next one. Bye!