Test Cycle Zero: Bullet Journals, Tracking, and Yoga

We’re halfway through January, it’s almost as cold as The Soo in April, and it’s time for the first test cycle.

So let’s experiment.

This cycle, we’re learning how to write things down.

I don’t have a good memory. I have a sufficient memory. I can generally juggle my personal calendar, when I need to pay my bills, and all of my clients with what’s in my head.

It just takes a couple of all-nighters and an over-reliance on email notifications to work out in my favor.

So the first test cycle is going to be built around writing things down so I don’t face so many stupid surprises.

I’ll be using my trusty (barely used) bullet journal for this. It’s the thing I’ve been carting around for about eight months now that holds the various false-starts I’ve made. It has my rapid logging lists, a few spreads, a bit of old-school journaling, and some habit trackers in it.

In the past I’ve managed to sustain 3–4 week long stints of using it, but I’ve yet to ingrain it as a personal habit. I like it, but I haven’t found the best way to turn it into my procedural cornerstone. That’s what the experiment is going to be centered on.

What I’ll be tracking

I’m going to track how consistently I use my bullet journal (in any capacity), what time of day (morning, afternoon, evening) I typically use it, what (if any) new spreads I create, and how frequently I do yoga.

That yoga bit’s in there because I needed a wild card. I’m, like, the worst yogi you’ve ever seen. I read scientific papers on the efficacy of static stretching and stuff.

This is a totally tame start to what’s going to be an absolutely crazy process, I know; you’ll just have to bear with me for this first bit. For people who are used to documenting their lives, journaling and list-making can be fairly easy. For the people who are used to playing it by ear and pretending the final results are intentional (me), it’s a different kettle of fish.

Currently, it’s my intention to use my bullet journal as the backbone for future test cycles (which is why this is cycle zero instead of cycle one), but if you have any other suggestions, ideas, or tools you’d like me to try out, make sure to let me know!

Do The Thing With The Thing On The Social Media

While I’m working my way through the somewhat-boring process of documenting just how little I do in a day, though, there’s something awesome that I’d like you to do for me.

Bug the shit out of Jana and I on social media.

Find us on Twitter. Find us on Instagram. Find us on Snapchat. Hell, find us on Reddit if you’re really committed. Send us your ideas, your questions, and your experiments. We want to know what kinds of things you currently do or want to try in order to improve your life. And we’ll try it or talk about our experiences with it.

Welcome to the test cycle. Let’s have some fun.