Hey! So, after the amazing response I got on this post detailing my struggle with planning while severely depressed, I decided to use some extra energy I’ve been having to condense all the answers I got into a master list for easy reference. I was initially just going to make and keep this but then decided that it might be useful to share in case you

  1. didn’t see the initial post and feel this info would help to you, or
  2. did see the post but didn’t have energy or time to read through all the responses.

Feel free to browse the list and see what may work for you if you are in a similar spot.

Things to note:

  • if you have other mental health issues, have ADHD, are physically disabled, have a physical health issue, and/or chronic illnesses, this list can 100% apply to you! It's really just for anyone who is experiencing impaired or low functioning for whatever reason. The title directly addresses depression because that is what I deal with, and I didn't want to speak for anyone else. But since so many lovely people have commented saying they deal with other issues and have found this helpful (and Reddit doesn't allow you to edit or change titles), I wanted to say that here. This can be useful to you regardless of what emotional, psychological, or physical health issue you are struggling with. Or even just if you're having a hard time, work super long hours, have someone under your care, or just need it!

  • Some of the advice given here seems to contradict itself (e.g., DO use habit and mood trackers, DON’T use habit and mood trackers) simply because multiple people gave their perspective and some of the things that worked well for some didn’t for others.

  • I didn’t reference spreads unique to particular people and just focused on the general trends in suggestions – if you want to see descriptions/images of those unique spreads, I’d encourage you to read the original post.

  • This advice was in the context of my particular situation (which again, you can refer to here) so it might not work for you if you are in a different situation and have different constraints.

  • Lastly, if you have any ideas that you feel aren’t listed, mention them in the comments. Thank you again for all the support, and enjoy!

WHAT TO FOCUS ON

Prioritize celebrating what you do get done with Done Lists/Tada lists instead of just To Do lists!

  • Consider ditching traditional habit trackers if you feel they discourage you. If you engage in a positive habit, mark it down! Then you’ll have a total of all the times you did do something instead of a tracker with glaring reminders of when you didn’t.
  • Aside from habits, write at least one thing you did today, no matter how small (e.g., drank a glass of water)

Track goals in a way that shows what progress you have made even if you didn’t reach the goal

  • E.g. If your goal was to get to inbox 0, write down the number of emails you did get through even if you didn’t reach 0. Acknowledge progress!

Focus less on productivity or SMART goal setting, and more on taking care of yourself and tasks that contribute to/maintain functioning.

  • Once you have reached a baseline of functioning again, add goals and tasks outside of this
  • Have a basic list of tasks you need to do every day that enrich you/are self-care e.g. (medication, hygiene, food and water intake, journaling, fresh air)

Focus on ‘Did I’ goals instead of ‘How Much’ goals (e.g. 'Did I drink water > Did I drink 8 glasses of water?')

  • The bar for success then becomes when you did something, as opposed to only when you did a certain amount of something.
  • Can be a good precursor to tracking ‘How Much’ goals once you have reached a point where you are doing the thing consistently.
THE METHOD (SPREADS AND STRUCTURE)

Create simple easy spreads

  • Low set up time, takes little time to use, and don’t need to be kept up daily
  • Create/buy stencils of various sized squares, letters or lines that can make the process of setting up a spread easier and faster

Stick to the extreme basics, or the original Ryder Carroll method

  • Instead of weekly or daily spreads with initial set up, rapid log in your BuJo when you need to (even if that means your entries are scattered across the week or month and don’t have every day accounted for in chronological order)
  • In this vein, consider avoiding spreads that are dependent on you having accomplished the previous days tasks – this way you can miss days without feeling like that jeopardizes your ability to use the journal.
  • If relevant, note briefly in your journal skipped days, and why you skipped them.

Use a line a day spread that can give you an overview of your month

  • one positive line about your day, or
  • one line about how you were feeling that day

Gamify the structure of you BuJo or self-care tasks

Make it so you earn something if you do your tasks e.g.

  • in-game ‘points’/XP
  • a win in a battle/increase in battle statistics
  • levelling up
  • real-life rewards

If games are nor your forte, structure it differenlty but implement a reward system to create incentive

  • create a tree for your habit. Draw it with no leaves. When you do the habit, add a green leaf. If you miss it, add a brown leaf. This way you are incentivized to keep the plant alive and flourishing with more green than brown leaves.
  • Like with trackers, if you know the brown leaf/green leaf approach might make you fixate on the number of brown leaves (times you didn't do the habit), just focus on adding leaves when you do the habit and when you miss a day or three, don't add anything to the tree. This way the reward is getting to add leaves, and there is no reminder of when you didn't do that habit. Just a beautiful display of when you did!

Use Rolling Weeklies (sometimes called the Alistair Method)

  • Create an undated master list of tasks to do, keep it in view, and slot them on to do on higher functioning days.

Break down tasks into their smallest manageable increments and tackle those

Instead of ‘do laundry’, break down tasks into:

  1. remove clothes from laundry basket
  2. take clothes to laundry room
  3. put clothes in washing machine and start cycle
  4. remove clothes from washing machine
  5. put clothes in dryer/hang clothes up to dry
  6. collect dry clothes
  7. fold dry clothes
  8. hang dry clothes

Detach any routines you make from a set time

  • Focus on establishing the routine before you place it at a specific time or within a specific time frame e.g. do morning routine.
  • This way you are free to focus on getting into the habit of the routine first without feeling obstructed by having to do it with time in mind. If you do the habit but at varying or inconsistent times, it is then still a success.
  • Tackle time (when you want it to happen and how long you want it to take) once you have established this.
MENTAL HEALTH RELATED

Track things related to mental health

  • Start with a few simple basic selfcare things – once the habit is ingrained, add more.
  • Track mood, symptoms (when they occur, their severity) and try and identify any patters in when and why you may feel how you feel. Also be aware of what coping mechanisms do and don’t work.
  • If you complete a task while experiencing a symptom, write the symptom on a column on the side of the task – this way you might notice a correlation between a symptom and the tasks you are able to do.
  • If tracking your mood is too complex (multiple feelings at once) or discouraging (you mark 'sad' every day), stop!

Create a personalized resource on what to do when you feel at your worst (‘When I Feel Like Shit’ list)

  • Steps to take
  • Coping mechanisms that work
  • Self-care you need to keep up on (medication, hygiene, food and water intake)
  • Bad Thought/Good Thought list (The bad thoughts you are having, and corresponding good thoughts that give a different perspective – consider writing the good thoughts when you are clear headed and feeling good, so that you can reflect on them when you aren’t!)

Track what triggers particularly bad episodes or feelings

  • This can help you avoid, manage or prepare for the trigger (if it's inevitable)

Create ‘bad day’, ‘okay day’, ‘and ‘good day’ to do lists that correspond with the kind of day you are having

  • ‘Bad day’ – the absolute bare minimum you need to do to take care of yourself
  • ‘Okay day’ – the bare minimum + simple task(s) to get done
  • ‘Good day’ – bare minimum + more tasks that require more energy (might be a good idea to do things that will help you on worse days – meal prep, do biggest cleaning tasks, etc.)

***What would be classified as a bad, okay, and good day is very dependent on your mental health and state of functioning. Some days when I’m really non-functional, a good day is doing the bare minimum. Some days it is just staying alive. So you might categorize this differently than done here!

Forgive yourself for what you don’t or can’t get done – some days are just bad, and that’s okay!

Involve a gratitude practice in your bullet journaling

  • Doesn't have to be detailed or long - it could be anything from a single word to a couple of sentences. It's a good way of reminding yourself of the bright spots of a particular day.
  • No standard about what qualifies. If it's that you got through the day, add it!

(Even if you don’t have it) Check ADHD related subs for ideas on how to trick yourself into doing things!

ALTERNATIVES

Focus more on creating a stable routine and less on Bullet journaling and tasks.

  • Waking up at a specific time
  • Hygiene (teeth, shower)
  • Meals
  • Movement/exercise (even just a walk)
  • A household chore
Resources and Recommendations

‘Level up your Life’ By Steven Kamb

Zinnia app for creativity and organization

domesticblisters on tiktok gives tips on what to do to keep your life functional cleaning wise

Unf*ck Your Habitat for tips on how to keep your life functional cleaning-wise, with articles on chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and cleaning-related trauma (Content warning for discussion of abuse and trauma)