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I’ve rebuilt my productivity system more times than I can count.

Every new version promised fewer mistakes. Less chaos. A version of me who finally wouldn’t drop the ball.

But I could never achieve it. I kept falling short. 

Back in college, I spent countless hours planning, trying to discover the best course of action that would lead me to a life I could enjoy. Not just one I could tolerate. All while trying to keep up with speedy deadlines and navigating complicated social dynamics. 

I reworked my system over and over. Adding more structure, more actions, more rules, convinced that if I could just perfect it, things would finally click. 

Planning became a survival mechanism. A way to prevent mistakes and avoid failure. And I believed that once I perfected the plan, action would be easier. And I could ensure that I was taking the best course of action. 

That’s the thing that always got me: the best course of action. I was always striving to live my life the RIGHT way.

But, I always ended up in the same spot. Another year passed and I made no progress towards my goals. And as time slowly slipped away, so did the life I desired for myself. 

Now, as a marketing specialist, I’m required to work quickly and efficiently with minimal errors. And unfortunately for me, that requires a LOT of executive functioning skills, especially in such a small marketing department. The work never ends and there is always something you could be doing. Or could be doing better. 

In the beginning, my goal was to make sense of it all. I lost myself in checklists, spreadsheets, and strategy documents. Trying to keep all the best practices at the forefront, while accounting for the endless variables that come with marketing strategy. 

Then, I realized…here I was AGAIN!

So, a few months ago, I started to rethink the productivity systems I relied on. I noticed they were bloated. Full of excess actions, revisions, processes, and reviews.

Finally, I thought maybe the key to escaping the endless planning cycles was not MORE structure, but LESS. Was there a way to know what mattered in the moment, and let go of everything else?

I stripped down my system to the bare bones, only adding or making intentional changes when necessary. 

From this, I found a productivity system that actually helped me take action…at least for now. 

1. The Inbox

A blank pocket notebook

This is where everything begins.

I carry a small, cheap, blank notebook with me at the front of my agenda book (more information below). Most of the time I staple a bunch of printer paper together. 

I use it to capture…

• stray thoughts
• new actions and tasks
• ideas that arrive at inconvenient times
• notes from conversations, books, or meetings
• emotional reactions or realizations I don’t want to forget
• sketches, diagrams, half-formed concepts, etc.

It’s small, cheap, and blank. These qualities give the notebook a sense of freedom, making it easier to just start. So, I don’t hesitate worrying about wasting space or how I will layout the page. I just write things down.

This notebook’s only job is capture, not organization. Nothing lives here permanently. And, some things never make it out of the inbox because they’re made to die. 

2. The Agenda Book

A small A6 weekly + monthly planner (2026 timeline)

This is my time management system.

I switched to a tiny A6 agenda for portability. But, as I used it, I discovered that it forces me to confront time realistically. Big planners let me pretend I have more time than I do. Or let me fit as many tasks as I want into the spaces. But in this small agenda, time feels tangible and limited. This limited space for planning allows me to account for my time blindness. 

The one I have (MARK’STYLE A6 Weekly Vertical Planner 16 Months) is from Amazon. But here’s another one that I’ve seen other people use:

• 2026 Weekly Planner Poche A6 | my paper planner system for daily life

What I like about this format:

• Weekly and monthly views with extra side space for tasks
• A timetable that runs 7am–10pm, Monday–Sunday for room to plan personal time, not just “productive” time
• Notes section at the back for less dynamic notes like my “someday / maybe” & “recurring actions” lists

Seeing my entire life, not just my work life, on one spread changed how I see time. My time for rest, relationships, and creativity are just as limited as my professional work time. Therefore, they can be scheduled with the same intention.

3. The Lists

A GTD-style working notebook

This is my task management system. 

I used keep another blank notebook at the back of my agenda book and use certain formats to organize these lists. I’ve since moved this into my bullet journal (see below).

Since my agenda book was quite small, I needed to use abbreviated tasks in the weeklies. At the end of the week, I had trouble understanding the task that I needed to do at the moment. I spent time reviewing previous notes trying to figure out what “past Ryn” was trying to say. 

So, I added these organized lists. They allow me to keep some context to complete my tasks without losing that small, portable time table.

I use loose GTD-style formats like:

• Project lists
• Next actions
• Waiting on
• Agendas

Any recurring checklists, resources for ongoing commitments, and big project notes are kept digitally in G-Drive. **CTA: projects system (link coming soon)** 

As I use this system, I’m finding that I need a new page every week…because these pages get messy. The lists evolve quickly. Tasks get crossed out, rewritten, circled, etc. So a fresh page weekly helps me to be able to quickly scan for what’s important.

4. The Journal

Reviews & records

This notebook is where the productivity system becomes reflective instead of reactive. 

I dump any meaningful notes from my inbox notebook into here, especially feelings or insights that point toward the life I’m trying to build. The journal is also where I complete my life reviews. Keeping it in the same place allows me to easily review what came up that week to help me better align with the life I want.

A productivity system without an emotional aspect is detrimental. I can often forget how much my emotions impact my ability to be productive. I use it to:

• record key events
• name emotional patterns
• note moments of alignment or resistance
• extract lessons I don’t want to relearn the hard way

Once a week, I do a review. I reflect on 3 things: 

• What worked? 
• What needs improvement? 
• How to improve? 

I got this method from another blog post [insert link]. 

**My weekly review process (link coming soon)

5. The Zettelkasten

Intellectual conversations and discoveries.

This part of the system is still evolving.

I’m experimenting with a Zettelkasten-style practice for ideas—writing small, self-contained thoughts and letting them talk to each other over time.

What’s interesting is that my pocket inbox notebook happens to be the same size as my notecards, which makes integration easier than I expected. Ideas can move fluidly from capture → reflection → connection.

I don’t force this. Some weeks I engage deeply; other weeks I don’t touch it at all. This space is for thinking, not output pressure.

6. The Sketchbook

Messy art for self-expression

This is the least “productive” part of my productivity system, and totally not necessary.

I use a sketchbook to:

• expand sketches from my pocket notebook
• paint or draw without a goal
• move emotion through my body instead of through lists

This kind of creation regulates me. It quiets the part of my brain that thinks everything needs to be useful.

This whole productivity system exists to:

• reduce cognitive load
• help me know what matters in the moment
• support intentional, aligned action each week
• give me places to put things so they stop living in my head
• and most of all get out of planning cycles 

I still miss things. I still fail. I still rebuild parts of it when my life changes.

But now, I’m no longer planning to avoid failure.

Planning for clarity changed how I move through my weeks. I’m still learning (and writing) my way through it.

This isn’t a finished system. It’s a living one.

I write about art, psychology, and self-actualization—and what it means to live and create with clarity instead of control.

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Perfectionism has ruined my life. 

Don’t get me wrong. Perfectionism has its helpful moments. But, most of the time, I’m left with crippling fear of failure, spinning in cycles of organization and productivity, trying to account for every variable that could go wrong. 

In the end, I’m left frustrated and depleted, wondering what my life would have been like if I had stopped planning how to live and actually started living. 

In 2026, I’m fighting it.

Of course, it’s one thing to say I’m going to break this habit. It’s another entirely to take effective action towards it. 

In fact, I’ve been trying to break this habit for years now. But, I keep getting stuck right back in the same spot: endless cycles of planning and plan revisions. 

What then? 

How do you cultivate freedom from these fears and fear responses? How do you figure out what you need? How do you pursue a life you desire when you barely know who you are? When you barely know what you like? 

Thinking back, it was hard to remember a time when I didn’t feel hindered by this fear. It’s been a long time since the looming fear of failure started haunting my life. 

In college, I pursued a scientific career over a creative one because I feared I couldn’t be successful. I dated someone because I was scared I wouldn’t find anyone else. In high school, I stuck to my comfortable inner circle of friends. Any time I stepped outside my comfort-zone, it was due to direct influence from my friends. Even sitting alone in public was anxiety-inducing. I feared any 1-1 social interactions, thinking they would make my social inadequacies shine, leading to rejection and isolation. 

But, elementary school is the first time I remember not caring about failing. 

In eighth grade, I got up on stage with basically no guitar skills and barely any practice for a talent show. I left the stage completely confident (In hindsight, I’m almost 98.5% sure that I bombed that performance).

One day, I was a part of a student panel for prospective parents. Just imagine this tiny 13-year-old black girl, always reaching for the mic and chatting up a storm in front of 30+ strangers about how shy I was before attending that school.

I was even the lead role in our school musical, Once Upon A Mattress. The main character, if you don’t know, is this quirky and bold princess, and her first song on stage is her belting about how “shy” they are (strangely fitting).

Failure never even crossed my mind. It wasn’t until high school, when I began to notice the social rules that my neurodivergent brain had a hard time comprehending, that I started to shrink to fit the mold others desired of me.

So, after all that, how do I plan to overcome my fear of failure?

By focusing on presence. 

They may seem unrelated, but I actually think they are deeply connected. 

I believe escapism and disconnection are part of the reason why I’ve strayed so far from that fearless little 8th grader. 

Presence is the only way that we can open our eyes to who we are, who we are becoming, and who we feel called to become. 

(1)Detoxing Social Media for a Clearer Mind

Presence starts with the main source of “escapism dopamine”: social media.

As such, I have started my 2026 year with a social media detox. This 21-day fast sprang from a desire to connect with God, guided by my church, but I plan to continue long after the fast is complete.

And so far…

It’s been really REALLY boring. 

My brain is no longer flooded with low-quality dopamine from scrolling through social media and YouTube. But I still find my brain craving stimulation, especially when in stillness (I.e., on the train, falling asleep, etc.).

Funny enough, it was this boredom that led to anxiety relief and clarity. I can feel my body shift through emotions more clearly. I can feel the anxiety that comes when I start overplanning. The emotional resistance to work when my brain is tired. The pride that came when I accomplished a small win. How easily sleep comes at night. 

*How I did my detox* (link coming soon) 

(2)Crushing Perfectionism with a New Productivity System

Since I procrastinated with planning and organizing, my productivity system needed a complete overhaul. 

Productivity is like a dopamine hit to me. I often get stuck in cycles of perfectionism, especially around my plans. How can I know what to do next or what is important if I don’t have the complete picture? If I can’t account for all the variables? If I don’t have the perfect plan to keep me from failing? 

The real question was how to minimize planning while still maintaining clarity, accounting for my time blindness and terrible recall. How can I promote action without getting stuck in cycles of organizing and planning revisions? To give myself space to reflect and choose my path, free from the pressure of perfectionism overshadowing every decision.

This took a lot of trial and error. Luckily, I started working as a marketing specialist. My position required me to move quickly, be strategically efficient, and make minimal errors. Being a marketing specialist pushed my productivity system to the limit for the first time, and it helped me to see how bloated it really was.

My new productivity system

(3) Doing Scary Things Alone

During my social media detox, I had the opportunity to spend some time alone with myself. I went to a restaurant in the city at night…alone! I know, terrifying. 

Even walking the busy city streets felt anxiety-provoking. It made me realize that I needed to do more things alone, even if they scared me. I needed to practice walking myself through that anxiety. 

I don’t know how I’m going to implement this into my life yet. But I’m excited for what might come from it. 

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