Week 35: Endurance (The Bullet Journal Method Book Club)

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Hello Sunshine!

I might edit this out later, but if you’ve been following along and wondered about the pause in the book club…all I can say is that the irony that this next section is called endurance is not lost on me ^.^’

Let’s get to it!

Resources:

This week’s behind the scenes:

I snapped this photo as the sun was setting as a metaphor for the sunsetting of the year.

Wk_35_Endurance_The Bullet Journal Method Book Club_Tiny Ray of Sunshine.jpg

Endurance

Pages 203 - 208

Welcome to week 35 of The Bullet Journal Method Book Club!

Ryder shares an anecdote about his distaste for doing the dishes and how he discovered how to endure the chore by discovering what the act signified in a deeper sense. He makes this observation, “We make our way through life on autopilot, seldom stopping to understand why something makes us feel the way it does. Without personal context, without understanding how something makes us feel the way it does. Without personal context, without understanding how something adds value to your life, your efforts will ultimately feel meaningless. Context helps us understand how some unpleasant or even painful responsibilities actually benefit us.” A template he shares is the Clarity Log.

Clarity Log:

To figure out why we’re doing what we’re doing, a Clarity Log is suggested.

Open your notebook to two facing pages/one spread.

Write down on one side a task or responsibility you’re not especially all that jazzed about (the challenge) and write down the purpose of it on the opposite side (think about what it means to you, frame it in a way that is positive and meaningful to you - see visual on page 208).

This can help you reflect why you’re doing what you’re doing. Ryder asks you to consider what you enjoy about the task. You can connect it to a personal reason or even connect it to those you love. “Rather than focusing on the drudgery of the action, spend a moment focusing on the experience they enable.” When you connect to reasons that are meaningful to you, it can help you to keep going to endure the task at hand. “While it may not make these responsibilities any more enjoyable, it does finally give them a purpose, which can make even the most onerous task more bearable.” What if you tried this exercise, but you’re having trouble finding meaning? The meaning may not reveal itself until a later point. But if it never emerges, you might be better off letting it go. Ryder suggests using the Monthly Migration practice to keep an eye on tasks as a way to monitor progress.

Discussion:

  • Have you struggled to get tasks done?

  • What is something you’re currently enduring?

  • Do you usually know why you’re doing what you’re doing?

Action List:

  • Create a Clarity Log

  • Did you have challenges with the Clarity Log?

  • What did you learn from your Clarity Log?

Your thoughts:

Share your thoughts about this week’s topic in the comments below. Feel free to respond to this week’s discussion points.

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