The Dopamine Cycle of Setup Culture
One unexpected side effect of finally finding a planner system that genuinely works is that… there suddenly isn’t much left to say about it.
My current setup is stable, functional, and quietly doing its job in the background of my daily life. Which is exactly what I wanted. But I’ve realized that once a system reaches that point, there’s no longer much to do except....use it.
Interestingly enough, that can feel surprisingly uncomfortable for someone (like me) for whom planners are not only a productivity tool but also a hobby of sorts.
So rather than either changing systems just to keep things interesting, or talking about the same old system, I think I’m going to start exploring what I’ll call “planner theory” instead. The psychology and habits behind how we use planners in real life.
Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor but I play one on Philofaxy (wink)
Have you ever noticed that setting up a planner is sometimes more exciting than actually using it?
Researching inserts, picking a new binder color or model, watching setup videos, reorganizing sections, testing layouts; it all feels so....productive doesn't it? And honestly, part of the fun of this hobby is the experimentation.
But I think sometimes we confuse novelty with improvement. I know I do.
A planner that truly fits your life eventually becomes a little boring. Not because it’s failing, but because it’s no longer demanding your attention. You simply use it and move on with your day. Ironically, that’s the sign of a good system.
Then there is the FOMO. Part of my entertainment is watching planner content and it is sooooo easy to see something new and different and decide how much better than your current system that new shiny would be!
I, and I suspect many of you, know this cycle well:
new planner → setup excitement → tweaking → "planner peace" → boredom/FOMO → new planner search.
The dangerous part is when you start thinking, “Maybe this system isn’t working after all.” When it may in fact be working perfectly.
I’m curious: Have you ever mistaken planner boredom for a planner problem? Or abandoned a system right when it was actually working best just for the dopamine hit of setting up something new?
As always on Fridays, feel free to discuss anything ring planner related and have a great weekend!!
Hello, my name is Heywood and I’m a fILOFAX Personal addict … lol
ReplyDeleteThanks for the interesting post, Eve.
My analogue fILOFAX system works very well and essentially mature in its setup. There may be tweaks here and there but it’s more evolution than revolution.
The regular and interesting setup excitement dose comes from consistent cycling through my binder collection. The old, new and changes in features colour and tactile feel keeps things fresh. The relatively short binder swap process doubles as a review of items needing attention too.
Learning the subtle pros and cons keeps a perspective on what works best. Every now and then a considered “black sheep” enlightens via above and beyond service to a use case. In some ways to me it’s akin to using different fountain pens and inks.
Avagoodweekend.
Oh do I ever hear you. I'm in the same spot - with my Filofax binder and its contents, my fountain pens, my inks: everything is perfect, nothing to improve.
ReplyDeleteIt's good, but it's also... odd.
I'm an optimiser in all things, and these were just my latest focus areas - I already have the diet I can live with forever, the minimalist wardrobe that needs no improving, the exercise routine I do without fail: so the question is, what next?? Haha
"One unexpected side effect of finally finding a planner system that genuinely works is that… there suddenly isn’t much left to say about it."
ReplyDeleteOr make videos, or blog posts, etc. Though I suppose the 'plan with me' video is still possible, even if a bit repetitive...
My dopamine hits are related; searching for, and buying old binders, as cheaply as possible. And documenting the history of binders & inserts, and recreating the latter.
Actual planning with a system ..? Not so much. Bad Filofaxer...
Eve, I think you nailed it I discovered this kind of by accident over the last couple years while I was taking care of my father during a his declining health. Add in multiple doctor appointments and health notes, household duties, running his business, me working full-time for most of that - I literally had no time to be playing with planners and it didn’t even occur to me to try to. I had settled back into an old Filofax because I needed a lot of details in multiple aspects of our lives, the pages needed to move around, and I needed it to stay together for the duration - I couldn’t be dealing with notebooks that would run out - my old bullet journal just wouldn’t handle it. But in all that, I settled into a routine that consisted of me printing out my favorite week on 2 page layout, the Filofax tabbed month (perfect for an overview of his appointments and health numbers we would track daily), and supplementing with my loads of lined paper. And I didn’t die of boredom :-) it all just worked, I had planner peace out of sheer necessity for the first time ever, and I could find what I needed in an instant.
ReplyDeleteMy dad was always a fastidious note-taker (from childhood I recall his ubiquitous leather Day-Timer wallet always in 1 pocket and his regular wallet in the other) and was always impressed (and I think proud, haha) with how quickly I could put my hands on any info we needed - medications, lab results, doctor names, appointment times, business details, etc. Most of it done from a beautiful pre-loved Kendal personal I scored on eBay a couple years ago, right before he got sick. It really had my back!