Capture tools are my ultimate self-care tool.

You’ll rarely find me without a notebook or pad of sticky notes on hand. Getting words, images, worries, and dreams out of my head and onto paper help me understand myself better while making space to be in the present moment.

Over the years, by capturing my daily life, I’ve developed a clearer picture of who I am, how I operate at my best, what brings me down, and how I build myself back up. With capture tools, I’m also able to record what’s happening in life—personally and in the larger context of the world.

Capture tools allow you to observe and document, to experiment and play.

A capture tool is anything that allows you to observe and document your experiences and the world around you. A capture tool can be a journal, Post-it’s, or your phone’s notes app. There is also no one right way to create, collect, and use your own capture tools. The main goal is to find what works for you and have fun with the process. There is, literally, no way to fail—the only exception is not trying.

Here’s some examples of capture tools:

• Journals of all shapes and sizes

• Different digital web or mobile apps, like Notion or Evernote

• Sticky notes

Scroll to the end of the post to find links for my favorite capture tools.

There is no one right way to create, collect, and use capture tools.

While a bullet journal and stack of sticky notes are my all-time favorite analog capture tools, I hear so many people telling me they can’t stay consistent with a bullet journal. The most common reason why they stop using their bullet journal: they get intimidated by the beautifully drawn layouts and spreads. Before you ask, of course I’ve felt the same way!

Like many things in life, social media and the internet glorifies the aesthetic. Society glorifies the aesthetic. And the aesthetic can be intimidating; we feel like we’ll never be able to compare.

However, I’ve noticed another common reason why people stop using their bullet journal and this reason isn’t necessarily about what is aesthetic; it’s that what works for someone else doesn’t work for us. Sometimes, the aesthetic isn’t what we need. Form fails in comparison to function here.

Some ways to use capture tools:

• Lists: to do’s, birthdays, favorite things, things I’m trying

• Memories: where I go, who I spend time with, what I see

• Quotes: from podcasts, books, movies, teachers of all kinds

You are bound to find something that works for you.

If one aspect of your capture tool isn’t working for you, don’t quit. Keep experimenting, playing, and trying. You are bound to find something that works for you. Another equally important thing to remember is that what may work for you for a certain period of time may not work forever.

The imperfect, messy, and constantly changing nature of capture tools mirror our imperfect, messy, constantly changing selves and the imperfect, messy, constantly changing experience we call life. To me, it’s infinitely more fun to change what doesn’t work and keep trying to find what works for me in the moment, for the person I am, and the season I’m experiencing.

Q: What is your favorite capture tool? If you don’t have one, which one are you going to try next?

P.S. If you sign up for my monthly newsletter, you’ll get free journal questions that will inspire you to pause and use your capture tools.

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Featured Resources + Some Gifts for You

• Get 15% off Archer & Olive

• My Favorite Travel Journal | Pouch | Blank Insert | Lined Insert

• My Favorite for Doodles, Lists, and Poems

• My Favorite Post-it Notes

• Featured Postcard Blue No. 8, 2017. Rose Wong.

This post goes well with:

Bullet Journal Notebook Comparison Guide
2020 Yearly Bullet Journal Set-Up
2019 Bullet Journal Review