Rachael Stephen

💫  a sanity-saving, load-lightening, chaos-conquering
pen-and-paper system for organising life

"PHENOMENAL" - KATE HENRY

"PHENOMENAL" - KATE HENRY ✵

👆 click to watch the video and get all the details

"LIFE-CHANGING" - JT

"LIFE-CHANGING" - JT ✵


or if you prefer to read,
you’ll find the same information on the rest of this page 👇

unsplash-image-rCbdp8VCYhQ.jpg

THIS IS HOW I USED TO FEEL, AND WHAT I USED TO STRUGGLE WITH.

MAYBE YOU CAN RELATE…

OVERWHELMED, OVERLOADED & SCATTERED

  • everything felt !urgent!

  • i had so many ideas 😭 which ones should i do now?! how do i choose? how do i follow through with that decision?

  • i felt like i was being pulled in a million directions and stretched too thin

  • i was sick of spending so much time trying to figure out what i should be doing and when and how

ALL PLAN, NO FOLLOW THROUGH

  • i made to-do lists and they NEVER got done. it was so disheartening and felt like a waste of time.

  • i frequently got executive dysfunction, from low mood or ADHD, but my system didn’t account for that

OUT OF BALANCE

  • work tasks mostly got done, personal ones never did

  • when i was crushing it in one area of life, it felt like everything else was going to shit

DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO REST

  • i knew rest was important but when i tried to rest i’d either do “nothing” and immediately get antsy, restless and understimulated…

  • or i’d do “side quests” (which were just more productive tasks) and i wouldn’t actually feel rested after

DISENCHANTED

  • bullet journalling helped a lot, but it still felt like something was missing

  • my life felt “too big” to capture in my journal, i tried to plug gaps with other systems

  • i came across other planning systems, but nothing was quite right. they were too cold, or clinical, or capitalist, or they told me where to put things but didn’t give me any guidance on HOW MANY things i should work on at a time, so i still found myself overloaded

black_pattern_tile.jpg

 okay, so what changed?

well, these problems have been with me for really my entire life, but amplified even further several years ago when i started working for myself. i had no choice but to create a structure to my days, weeks and months to work within. and because i’d struggled with it for so long, i became fascinated by organisational systems in general - i’ve read tonnes of books, done courses, and tried and tested myriad different systems over the years. (Getting Things Done, the Bullet Journal Method and Holisticism’s System Spells just to name a few.)

i’ve developed a body of knowledge around the psychology behind different organisational systems, the value of externalising information to free up mental processing, and through research and my own personal experience, a lot of the ways that ADHD minds differ when it comes to organisation.

after wrestling with (and constantly iterating on) what i learned, i now use what i call the Constellation System.

and with this set of tools in my back pocket, this is what the constellation system has done for me…

MORE CLARITY & FOCUS

  • it’s given me a way to choose which project i should work on right now

  • it’s much easier to plan my activities for the day / week / month

  • it saves me a lot of time that i used to spend trying to decide what to do / in decision paralysis

REDUCED OVERWHELM

  • it’s given me clear, practical limitations for how much i can add to my to-do list

  • it limits my current projects, allowing me to actually use project collections in my bullet journal again

  • i create smaller, more manageable projects, giving me the satisfaction of completing things more regularly

EASIER ACTION AND CONSISTENCY

  • it has allowed me to automate the recurring tasks and projects

  • i actually take action on a way bigger proportion of my plans and intentions

  • i now have ONE place that holds all my tasks, projects and routines that i can continually update, rather than having to rewrite a new list every week / month

  • executive dysfunction still happens sometimes, but less often, and i have better strategies to manage it

MORE AWARENESS

  • it has shown me the gifts and challenges of different types of activities, and how i can work with them

  • i understand why i make a to do list some days and my brain just says NO. have a way to troubleshoot that, or do other things that are still important even when i encounter resistance to certain tasks or projects

MORE BALANCE

  • i can clearly see if one area of my life is getting too much or not enough attention

  • i can consciously set aside time to appreciate or celebrate my progress after completing a project, where i used to just dive immediately into the next thing because i always felt behind

HIGHER QUALITY DOWNTIME

  • it gives a theme or flexible structure to my “time off”

  • it helped me clarify the activities which replenish me in different areas of life, not just baths & netflix binges

  • i now tailor my restorative activities to avoid getting bored & understimulated

  • it helps fill my time off with genuinely restorative activities, not just more tasks

unsplash-image-iiXyEE-HVXQ.jpg

 WHAT IS CONSTELLATION CLARITY?

Constellation Clarity is an intensive course that teaches you a holistic planning ritual for your life. It’s where i share these practical, organisational tools of the Constellation System.

Through the course, you’ll learn how to divide your intentions, tasks and activities into the six domain of life and how to prioritize them by using the constellation dashboard.

We like to blast through what would ordinarily be weeks of content in other courses in a “binge mode” intensive live class - last time we did one full day. this time, we’re spreading it across two days. instead of chipping away at prerecorded video lessons for months, you’ll join us live to learn and implement then and there.

dude, i feel like i’ve got my life in order already
— roxane smarius, cc student

 there are probably lots of organisational systems out there that could give similar benefits, so…

why THIS system? how is it unique?

well, i made it for myself, because there wasn’t anything else out there that really worked for me. so…

  • it’s ADHD friendly

    • it embraces metaphor and aesthetics as adding to function & motivation

  • it’s a 100% analogue, pen-and-paper system, which means…

    • no distractions, notifications, social media

    • curated, limited space (so you can’t overfill your plate)

    • it’s tactile, feels more real

    • you don’t need to learn any new software

  • it integrates seamlessly with the bullet journal system

  • it’s holistic & sustainable

    • it doesn’t value endless productivity for its own sake

    • it doesn’t value money-making work above other kinds of work


i would have lost my mind without this
— dorothea lu, CC student
black_pattern_tile.jpg

this course covers…

two out of the three systems that make up the Constellation System:

the Garden (the what) and the Cultivators (the how).

it doesn’t cover the Almanac (the when).

you might know that i’m also working on a tool called the Constellation Deck - this is where the Almanac really shines.

but i didn’t want you to have to wait until the Deck is done to get the benefits of the system!

here’s what you get in Constellation Clarity…

  • the format will be:

    • live, interactive teaching from me, hosted on Zoom

    • two-day intensive, 4hrs each day (with breaks)

    • alternating blocks of lecture-style content and real-time implementation (ie. i’ll show you how a tool works, then everyone will spend some time using it before we move on)

  • why we’re trying this format:

    • sometimes carving out a weekend is easier than sticking with something in little drips over weeks or months

    • live, interactive format will keep you more engaged than prerecorded videos

    • actually implementing what you’ve learned in a course is the hardest part (let’s face it, sometimes we never do), this way you’ll be doing it live alongside me and everyone else

  • materials you’ll get

    • a prep guide on what kit you’ll need ready on the day

    • one graph printable

    • one constellation dashboard printable

    • the full set of slides

    • video recording of the class

      • you’ll still need to attend live to get the full benefit of the course, but we have recordings to refer back to in future. fyi, if we have any tech issues, we may provide a recording of a previous class instead, so the content would be the same but Q&A would be different.

  • what you’ll have by the end of the day:

    • a solid grasp of the system, which you can continue to deepen through your own experience using it

    • your own complete Constellation Dashboard, holding all your key tasks, projects and more, ready to use right away

 
 

The Price

$379

USD (that’s about £335 GBP)

  • this price has been carefully discussed and set by me and Christi, according to lots of factors:

    • i can only teach you this system once, while it can save you time and stress, if applied, potentially for the rest of your life

    • the 6+ hours of teaching on the day. this works out at about $60 an hour, which is a little under what i regularly pay hourly for my own counselling (and occasionally coaching & mentoring).

      • granted, that is a 1-2-1 service, but this is also much more structured. remember also that hourly rates for independent / self employed people are generally at least 30% higher than employees, because we have to pay our own overheads and taxes.

    • months of unpaid work have gone into creating and testing the course

    • years of studying and iterating on organizational systems have gone into the design of the Constellation System itself

    • making and charging a fair price for courses & products like this is the only reason i am able to provide ad-free, sponsorship-free content on YouTube

  • no, since this is a one-day intensive course, we are not offering any multi-payment plans

  • discounts

    there IS a 20% discount for anyone who is a participating member of any union or mutual aid group.

    if you’ve been thinking of joining one for a while, and want to use this as an extra kick in the pants to actually do it, please do!

    that discount will be accessible when enrollment opens, and can also be applied for using the link in the footer of my website.

    financial aid

    i want my work to be accessible, which is why i have spent hundreds of hours making ad-free, sponsorship-free videos on youtube sharing my tools and ideas.

    i also share new monthly tools and resources for the low price of a few dollars a month on my patreon.

    it is only through charging a fair price for products and services like Constellation Clarity that i can pay my own bills, and have the time to create other free or low-cost resources. as such there is no further financial aid available for this course.

who’s teaching

HEY! I’M RACHAEL,
your friendly neighbourhood Creative Witch ✦

there’s nothing i love more than venturing into The Woods on a creative mission, and coming back to my village (that’s you!) to share the stories, systems and spells i’ve picked up along the way.

if you want to learn more about me you can check out:

thank you rachael! that felt like therapy… so good!
— rachel dunaway, CC student
unsplash-image-Q_RBVFFXR_g.jpg

FAQS

  • that’s why it’s a two day intensive! there’s no homework for you to do later either. and this system saves time planning every day, week, month in the long run.
    are you willing to stop chopping to spend one weekend sharpening your axe?

  • cool, so do i! but i still felt something was missing. i found it really hard to create my monthly task list, and choose how many projects or tasks to have on my plate at once. my life felt “too big” for my bullet journal.

    if you feel similarly, Constellation Clarity is probably perfect for you. and it integrates beautifully with the bullet journal method!

    if you don’t struggle with your bullet journal and it does everything you need it to do, then you might not need this course.

  • you can still use this system, but you may need to tweak it slightly. you can make your dashboard on paper instead of inside a journal.

    however, based on teaching previous students i have found that people who already have some kind of paper-planner practice or habit are able to incorporate the system much more easily. if you aren’t willing to commit to regularly using a paper planner (like a bullet journal, diary, filofax etc) this probably isn’t the system for you.

  • you might have picked up some of the basics from my videos or quickstart guide, but the domains (aka the Garden) is only half the picture! the Cultivators are a game-changer, and the Dashboard brings all that theory into a practical, analogue method.

    everything else i’ve shared so far has just been a taster.

  • we’ve designed this course so that you’ll do all the action and implementation live, with me, on the day. there’s no self-paced homework!

  • can’t say 100%. though i don’t have an official diagnosis, i’m pretty secure in the fact that i have ADHD and it has worked better for me than any other system i’ve tried.

  • you’ll definitely get something out of it! i’ve tested this with both neurotypical and neurodivergent folks and they’ve both found it helpful.

    the thing with ADHD is that it’s almost a scaling-up of problems that everyone deals with from time-to-time: forgetfulness, boredom, executive dysfunction, resistance, lack of motivation etc. which means that a lot of tools which for essential for someone with ADHD end up being beneficial for all sorts of people.

    you may not need or depend on them as much as someone with ADHD, but they can still streamline things massively.

  • you still can! i always recommend that you try the vanilla version first (after all there is a reason behind each aspect of the design of this) and then make changes based on your experience, rather than trying to tweak and personalise right out of the gate

  • that’s okay! i’ve tried to design this to be used as much or as little as you need - unlike a pre-printed planner where you have to skip a bunch of blank pages if you fall away from it for a while.

  • that’s fine! as long as you can write legibly, you’re good.

    and if you have to write slower, that’s okay, because you only write things once. however, this is geared specifically to people who like working with paper and pen - if you only use digital or hate the idea of working on pen and paper, this isn’t for you.

  • there’s no quick fix for being chronically overburdened or burned out. this is not that.

    and much of the time, that comes from systemic issues - it’s not something that can be solved once and for all on an individual basis.

    (quick aside: if this is coming from domestic or caregiving labour, i recommend checking out this, and if paid work is the culprit, please for the love of god unionise.)

    however, if you really struggle to prioritise rest and replenishment even when you do have pockets of free time, Constellation Clarity may help to start reframe that for you.

 
 
 

 

unsplash-image-iiXyEE-HVXQ.jpg
this has been mind blowing and life changing. I’ve been desperate for help with managing my adhd and this has been great
— sandra rivas, CC student

 we’re closed at the moment

💫 join my newsletter below to be notified about the next session

    unsplash-image-Q_RBVFFXR_g.jpg

    how it went for others


    “I am beyond grateful for Constellation Clarity because, as is so often the case with Rachael's offerings, it's provided me with tools & resources that help me navigate the delicious mess that is being alive, not just in the nitty-gritty, day-to-day sense, but also in a more macro, philosophical, spirit-nourishing sense. it's helped me ask myself necessary questions about what I care about in this life & how I can go about tending to it all in a meaningful, sustainable way, even amidst the often overwhelming context of late-stage capitalism. truly life-changing—thank you Rachael!”

    — JT, writer & CC student

    truly life-changing
    — thank you rachael!
    — JT, cc student
     

    i woke up this morning and like… got loads done? i put on a load of washing and got the dishes done and tidied my room, sorted out the smoke alarms that I was meaning to do for over a year… yeah i just got fucking loads done today!

    and i’m like okay how much of that is that i spent so long with rachael last night being like “I need to get my shit in order” and how much of it is “okay now that it doesn’t feel like Chaos Everywhere in my mind, I’m able to just - boop, boop, boop - get this all done”?

    …but like - positive fucking start, bro.

    — rory*, adhd bestie & hospitality babe

    *rory is my friend IRL, jsyk

     

    our weekend has been going MUCH smoother than normal after implementing the constellation dashboard system!

    Kyle and I sat down this morning, looked at our dashboards, and planned our day in our bullet journal together. It was so much easier than what we normally try to do, and it prevented a lot of conflict that usually comes up (re: him having too many things to do in his head and me having none 😅).

    we are very happy with the system so far and can’t wait to continue exploring it more!

    — christi* & kyle, 30-something parents of a two-year-old

    (*Christi works with me in the business!)

    Christi & Kyle

    black_pattern_tile.jpg

    STILL NOT SURE?

    you can get a taster for the system, and my style of organisation and teaching here…