Why I don't like bullet journaling

If you know about my YouTube channel you are probably confused about the title because I have made at least two videos about my bullet journal layouts.

ummmm this u julia? ↴

yes. yes it is me.

I'm not going to lie to you, for a long time I did really like the idea of bullet journaling, and during the beginning of quarantine I finally started to get a routine down where I kept up with my spreads and it helped my mind feel clear and organized. However, this was relatively short-lived due to being overwhelmed with so many things at once, as I'm sure many people can relate to.

In this blog post I am going to explain why I think bullet journaling is hard to maintain, how to put less pressure on yourself, and what I think better organizational alternatives are. If you enjoy bullet journaling please don't think I am saying it is bad for everyone! People are different and if it works for you that is great!

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Creative Pressure

This may be something that only I have experienced, but I have a feeling it is something other people can relate to also, so I want to talk about it.

Watching bullet journal YouTube videos, or looking at inspiration on Pinterest, I always feel overwhelmed that I won't be able to make my journal look as pretty or "aesthetic". Of course, I know that I am the only one who has to look at my journal and I should not care what other people's look like but I DO. It is probably because I am a raging perfectionist, which can actually lead me to not reaching my full potential, but let's not get into that... The point is that it feels like so much pressure to make your journal look perfect. I am jealous of the people who can just write a couple of things down and not care if they smudge the marker, or mess up a line.

Here is an example of a spread I did that I LOVED at the time, but now I don't like it very much.

This is the first reason why I think bullet journaling is hard to maintain. Here are my suggestions for what to do to prevent this stress:

-If you are very set on continuing bullet journaling but want to combat the creative pressures I suggest not doing too much at one time. Draw out maybe one or two spreads, then give yourself a break. Often times if we try to do too much at one time that's when we make more mistakes and get upset with the whole thing. Take a step back and do something else, then come back later. I know it can feel tempting to just do it all at once, but you will probably enjoy it more if you take a break, then hopefully you can avoid frustration.

-If you get annoyed with physical bullet journaling, something else I would suggest is online journaling/organization. It will be different for everyone and depending on what you want to do with it there are a lot of different options but here are some that I suggest. Todolist, Lazy Bones, and Aloe Bud are all good organization apps that can also keep track of your good habits.

-The next suggestion is to print or stamp things onto your bullet journal. If you feel like having to draw and format everything yourself is too complicated and setting you up for frustration, you can buy pre-made stamps or print out templates to ensure that your bullet journal stays clean and organized.

-My last suggestion, which is similar to the one above, is buying a pre-made bullet journal or planner. This way all you have to do it fill in the spaces with your habits, moods, etc. You can still be creative with this by doodling, coloring, or highlighting, but it is much more organized and takes off so much of the pressure of setting up layouts all by yourself on a blank paper.

Hard to keep up with

Let's be honest, when you have had a hard, tiring, and busy day, the last thing you want to do before bed is color in your mood, mark off what tasks you completed, or write a sentence about your day. For some people, it's easy to keep up with, or they enjoy doing all those things, but for others it is a really hard thing to complete every day.

If you are one of those people who feel like it's hard to keep up with, here are my suggestions to help with that:

-Use a digital system that can send you reminders. This is pretty self-explanatory, but I will explain: a paper notebook can't remind you to fill out spreads, but a computer, phone, or tablet can. This can help you remember to plan and organize. You could also just set a reminder on your phone so you remember to fill out the paper notebook if you prefer.

-Make spreads that are quick and easy to fill out. If you are making very elaborate spreads that have many things to fill out on a day-to-day basis, it will take much more time to complete, and feel very overwhelming. If you keep your spreads simple, they can still be effective without taking too much time out of your day.

-Create a routine. In all areas of life, having a routine can be very beneficial. This is true also for bullet journaling. If you start to have a routine where you journal around the same time every day, it is less likely that you will forget to do it. I recommend doing it at night, but that is just my preference. I used to always journal at night while also writing down things I'm grateful for and meditating before bed. I never forgot to journal because at that point it was a part of my routine just like brushing my teeth or getting in my pajamas.

Can't change things on paper

This point doesn't need much explaining but I thought it was worth addressing. With a digital planning system, you can make edits when life changes (as it inevitably will). On paper however, you cannot make those changes if you already drew out 31 squares when there are only 30 days in that month. I'm not saying digital planning is better, because like I've said before, everyone is different, but it is something to think about.

If you are a perfectionist like me, you won't be able to live with a few mistakes, so digital planning could be a better alternative since you can go back and make changes.

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I know its easier said than done, but please don't be too hard on yourself when bullet journaling! Make it fun and laid back and you will enjoy it so much more. Also, I hope you don't think I'm saying bullet journaling is horrible and everyone should stop. If it works for you that is great! Keep doing what you are doing!

I hope you enjoyed reading today's blog post, as always please check out my YouTube channel as well, because I have a lot of new videos coming out soon.

<3

-Julia