You're Going to Quit Bullet Journaling (and I'm going to tell you why)

the reasons that i'm quitting  bullet journaling at least for now   some of the reasons why i hate bullet journaling   why bullet journaling didn't work for me  at that point i hated bullet journaling *indistinct voices speaking over each other* you are most likely going to quit bullet  journaling and i'm going to tell you why ever wonder why every time you open youtube  there's yet another video with some nice looking   person with a sad expression holding up a notebook  with why i quit bullet journaling in front of it   well i did and as a bullet journalist of almost  seven years and now a professional i felt i was   qualified to do a little bit of digging some  investigative bullet journalism into this matter   to discover why so many people quit using their  bullet journal first a brief history lesson the   bullet journal method was developed by writer  carol and first posted on the internet back   in 2013. this simple method for organizing and  planning your life with just a notebook and a pen   slowly spread across the internet before exploding  with popularity around 2017 or so becoming a   full-on internet phenomenon since then there has  been an ever-growing number of bullet journalists   sharing their work on the internet including  myself and an ever widening gap between those who   follow the bare bones original simple minimalist  method and those of us who like to get a little   more creative and artistic in our bullet journals  the method itself is super simple it's basically a   do-it-yourself planner that allows you to track  and plan what you need and leave what you don't   so if it's completely customizable and up to the  individual how they want to create and use it then   why do so many people quit well i did the research  so you don't have to first i went to youtube   and searched those after mentioned why i quit  bullet journaling videos of which there are many   and i watched them all and took notes and also  made graphs i also pulled my instagram followers   and added in those data points too so what did  i discover the same reasons came up over and   over again five reasons to be exact so let's go  through them one at a time and allow me to share   just some tips and tricks that might help you  avoid these common pitfalls and allow you to enjoy   your bullet journal for years to come reason one  performance a theme that reemerged over and over   again while watching these videos and looking  through the instagram responses was exhaustion   due to a perceived need to perform their bullet  journal for others social media is the antidote   to both productivity and creativity when you're  creating with the intent to share the creative   process can morph from authentic expression  into hollow performance are you performing your   bullet journal or are you truly using it serving  your own needs first beauty is not a condition   of bullet journaling getting too caught up in  aesthetics and forgetting about productivity and   even more than that purpose will leave you drained  unmotivated and uninspired focus on why you like   to bullet journal aka find your purpose and stick  to it and i want to add in here that it is totally   okay if your number one priority if your purpose  for having a bullet journal is to create something   beautiful i personally adore the relaxation and  mindfulness that comes along with getting to   create beautiful artwork in my bullet journal on  a regular basis i'm so much more likely to use it   when it's aesthetically pleasing to me but if that  doesn't matter to you or just isn't a priority   trying to make it beautiful to fit in with the  online aesthetic of it all is just going to hinder   you for me transitioning from the minimalist basic  system into the more aesthetic artistic version of   a bullet journal allowed me to rediscover my love  of drawing and painting my bullet journal is now   both my main productivity tool in both my personal  life and my work life as well as a fun hobby and a   creative outlet and if you're feeling conflicted  just remember you don't have to choose one or the   other there is no reason at all why you can't use  the original minimalist system for a couple months   and then have a super artistic aesthetic theme  or two and then back to the minimalist system   when you get busy or just don't have any creative  ideas and then back again to creating a beautiful   painting or drawing it's your bullet journal you  can create it however you like and you don't have   to make a million rules for yourself to follow you  can also do some sort of amalgamation of the two   where maybe you create a really beautiful  artistic cover page and then every other spread   is just bare bones basic this is your bullet  journal we're talking about you make the rules   key word there being you because if  you get too caught up in performing   your bullet journal for others on the internet  and not prioritizing your own wants and needs   you will quit reason two perfectionism i'm sure  you saw this one coming because for some reason   the venn diagram that is bullet journalists and  perfectionists is literally just a circle and   as a recovering perfectionist myself i can 100  empathize but holding yourself to an impossible   standard and giving up as soon as you make a  mistake forget about a spread don't do each habit   every day or have messy handwriting it's just a  recipe for misery and that goes for your entire   life not just bullet journaling take it from  me let's get this out of the way you will make   mistakes you will end up with spreads you don't  like or don't use and that's just the process no   one is immune trial and error is an integral  part of developing a bullet journal system   that is uniquely suited to your life and your  brain and if you stop yourself from even trying   because you're too afraid to make a mistake  you're missing out on all of the beautiful   things that bullet journaling could bring to your  life i think when talking about perfectionism it's   really important to remember reason one you don't  have to share your bullet journal with anyone if   you're dealing with perfectionism you already know  that you are your number one critic but the only   thing that can make perfectionism worse the only  thing that can top our own critique of our own   work is putting it online for the world to see  and dealing with others criticism and opinions   compounded on top of our own so just don't do it  to yourself especially if you're trying to build   a new habit trust me it is way more fun to share  your bullet journal once you've found your groove   once you know what works for you and what you like  you'll feel a lot more confident and comfortable i   promise perfect is the enemy of the good it's also  the enemy of getting started getting things done   and feeling good about yourself a bullet journal  isn't supposed to be perfect it's supposed to   be useful in your pursuit of what matters to you  whether that's mindfulness productivity creativity   relaxation organization or some combination  of the above mine is chock full of mistakes   scribbles half finished spreads spreads  that i forgot about and coffee stains and   i wouldn't want it any other way i don't  need something perfect i need something   that i'm motivated to use that's where the art  comes in so that i can get my [ __ ] together   and keep it together ideally a bullet journal  isn't supposed to be perfect and neither are   we and if you get too caught up in making your  bullet journal perfect you will quit reason 3   comparison social media pits us against each  other to serve the algorithm and on visual   platforms like instagram and pinterest that  means prioritizing spreads that are familiar   tidy and eye-catching did you notice what was  glaringly absent from that list useful real   tailored to the individual comparison truly is the  thief of joy and so many people who quit bullet   journaling cite this internal pressure to live  up to what they see online as a major factor in   losing motivation with our bujo this doesn't just  apply to artistic standards or feeling like you   have to outdo other bullet journalists this can  also result in people feeling like they have to do   the exact same spreads as everyone else in the  exact same way even if it doesn't work for them   of course feel free to try spreads that intrigue  you but also keep an open mind be critical of   how that spread functions for you how do you  feel setting it up how do you feel using it do   you feel motivated to use it are there aspects  of the spread that don't apply to your life or   other aspects you wish you could include bullet  journals are customizable which means you have   to put in that little bit more effort to analyze  spreads that you incorporate into your system and   adjust them or eliminate them as needed and that  doesn't mean you can't bring a spread back later   if you miss it or bring it back in a different way  but it does mean that you don't set up 20 spreads   every single month out of a feeling of  obligation when you really only want and need for   so gather inspiration online try new things but  always stay true to your wants needs and purpose   because if you let comparison get the best of  you you will quit reason 4 time ha time that ever   elusive dimension of which there is never enough  the most frequently repeated reason for quitting   bullet journaling that i saw in my research was  that it was too time-consuming and listen i get it   we are busy we don't have time to set up elaborate  spreads every day of the week again this is my   full-time job and i still don't have time to set  up a new spread every day most of us can still   manage a bullet journal in some form but if you  are well and truly so busy that you can't even   keep up with the simplest version of this system  then it's likely that bullet journaling isn't for   you and that is completely valid the trade-off  here is flexibility if you have no extra time   and have no problem following a more rigid  pre-made planner then that's what you should do   but getting the flexibility that comes with making  your own bullet journal means putting in that   little bit more time there really is no way around  it so if you want my tips for sticking with a   bullet journal without spending every waking hour  on its maintenance then listen up first of all if   what is most time consuming for you is rewriting  tasks over and over again i highly suggest you   check out the rolling weekly it saved my bullet  journal and i cannot sing its praises enough   i'll link a video explaining it here it saves so  much time if you're spending ages on creating art   then simplify my solution here is to create  artistic monthly spreads but very simple and   minimalist weekly spreads so my initial setup for  the month with a cover page and a quote page and a   calendar i'll make those really artistic i might  whip out some paints but for my day to day in my   weeklies i use the exact same layout every single  week and all i need is a single pen if you have a   few hours on a day off to set up your month you  can do this method i do all of my monthly art in   my bullet journal in a single day love and use a  spread but find yourself dreading setting up each   week or month try creating a longer term version  of the spread that you can just set up once per   bullet journal if you can make a version of this  spread that can last several months at a time you   just need to set it up once until you move into  a new notebook give it a try and ultimately my   biggest tip or piece of advice here is that the  entire process of setting up your bullet journal   whether it's a new notebook or a new month or your  next week it gets easier the longer you do it once   you've worked through different types of spreads  once you've found what works for you what you need   what you like the setup process becomes much much  easier takes less brain power and less time this   is so important because if you don't learn to use  your bullet journal time more efficiently you will   quit reason 5 overwhelm this is such a common  problem within the bullet journaling community   and it makes me so sad because it is 100 avoidable  people jump in too fast too soon and get in way   over their head so many bujo newbies start with  like 25 super artistic and elaborate spreads and   then wonder why they struggle to keep up with  it burning hot and then burning out so start   small start with only a handful of spreads and go  from there i personally would recommend starting   with the absolute bare bones system as explained  by writer carol in this video start with the   spreads you absolutely need future log monthly  log daily logs and try it out for a couple months   grab a notebook you have on hand grab a random pen  or pencil and just try the basic method get a feel   for it and see if it even works for your brain  because as awesome as the bullet journal system is   as modular as flexible as it is it's not going  to work for every single person so don't jump   in headfirst buy super expensive supplies and  put in a huge amount of commitment in both time   and effort into the system before you even know  if you like it once you get a handle on how the   system functions once you figure out if you like  it and what does and doesn't work for you then you   can start to add a little more complexity and some  embellishments and i know this might not be what   you want to hear i know the artistic element of a  bullet journal the aesthetic of it all is really   what draws a lot of people to bullet journaling  and i understand i love that side of it too   but i used the original method for years with  barely any use of color let alone art before i   got to where i am now and that allowed me to build  a solid foundation of understanding of the system   before it got complicated you don't need to wait  as long as i did you don't have to wait years but   i would definitely recommend trying at least a  couple weeks maybe a couple months if you can   before you get too deep just give yourself a  chance to learn the system and adjust bullet   journaling is a marathon not a sprint and if you  rush too quick in the beginning by doing too much   too soon you will get overwhelmed and you will  quit so there you go those are the five main   reasons i discovered in my research that people  quit their bullet journals and they're likely   the reasons you'll quit too if you don't find  solutions that work for you all of this being said   it's okay if bullet journaling doesn't work for  you if you've tried a couple of these tips or   maybe all of them and it's still not working it's  okay to walk away you are not a failure the bullet   journal system just failed to fit itself into  your life plus remember quitting doesn't have   to be a permanent thing you can take a break you  can take a sabbatical and you can come back later   maybe bullet journaling doesn't work for your  life right now but it will in five years time   or next month and the bullet journal system will  be there when you come back to it if you come back   to it let me know in the comments if you've ever  struggled with any of these five issues and what   you tried to fix them and whether any of those  fixes worked for you also if you've quit bullet   journaling i would love to hear your experiences  and if you're considering starting a bullet   journal this was probably a good video to start  with but i can also recommend my how to start a   bullet journal video which i will link up here and  in the description box thank you to my patrons for   your support extra special thanks to our newest  patrons amelia amy stephanie ashley and merdula   welcome all of you to the squad we are so excited  to have you if you at home want to join the squad   feel free there's a link in the card and in the  description box down below and with that i'm gonna   get going thank you so much for watching this  video and i'll see you really soon in my next one   bye friends feel free to check out some of  my other bullet journal content here and here

Channel: Plant Based Bride

Views: 608,562

Keywords: Plant Based Bride, Bullet Journal, Bujo, Elizabeth Greer Turnbull, Elizabeth Turnbull, why i quit bullet journaling, why i hate bullet journaling, why i quit the bullet journal method, why i quit my bujo, why i stopped bullet journaling, why i hate the bullet journal method, why i hate bujo, why do people quit bullet journaling, bullet journal challenges, bullet journal tips, bullet journal advice, bullet journal perfectionism, bujo time consuming, bujo overwhelming

Id: oX-rpV5PPQ4

Length: 16min 29sec (989 seconds)

Published: Sat Aug 14 2021