c/bullet-journaling

My old bullet journal had a big weekly spread but my new one is just a running list

I used a full two-page weekly layout for almost three years, but last January I switched to a simple daily running task list. It felt weird at first, but now I don't miss drawing all those boxes at all. Has anyone else gone from a complex layout back to basics and stuck with it?

Shoutout to my sister who said my weekly spreads look like a chore chart

She pointed out all my trackers and said 'it's a journal, not a report card'... and honestly, I've been over-planning for about six months. Anyone else get too caught up in making it perfect?

Serious question, have you ever bought a whole set of expensive pens for bullet journaling?

I saw a lot of people online using a specific brand of brush pens and decided I needed them too. I spent about $75 on a full set of 24 colors. The thing is, I almost never use them. My daily logging is all in black, and for the few times I want color, I just grab a basic highlighter. That money could have gone to a really nice notebook or something I'd actually use every day. It felt like I was buying the idea of a perfect journal, not the tools I needed. Has anyone else ended up with a drawer full of fancy supplies they never touch?

My sister told me my weekly spreads were 'visually overwhelming' and to try a single highlighter color.

I switched to just a gray mildliner and it cut my setup time in half. Anyone else get a critique that actually improved their system?

Vent: My friend said my bullet journal was 'too messy' to be useful

My friend Sam looked at my journal about two months ago and said the scribbles and crossed-out tasks made it hard to follow. He told me to start fresh with a new notebook and keep it super clean. I tried it for a whole month, but it felt stiff and I stopped using it. Going back to my old, messy way actually works better because I can see my real thought process. Has anyone else had someone give them advice that just didn't fit how your brain works?

I just filled an entire notebook for the first time, and it was 183 pages of my life.

I always thought I'd get bored and quit, but seeing that stack of daily logs and trackers made me realize how much actually happened in those six months, so what's a good way to celebrate finishing a journal?

My old weekly spread was just a messy list, but I finally found a layout that works for my brain.

For years I just wrote tasks in a column and it felt chaotic, but last Tuesday I switched to a two-column grid with one side for appointments and the other for to-dos. It clicked because I can see my day at a glance now without feeling overwhelmed. What's one small layout tweak that made a big difference for you?

My friend told me to skip the yearly spread and just start monthly

She said it would save me time and keep things fresh, so I tried it for the last three months. Instead of setting up a whole year of trackers in January, I just made a new monthly log each time. It actually felt way less heavy, and I didn't waste pages on stuff I stopped using. Has anyone else ditched the big yearly setup for something simpler?

Just read that the original bullet journal method was designed to be done with a simple pen and any notebook, not the fancy spreads you see everywhere.

I found this out in an old interview with Ryder Carroll, and it makes me wonder if anyone else feels pressure to make their journal look perfect instead of just using it.

PSA: I spilled a full cup of coffee on my bullet journal at the library

I was setting up my monthly log at the downtown branch last Tuesday when it happened. The coffee soaked through 15 pages of my Leuchtturm1917, ruining my future log and a habit tracker. Everyone says to just let it dry, but I took a different route. I carefully tore out the damaged pages, used a hair dryer on low heat for about 10 minutes on the rest, and then pressed the whole book under a stack of heavy cookbooks overnight. The journal is warped but usable, and I actually like the character the stain adds to the edge. Has anyone else salvaged a journal after a major spill, and what method did you use?

Just read that the original bullet journal method only uses three symbols. I've been overcomplicating mine for months.

My friend said my weekly spread looked like a tax form and now I'm rethinking everything

She pointed out that my color coded boxes and tiny handwriting made it feel like work, not a helpful tool. I switched to just a simple pen and one highlighter, which cut my setup time from 45 minutes to about 10. Do you think a bullet journal should be purely functional, or is the artistic part what makes it work for you?

Found out bullet journaling started as a system for a guy with ADHD

I was reading an old interview with Ryder Carroll, the creator, and he said he developed the method to manage his own attention deficit. It was never meant to be about fancy pens or perfect spreads, just a simple way to focus. Does knowing the original intent change how you set up your own journal?

Just realized my bullet journal was making me feel bad about my own life

I was looking back at my old journals from 2019, and every single page was a perfect spread with fancy lettering. I saw a note I wrote that said 'too messy to post' on a page about a really hard week. That was the tip off. I was making it for other people to see, not for me to actually use. Now I just scribble with a plain blue pen and it works so much better. How do you keep your journal feeling like a real tool and not just a showpiece?

I thought the whole 'future log' thing was just extra work, but it saved my butt planning a wedding.

My fiance and I are getting married in October, and I was drowning in dates for vendors, dress fittings, and tasting appointments. I kept them all in my monthly spreads, but it was a mess. My friend, who's been journaling for years, told me to just try a future log for six months. I sketched out a simple two-page grid for June through December. Suddenly, I could see everything at once. When the caterer called to move our menu finalization, I didn't have to flip through three different months to check for conflicts. It took maybe 20 minutes to set up and has already prevented two double-bookings. Has anyone else had a simple tool in their bujo that they resisted but now can't live without?

Warning: My 'simple' yearly future log took three hours to fix.

I tried to set up a two-page spread for 2025, just months and dates. I used a ruler and a fine pen, but my lines were off by a tiny bit. I kept trying to fix it, erasing and redrawing, and it just got worse. I ended up having to use white-out tape on the whole grid and start over. I thought it would be a 15 minute job. Has anyone found a good way to lay out a clean grid without going insane?

Am I the only one who saw the bullet journal display at the library in Cedar Rapids?

They had a whole setup with a traveler's notebook and a fountain pen, but the ink they were using was definitely going to bleed through the paper... Has anyone found a good ink that doesn't do that?

My bullet journal fell in a puddle last week and I had to start over from scratch

I was walking to my car in the rain in Seattle and my whole bag, journal inside, went right into a big puddle. The pages were a total mess, all my trackers and the monthly log I just set up were gone. I had to buy a new Leuchtturm1917 notebook and spend a whole evening trying to remember what I had written down. Has anyone else had to recover from losing their journal and found a good way to do it?

My sister saw my weekly spread and said it looked like a to-do list for a robot

We were at her place in Madison last weekend, and I was showing off my new habit tracker. She just stared at it for a minute and said, 'Piper, where's the fun? This looks like you're grading your own life.' I've been bullet journaling for almost two years, and I always thought the point was to be super organized and efficient. My spreads are all clean lines, color-coded tasks, and perfect little checkboxes. But her comment made me realize I've turned my whole journal into a performance review. I don't draw, I don't write about my day, I just log. It hit different because she's right. I'm so focused on getting the checkmark that I forgot this was supposed to be for me, not my imaginary boss. Has anyone else gotten so caught up in the system that they lost the point of having a journal at all?

I bought a $25 stencil set for my weekly spreads and it just collects dust now

I thought having perfect little boxes and banners would make my journal look neat, but it actually made setting up each week feel like a chore instead of something helpful. After three weeks I went back to my simple ruler and pen because it was faster and felt more like mine. Has anyone else bought a fancy tool that just ended up slowing them down?

My friend called my weekly spread a 'wall of text' and she was right.

She looked at my journal last month and said, 'I get tired just looking at that.' I had every single task for the week written out in full sentences, no symbols, just a solid block of writing. I switched to only using the basic bullet, circle, and dash symbols for tasks, events, and notes. Now my pages have room to breathe and I can actually see what's important. Has anyone else had to strip things back to the basics after getting too fancy?

My entire May spread is a lie because I can't count weeks

I spent two hours drawing this perfect floral theme for May, only to realize I gave it SIX weeks instead of five. I was so focused on the doodles I just kept adding boxes. My friend Sarah pointed it out when she asked what I was doing with 'May 35th'. Has anyone else ever drawn a whole month wrong before catching it?

Honestly, my local library in Portland had a whole display on planners and it made me think

Tbh, I was just grabbing a book and saw they had a table set up with maybe 20 different notebooks and journals from the last few years. Ngl, seeing all those filled pages and different styles in one spot made me realize how much my own bullet journal is just for me, not for some perfect look online. Has anyone else gotten ideas from just seeing a bunch of real, used journals out in the world?

My sister saw my weekly spread and called it a 'stress log'

She pointed out that my habit tracker had 15 items, and my to-do list for Monday had over 20 tasks. She said it looked like I was just logging my anxiety, not planning my week. I cut both lists down to 5 essential things each, and it's been way better. Has anyone else had to scale back after a layout got too packed?

My bullet journal got soaked at a coffee shop in Tacoma and I'm glad it did.

The pages warped and bled, so I stopped trying to make it look perfect and just started scribbling notes. Anyone else find a messy journal actually works better for them?