Today's post is just a quick look into my Journey with Bullet Journaling.
What is Bullet Journaling?
Why I decided to try Bullet Journaling
Deciding to try Bullet Journaling was something I thought about over the busy Christmas period. I had spiralled into a higher state of anxiety and needed somewhere to vent without starting / carrying another notebook and it seemed like a good idea to have one book I can keep everything in. At the time I was going to repurchase an Erin Condren Life Planner but I had heard so many issues about print quality and I didn't want to have to deal with those problems if they arrived, being an international buyer.
What my "kit" was
How I found setting up
I was really nervous about the set up. I like to keep everything as neat as possible and even with a ruler, I repeatedly had to rub out and redraw layouts.
I decided to have set pages for lists I make like Films to see or Books to read and set them up at the front before delving into weekly setups. It did take time to do and even though I found it calming I found myself disappointed in the design I chose or the colours I used and I kept thinking I could I have been more creative.
I was comparing my Bullet Journal to others I'd see on Pinterest and Instagram and the whole point is to find your own way to do it. I then started setting up my weeks how I would have previously with my Erin Condren.
Did I use as much?
I used the bullet journal for a total of 5 weeks before I found it too time consuming to use how I wanted to use it. I could of carried it on without a specific layout or without colour coding but it would of in a weird way make me feel like I wasn't being productive.
Comparing it to the Erin Condren, I missed using stickers and I found that I work well and plan better when having those sticker layouts.
The Pros of Bullet Journaling
- Keeps everything together in one notebook.
- Can be an amazing opportunity to delve into your own mental health.
- You don't have to set a budget for it each month. A lot of planner people budget to buy stickers but with this there's no necessity for it.
The Cons of Bullet Journaling
- If you are not an artistic person you can find building layouts frustrating.
- You can find yourself comparing your designs to everyone else's on Social Media.
- You may not want your feelings written in a book that goes everywhere with you, in case you lose it.
- For me I missed using sticker layouts.
- Some pens did bleed through the pages and I would then leave pages blank.
- You don't have a year at a glance unless you've specifically planned that in. I didn't so planning ahead was difficult. I'd find myself unable to pinpoint if I'd be on a second or third notebook around a date a few months ahead.
- I then wondered with the set pages would I have to transfer them to each notebook or would I then end up between two notebooks again.
- I found myself having separate notebooks again.
Going back to Erin Condren
In the end I found Bullet Journaling a Huge frustration. For months I ended up without a planner because I decided to go back to Erin Condren. Their new planner launched in May and there will be a review of that coming soon.
What do you think of Bullet Journaling? Is it something you would try?
Would you like to comment?