c/bullet-journaling

That time a librarian in Portland fixed my messy monthly spread

I was at a coffee shop in Portland last summer working on my bullet journal when an older lady sat down next to me. She glanced over and said 'your collections are all over the place, try grouping them by project instead of by date.' I had been cluttering my monthly spread with random tasks from three different work projects. She showed me how she uses color coded tabs for each project across her weekly logs. That one tip saved me about 20 minutes of flipping pages every morning. Has anyone else had a random stranger give them a bujo tip that actually stuck?

PSA: My habit tracker was a total lie until I did this one thing

I spent 6 months drawing these fancy habit trackers with washi tape and markers. Problem was I kept forgetting to fill them in by day three. Started just putting a single dot next to each habit at the end of the day. Anyone else just slap a dot and call it done?

Old sprial notebook vs my first official dotted Leuchtturm still feels like a huge upgrade years later

Honestly, going back to a regular ruled notebook after using dotted pages for six months just feels wrong now, so has anyone else gotten stubborn about their grid style?

Warning: That coffee shop bullet journal meetup was a mess

I went to this new coffee shop downtown last Saturday for a bullet journal meetup I saw on Instagram. The place was packed and loud, like really loud, with blenders going off every 2 minutes. I couldn't even hear the person next to me talking about their habit tracker layout. They had these tiny wobbly tables too, so my journal almost slid off twice. Has anyone else run into a bad venue for group journaling?

TIL a coworker was right about using washi tape as a page marker replacement

I used to use those sticky tabs for my monthly spreads, but they kept falling off after a week or so. A guy I drive with, Dave, told me to try washi tape instead because it sticks better to the page without tearing. I finally gave it a shot about 3 months ago, and it's been solid - no peeling or shifting at all. Plus, you can write on it with a pen if you need to label something specific. Has anyone else found a trick like this that they ignored for too long?

A coworker told me my weekly spread looked like a tax form

I spent 6 months doing these ultra detailed weekly layouts with columns for every category and little boxes for each hour of the day. He said it looked like something from H&R Block and I realized he was right, so I stripped it down to just a simple task list and a notes section. Has anyone else had someone call out their bujo style and made you totally pivot?

Found a system for monthly reviews that actually sticks

I tried doing a full monthly review for 2 years but kept dropping it until last month I started just using 3 bullet points to answer what worked, what didn't, and what to change. Has anyone else found a super simple format that keeps them consistent?

Started a monthly habit tracker in my bujo, then forgot to fill it in for 3 weeks straight.

I was sitting at my kitchen table in Denver last month staring at 21 empty squares thinking what's the point of this thing, so I ditched the tracker and just use a simple dot system on my daily log instead, anyone else given up on habit trackers?

Wasted $25 on those fancy stencils from Etsy

I bought a set of 8 stencil templates for my bullet journal last month because I wanted cleaner headers. Figured $25 was a decent deal for how much use I'd get out of them. First week they worked okay but by the third use the plastic edges were already peeling and smudging ink everywhere. Now I'm back to drawing my headers freehand with a ruler and it looks way better. Has anyone else had better luck with a specific brand of stencils?

Had to pick between a cheap spiral notebook and a $38 Leuchtturm1917 for my first bujo...

I went with the cheap one because I was scared of messing up an expensive book, and now the pages are bleeding through so bad I can see my grocery list from last Tuesday on the back of my monthly spread. Anybody else regret their first notebook choice?

Spent 45 minutes looking for a pen I was already holding

I sat down to set up my weekly spread and spent a full 45 minutes tearing my desk apart for my favorite black Pilot G2, only to realize it was tucked behind my ear the whole time. My cat watched me the entire time with that judging look they get, and I swear she was laughing at me. Has anyone else had a silly moment like this where your bullet journal setup made you feel like a complete fool?

Hit 200 consecutive days in my journal last week and I'm weirdly proud of it

How I used to pack my weekly spreads full of stickers vs. now just using black pen

Back in 2021 I was all about the decoration. I'd spend an hour picking out washi tape and stickers for each week. Then I had a baby 8 months ago and I literally only have 5 minutes to set up my pages now. It's just black pen and straight lines. Anyone else find their style totally shifted after a big life change?

Had a talk with my mom about her old planner system last weekend

She said my bullet journal looks like a crime scene with all those color codes and washi tape, and honestly she might have a point about keeping it simpler. Has anyone else had a family member call out your setup and make you actually think about it?

Ditched my weekly spreads for daily logs after I missed 3 appointments in one month

I used to spend an hour every Sunday setting up fancy weekly layouts with washi tape and color coding, but my ADHD brain just ignored them after Tuesday. Now I just flip to a fresh page each morning and jot down that day's tasks as they come up - has anyone else found that simpler setups actually work better?

My habit tracker fell apart after 72 hours

I spent a whole Sunday designing this super detailed habit tracker for sleep, water, and reading, but by Wednesday the lines were so messy I couldn't tell what I'd tracked lol. Turns out I used a pen that bled through the page and my ruler slipped on every single row. Has anyone else had a simple layout fail harder than a fancy one?

Switched from a monthly log to a daily rapid log and it saved my bullet journal from the trash bin

I spent six months trying to force monthly spreads with color coded habit trackers and decorative headers, then ditched it all for a plain rapid log with just tasks, events, and notes, and now I actually use the thing every single day instead of feeling guilty about a blank page - has anyone else found that simplifying your setup beat the urge to quit?

Was super skeptical about color coding my weekly spreads

I rolled my eyes hard when I saw someone on Instagram use 6 different highlighters for their weekly tasks. Tried it out for 2 weeks last month just to prove it was a waste. Now I color code everything by category - red for work, blue for personal, green for bills. Anyone else find themselves using more colors than they planned?

Gave up on my fancy monthly spread after 3 weeks straight

I spent like 4 hours making this really artsy monthly layout with drawings and washi tape. By day 10 I realized I was avoiding using it because I didn't want to mess up the nice pages. My actual daily tasks were getting scribbled on sticky notes instead. A buddy in my local bujo group told me he just uses a plain list with a highlighter and it clicked for me. Has anyone else had a pretty setup that actually made things harder?

I was totally against a future log until I tried it for 6 weeks straight

I thought future logs were just busywork for people who like making charts more than actually planning stuff. But after missing two dentist appointments and a friend's wedding last March, I forced myself to set one up with just a few key dates. Turns out having that quick glance at what's coming in May saved me from double-booking myself three times already. Am I the only one who resisted this basic setup for way too long?

I was dead set against a monthly log until I gave it 3 weeks

I always thought monthly logs were a waste of space since I do weeklies. But after missing a dentist appointment in Omaha back in March, I tried a simple monthly list on page 4 of my journal. Having a bird's eye view of deadlines and events helped me plan my weeklies better. Anyone else skip monthlies at first and then come around to them?

That $120 bullet journal I bought from a fancy stationery shop - total regret

I dropped $120 on a limited edition Leuchtturm1917 journal from that boutique shop in Portland, thinking the thick paper and layout would change my whole bujo game. But honestly, the paper bleed is just as bad as my $15 Amazon notebook, and now I'm scared to use it every day! Has anyone else overpaid for a "premium" journal and felt ripped off, or do you think the quality actually makes a difference long term?

Minimalist vs fancy spreads - which actually sticks? My 3 month experiment

So for the last two quarters I went back and forth. First 3 months I did the whole Pinterest thing with washi tape, multiple colors, little drawings. Looked great but I kept skipping days because it took too long. Then next 3 months I did basically just a line for the date and a dot for tasks. Bare bones. And you know what? The ugly one got filled in every single day. All 90 days. The pretty one had like 40 something. I'm starting to think all those decoration ideas people post are just for the photo, not for actually tracking stuff. But then again some people swear they need the fun colors to stay motivated. What side are you on? Has anyone else actually tracked how long they stuck with each style?

When I tried a monthly spread instead of weekly, it completely backfired

I decided to switch to a single monthly spread for April, thinking it would save me time. But by the third week, I had run out of space for all the little tasks and notes that kept piling up. I ended up using sticky notes all over the page, which looked messy and made it hard to find anything. What I learned is that the weekly layout gives me just enough room to breathe without feeling overwhelmed. Has anyone else tried a monthly only approach and had it work out?

Rant: I finally stopped adding a weekly habit tracker to my bujo

I spent 4 months tracking things like "drink water" and "floss" in a fancy grid and never once looked back at it. Last week I just started writing the habits in my daily log with a check mark and it actually works better for me. Anyone else ditch dedicated trackers for just keeping it in the dailies?