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I can’t tell you how many pages I ripped out of my first bullet journal.
The lines weren’t straight. My pictures were stupid. I didn’t like the design.
The reasons are countless as to why I’d ripped out so many.
What I came to realize is that I was comparing my bullet journal to others.
Journaling is personal and I was looking at it as if it were going to share it with the world.
Needless to say, my first bullet journal was a wash!
If Your Recycle Bin Is Filling Up With Ruined Pages From Your BUJO Then Read On
Mistakes to Avoid When Developing Your Bullet Journal
1. Failure To Plan Ahead
Before you put pen to paper, you need to make sure you know how you want your design to look. Do you want to track something over the course of a year or do you want to add a mini tracker to your weekly schedule? Do you want a weekly schedule or would a daily schedule be more beneficial to you? Failure to plan is the same thing as planning to fail.
2. More Is Not Better
As a new journaler, you see all the different trackers people use and you think to yourself, “that would be fun” or “Cool! I want to try that too!”
Then you make your BUJO and fill it with trackers that have no purpose other than tracking.
What is the point in tracking your weight unless you are actively trying to lose or maintain your weight? Or what about tracking what you spend in your BUJO but then duplicating the same thing on an app on your phone?
All you are doing is creating more work.
Your journal should not feel like work. It is supposed to help relieve your stress–not create it.
3. Perfectionism Is Not Your Friend
No one is born perfect.
As a new journaler, I compared my journal to the ones I saw on Pinterest (BAD MOVE!!!)
I am not an artist.
The perfectionist within me kept me ripping out pages rather than adding them. I was getting nowhere.
Because my work wasn’t perfect, I didn’t want to continue. Don’t expect to be perfect. Tell the perfectionist within yourself to go on vacation.
Click on the image below to learn about a new approach to bullet journaling.
4. Planning Too Far Ahead Muffles Creativity
The point of keeping a journal is to better your mental health as well as adding organization to your life.
You can’t use your journal effectively if you only use it once a month.
You need to look at it daily. With that being said, your journal should change as you change.
I am not the same today as I was yesterday, nor will I be the same tomorrow.
As you evolve your journal should evolve too.
Planning a week or two weeks ahead should be the maximum. Anything further than that and you risk binding the creativity within yourself.
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Very helpful Cynthia.
Thank you Mystic Dee! I’m glad I could help.