There’s no denying it: we all get unmotivated at some point in our bullet journaling journey. For me, there were days, even weeks, where I haven’t touched my bullet journal.
The time where I wasn’t using my bullet was unproductive and chaotic. This was when I realized how important my bullet journal is for me. Luckily, I was able to hop back into the game, even after a few months of inactivity.
In this blog post, I want to tell you the top 7 reasons why people quit bullet journaling and what you can do to combat them.
7 Reasons Why People Quit Bullet Journaling
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1. Too fixated on perfection
You’re too fixed on creating perfectly straight lines, margins, the perfect handwriting or lettering, and more.
I get where you’re coming from — just go on the #bujo tag and you’ll see perfect-looking spreads in the popular posts. If you’re new to bullet journaling, you might think this is the norm. The expectation of keeping a perfect journal demotivates you from using your journal and could eventually make you want to quit bullet journaling altogether.
However, the reality is that perfectionism hinders your productivity and journaling. Rather than spending hours on making the perfect spread, you should only be spending a small fraction of that time.
Rather than focusing on perfection:
- Let yourself know that’s it’s OK if your bullet journal is messy
- Note that you are allowed to make mistakes
- Use cheaper supplies to help you feel better
- Take a more minimalistic approach to journaling
2. Making the bullet journal too Complicated
Complicated tables/charts, intricate bullet journal spreads, and dozens of different trackers, you get the picture. If you have to recreate this in every spread or journal, it’s going to become exhausting. Having to redraw complicated grids multiple times will burn most people out, including me.
Furthermore, if you add too many things into your journal, you’ll start to feel overwhelmed. At a certain point, your bullet journal starts to feel more like a chore rather than a useful resource and tool.
Keep it simple. If you still want to have a nice looking bullet journal, you can check out my printables in the VIP Library! There are printables you can insert directly into your bullet journal — you don’t have to spend the time drawing out the charts.
To simplify your journal:
- Make simple spreads and adopt a more minimalistic approach
- Stick to one system. After you get used to that, you can try experimenting more.
3. You’re overloading yourself with too many tasks
A lot of us here are ambitious and want to achieve a lot. However, it’s important to be realistic with yourself and to not overload your schedule. It can be demoralizing if you assign yourself 20 tasks but only completed 3 of them.
Assigning yourself too many tasks makes you less motivated to even touch your bullet journal. If it were me, I wouldn’t want to open a journal to countless tasks that need to be done.
Rather than doing this, focus on:
- Prioritizing important tasks
- Eliminating tasks that aren’t as important
- Giving yourself a reasonable amount of time to finish something
4. Focusing too much on the Aesthetics
It’s easy to get caught up in wanting to create the perfect bullet journal spread to post on social media. However, if you fall too far down this rabbit hole, you might spend hours making the planner look pretty instead of working on more productive tasks.
You shouldn’t feel the pressure to make a journal look nice for others or for social media. Your bullet journal is for you.
Also, using your bullet journal should not be an intensive task. The main function of it is to help boost your productivity and save more time.
To prevent this:
- Keep a minimalist bullet journal
- Use printables rather than setting tables up yourself.
5. Feeling dejected after missing a few days or months
There’s this misconception that if you miss an entry, then your whole journal is ruined. This couldn’t be any further from the truth. The bullet journal system is flexible and forgiving.
As someone who sometimes misses days and even weeks of bullet journaling, I don’t set my whole journal up in one go. I create my daily and monthly logs as time pass on. This way, if I haven’t journaled in weeks, I can just hop back and resume like normal.
If you’re feeling dejected, remember:
- Almost everyone has forgotten to tend to their bullet journal every now and then
- Keep a flexible bullet journal to relieve some pressure — hopping back in will be no issue
- Don’t be super hard on yourself — life is hard
- There is no such thing as failing at bullet journaling
6. Comparing their journals to others
It’s easy to get into the comparison game. Because there are so many bullet journal posts and content online, it’s hard not to compare. However, comparing your journal with someone else’s will associate negative feelings to your bullet journal.
Comparing yourself to others is a losing game. It’s both exhausting and unproductive. In the long run, it doesn’t matter whose bullet journal looks better or who has better lettering — what does matter is if your bullet journal is working for you. Is it making you more productive? Is it bringing more positives in your life? Your bullet journal only has to work for you. It’s your personal keepsake and you shouldn’t bring it down.
If you find yourself comparing with others, remember:
- No one bullet journal system is the best — everyone has their own preferences
- Do what works best for you — it’s YOUR bullet journal
- There is no such thing as a bad bullet journal — if your bullet journal works for you, it’s already an amazing bullet journal
7. Finding a different planning method that works better for them
I want to end it saying that the bullet journal system might not work for every and that’s ok. There are many other ways to plan – you can use a regular planner, an online planner, a calendar tool, and any other options you come across.
Bullet journaling isn’t the only organizational and planning method.
Other Planning options:
- Using a planner that’s premade and organized
- Trello
- Google Calendars
- Reminders
- Using a digital journal
- Just using your phone
To learn more about planning your day, I suggest you read our post on how to effectively plan your day.
Conclusion
If you’re hitting a slump in your bullet journaling journey, just know that many other people, including myself, have experienced this too. You’re not alone. Bullet journaling isn’t all sunshine and roses every day and that’s ok.
Bullet journaling isn’t supposed to be perfect and there is no one solution fits all. Let yourself mess up and make mistakes — it’s how you learn and progress.
If you’re experiencing any of the problems mentioned above, make sure you try the suggested tips mentioned. If you’re still struggling and unmotivated, it could be that bullet journaling isn’t the right method for you and that’s perfectly fine. Luckily, then there are dozens of other effective planning methods you can use.
Have you ever wanted to quit bullet journaling? Let us know in the comments below!
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