Problems with Bullet Journaling: Why I broke-up with my Bullet Journal

Ok, so let me start by saying, “break-ups are never easy!” A few years ago after seeing some amazing BuJo spreads, I began following some pretty talented bullet journalists. I read all of their blogs and watched all of their YouTube videos. Obsessed is not even the word!

I decided to jump on the bullet journal band wagon. I loved how flexible it was and how creative you can get with all the spreads and designs. The first month or so went great. As my schedule got busier the trouble really started.

You see I live an extremely busy life and it quickly became clear I had a big problem with this system. I guess the fact that it took me a year to fully commit should have been an indication.

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Where my problems with bullet journaling started…

I am normally a very well organized person. I have always carried a planner with me everywhere I go. (Never know when something important will come up! You will need to be add it to your already busy schedule.)

Well after the first few month I began to realize that designing new spreads every month was very time consuming; time I didn’t have. Creating weekly or even daily spreads became a total nightmare!

I started missing things. Which is totally out of character for me. I had trouble keeping track of things from day to day. This crazy cycle continued for months until eventually I only started doing just monthly spreads.

I would get my monthly spreads done about a week and some days after the month had already started. My problems with bullet journaling were disappointing and very time consuming!

Now I know you are probably thinking how stupid, every bullet journalist (ha is that even a word!?!) knows that a future log is the answer. Well it just is not that easy for me. I cannot seem to get used to using the future log.

I found it totally unorganized. As things came up I had to add them here. Easy enough, sure! That sometimes means things were out of chronological order. (Speaking about chronological order, that reminds me about this Bible Study I’m currently doing. I am actually reading through the entire New Testament chronologically. It is such an amazing way to read through scripture and I absolutely am loving it!! Read more on this topic here.)

The Solution to my problems:

I just could not handle it anymore. My problems with bullet journaling just became too overwhelming for me! I had to make a decision. I decided to go back to my ring planners.

Yes I did feel really crappy about things not working out. I truly felt like a total flunky for a bit. After finally taking a step back, I remembered the reasons I started my BuJo in the first place.

I totally laughed at myself! The answer was there all along. I already have some great templates that I can use here, on my website over on the Free Resources page! The decision to use a ring planner just seemed to be the perfect fit for my needs.

Currently I am using a ring planner as my wallet and I love it! I was using a regular wallet and it was not cutting it! I needed space for my cash envelopes. Learn how you can make your own DIY Cash Envelopes here.

I enjoy creating printable planner pages and I don’t have to design something new every day, week, or even month. All I have to do is print out a printable and add it to my planner. I made this even easier for you! Just print all of them out anytime, after you subscribe to my email list.

In Conclusion:

My decision to drop my bullet journal has been so liberating! It was like a huge weight was lifted from my plate. My problems with bullet journaling have been solved!

Now, before everyone goes crazy labeling me as a total psycho and sends me all the hate mail. (Though I do love reading your emails, hate mail is not particular my favorite. Good thing I don’t get it often! LOL)

No, I don’t hate bullet journaling. On the contrary, I still really love bullet journaling! I just enjoy it from a distance. It’s one of those things I categorize as works of art.

I still do have my bullet journal. It is mostly used for my business or just brain storming, when I have the time to be creative. And I think everyone should give it a try.

There are lots of great bullet journal blogs I still follow and enjoy! I just realized that everyone is different and what works for some may not work for others. And guess what!?! That is perfectly OK!

You should feel free to try anything and if it doesn’t work out just break-up! A good planning system should be seamless and stress-free. It should help ease your schedule, not make it more hectic! To help get you going below are a few of the planner supplies I am currently using.

Planning Supplies I’m currently using:

• Pentel Energel Pearl 0.7mm: I will say it again, this is by far one of my favorite pens to use on almost everything ya’ll! I love how smooth it writes.
• Kikki K Large Personal Planner: Kikki K is my go to for planners. I love the quality. Currently I own 3 large and 1 medium planner by her. I purchased my latest one from Amazon and got a great deal!
• Brother MFC-J4510DW: This is my go to printer for my printables and even stickers. It is pretty easy to use and it connects to my WiFi. I don’t have to worry about hauling my laptop everywhere. It even does double-sided printing which is an absolute must!
• Georgia Pacific Standard Paper: This is the paper I use to print out regular printable pages. I like the quality of this paper. I even use their card stock. This is great, especially when I want a more long lasting page. You can find that Card Stock Paper here.
• Tombow Dual Tip Brush Pens: I love the brush tip. It makes hand lettering easier. They are super durable and work great in my planner and bullet journal.
• Prismacolor Double Ended Markers: If you want to take your art to a new level. I highly recommend you invest in some quality markers. These are absolutely beautiful and I use them to create stickers. I cannot say enough good things about these markers. Just make sure you put some scrap paper underneath your designs. They do tend to go through; don’t let that deter you from purchasing them. The vibrant colors are gorgeous!
• Paper Studio Hole Punch: I got this at Hobby Lobby and it works great for my large planner pages! Plus don’t forget to go to their website for 40% off coupon. https://www.hobbylobby.com/
• Rapesco Adjustable Hole Punch: I have this one in pink. This one is only used for my medium planner. I found it too difficult to switch between the two sizes and remain accurate!

What works best for you and your planning needs? Am I the only one who has had problems with bullet journaling? Please reply in the comments or shoot me an email, I am super curious about your point of view!!

Be Fearless,

Candace 🙂