Bullet Journal Revival

Whew, it’s been a hot minute since I spoke about my Bullet Journals. I’ve got two, one for my life and the other is a Blog Bullet Journal. My Blog journal has been pretty active but my life one… It’s spent the last several months collecting dust… I’m sure this isn’t a shocker for many of us. Online Bullet Journals are so beautiful and look incredibly fun to create. But the reality is that they are time consuming and difficult to maintain if imperfections scream at you all the time. As someone who struggles with perfectionism (yes I call it a struggle), it’s difficult for me to commit to using pen instead of pencil. Pen is just so… Permanent.

Every line has to be perfect and every letter should be beautiful. It’s so stressful! I can’t do that, just can’t. I never practiced my calligraphy in middle school. I’ve been told my handwriting is like a crow walking on paper. And I know a beautiful journal requires practice. Unfortunately I’m a person who tends to quit instead of practice. I want to be good at the get go. So instead, I’ve come up with an alternative method. I can use my strengths to my advantage. So here’s how I revived my Bullet Journal.

Don’t go over the top
Since my writing skills aren’t up to my tastes, I’ve opted for a simple style. My printing isn’t too disgusting and I can tolerate it. I’ve been able to find loads of calligraphy templates so I can practice and up my skills. Until then, a clean and minimal look does the job and looks pleasing as well. Don’t let my confidence deceive you, I used pencil to write everything down first!

Find the right system
I browsed Pinterest for ages until I found a simple monthly spread. It’s the entire month at a glance with room for important dates, things to remember, and things to plan out. That’s the extent of it. I wanted to do weekly spreads but I was never busy enough. I don’t have meetings to go to and I don’t have friends to plan outings with. And while that suits me just fine, it leaves a lot of empty spaces on the page. Instead of wasting that space a monthly glance is all I need. Do some research and find what works for you!

Forget perfectionism
There have been times where I wish I had more supplies or more creativity for the page. That’s the downside to finding a lot of inspiration in other people’s work. If my page doesn’t look like theirs I feel deflated. It’s difficult to let go of these feelings but what makes me feel better is that I know my page a result of who I am. Just like those fancy Bullet Journal artists that have millions of Instagram likes. Their pages are a result of who they are, and we are all different and imperfect!

It’s ok to spend a little
I felt there was something missing from my pages so I recently got a pack of Ecoline Pastel Brush Pens. Let me tell you, a little goes a long way! My titles now pop with the light colors and I’ve never been so in love. I had no idea what my pages had been missing until I watched a few Youtubers work their magic. Sometimes it’s the little details that we forget to take note of that have the biggest impact.

Never stop growing
What I love about Bullet Journals is that there’s no real way to create one. There are thousands of beautiful layouts online and used to I spent my days wishing I could have a beautiful book in my hands. The honest truth is that I need to work at it. It’s another skill I’d like to someday have. There’s no pressure either because it’s a book for my wants and needs!