Why I stopped bullet journalling

I’m writing this post with a heavy heart because not even once did I imagine myself ever writing about it because you knew how obsessed I was with bullet journalling and I had been for years. But all good things must come to an end. I stopped bullet journalling about a year ago and though I miss it once in a while, I don’t think I’m going back to it again.

My last proper bullet journal spread was for November 2019 where I planned a bunch of things for my wedding. And then I got married, went for a honeymoon, fell pregnant, miscarried, and got pregnant again in the span of two months. At that time with my new role as a wife, I had no time to properly sit down and make time for doing spreads. I simply had lost interest in it and because it was too time-consuming, I didn’t even bother trying.

I bought a very colourful and muslim-friendly 2020 planner on Shopee and another 2020 planner from Instagram that I ended up only using for a couple of months religiously before converting to the ana tomy customised planner. That planner has changed my life for the better! I know that in a few posts ago I promised I’d publish a blog post about it and I have done writing it but I still haven’t photographed them yet.

I spent a lot of money on washi tapes, stickers, pens, stamps, everything you can think of that could help with beautifying my bullet journal. You don’t even wanna know how many packages I received in a month for all my bullet journal supplies they’re seriously so embarrassing. But I couldn’t keep up with my bullet journal anymore simple because it took me hours to finish a monthly spread. A few hours dedicated to creating spreads may not seem much but when you add up other responsibilities, it’s just not gonna work anymore. It’s exhausting and when it’s almost the end of the month, I got anxious if I haven’t started on my next month’s spread. If I didn’t do my spreads, I have nothing to plan my week with. It’s very counterproductive.

So I got myself an ana tomy planner that I have been using for five months coming to six this month. The planner has a monthly view so I can easily write down important things or events I have in that month and two more pages that I can use as gratitude list and habit tracker. It also has a weekly view where I can schedule my day by the hour (I have the vertical layout) and dotted pages at the back for more notes. It’s simple and its minimalistic layout is spot on. You can decorate it if you want to. And the best thing is, once I’ve finished all pages, I can buy the refill!

As for expense tracker and other things such as blog planner etcetera, I use a digital planner called Notion. It took some time to get a hang of it but once you’re familiar with it, you will ditch your paper planner and go full on digital. I’m not joking. As for me, paper planner is still the way to go so I am currently using both. Besides, it’s easier to use digital planner for tracking expenses because it will automatically do the maths for you.

For writing, I use my Leuchtturm1917 metallic notebook. It really helps with my mental health especially for things that I can only keep to myself. I used to write in my bullet journal but I didn’t like mixing life planning and writing in one notebook so I separated them. You’d think why I need so many notebooks for different things when I can use one notebook but I have many notebooks that I haven’t used so this is one way to finish them all haha.

I still love watching bullet journal videos on YouTube but my ana tomy planner is already enough for my everyday use. I don’t need fancy spreads or trackers of all sort of things, I just need a planner that helps me plan. I love my current setup right now with both paper and digital planner.

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20 Comments

  2. I’ve actually never done bullet journalling but I’ve been wanting to start to “brain dump” in it haha. I know that it can be therapeutic when you’ve got a lot on your mind. I hope this works out for you! xo

    Reply

  4. I had a bullet journal for a year in college and never really got into it. I realized that my spreads were very boring (and just looked like my typical planners) so I decided to switch back… And don’t regret it! I think I’d love to try journaling at some point, but a bullet journal just doesn’t work as well for me compared to a planner. Thanks for sharing!
    Jenna ♥
    Stay in touch? Life of an Earth Muffin

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  5. I’ve attempted bullet journaling so many times. But just like you, I felt it was too time consuming. I also spent a lot of money on washi tape, stickers, markers, and pens. Currently, I’m using the Day Designer. I love the layout because it has everything I need.

    As for digital planners go, I use Google Calendar to plan my blog posts. Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of people talk about Notion. I’ve been thinking about switching over to it but I haven’t yet.

    I hope your new planner is working well for you!

    Valerie | https://avecvalerie.com

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  6. I slowed down with my spreads recently too, I just haven’t been in the mood or haven’t had the time. Plus, it’s hard to drag inspiration out of yourself. I now just journal, and maybe throw in the occasional decoration. But I never sit down and plan out fancy spreads. I can totally relate! Glad to hear you’re happy with your current set up 🙂

    Anika | chaptersofmay.com

    Reply

  8. This was really interesting to read because I have found bullet journaling so helpful. It was nice to see it from another perspective and hear what other people find helpful though. I find that normal planners are too restrictive, never having enough space for some things and too much for others so bullet journaling so far has been a good match. I just try and stick to simple and manageable spreads.

    Esterella | esterella.co.uk

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  9. ah, bujo. i tried it once, twice, multiple times before i accepted that it’s just not for me. no matter how i try to design my notebook, i always end up feeling like i ruined a good, new book. then i got mad, mostly at myself, and wanted to restart from scratch. in the end, i wasted notebooks because i was too obsessed with getting it right. it doesn’t make sense, because there’s no such thing as how a bullet journal must look. yet i’m too much of a critically logical person to let myself think in an abstract manner. that’s when i realised bujo isn’t made for me. i can’t do it aesthetically like everyone else, no matter how hard i try. in the end, i only use my notebooks to jolt down things – ideas, references, etc – messily. still, even with that technique, sometimes i forgot that i have notebooks to use. i guess i’m just too used to memorising things with my brain :’)

    notebook aside, i do love notion! it’s like a personal workspace, no doubt. i use it for blog drafts and financial planning/tracker, etc.

    —

    Élise | Into Solarium

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  10. It’s a shame that bullet journaling doesn’t work for you, but you have to use whatever helps! I’m glad you found a planner that suits your needs, and it’s a stunning one at that! I have been bullet journaling on and off since about 2016, and have always really enjoyed it. When I first started off, my bullet journal spreads were much more elaborate. I would take hours drawing, coloring, and putting washi tape on my spreads. Now adays, I make my spreads according to organization first, and then will design my spread depending on how much time I actually have. I can make a spread as quickly as 10-15 minutes, but I can also really sit down and let it take 20-45 minutes! What a great post xxx

    Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com

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