A bullet journal is a planning system created by Ryder Carroll as an alternative system to the usual planner. His video on how to bullet journal was uploaded to YouTube in 2015 and the phenomenon grew exponentially. I’m sure most of us have heard the term to some degree.
Social media sites such as Instagram and Tumblr saw a rise in what is dubbed the “study community” or colloquially “studyblr/studygram”, portmanteaus of ‘study’ + ‘tumblr’/’instagram’. This new space that I found became a new home and had a large presence of bullet journals. The bullet journal in particular quickly became the common and preferred format of planning for students and naturally, I decided to pick up this system.
Bullet journal spreads usually feature the following:
- Monthly title page
- Calendar
- Goal list
- Weekly spreads with space to add tasks
- Yearly/monthly/future logs
Other optional additions are playlists, stickers, washi tape and photos to name a few.
I bought a Leuchtturm 1917 dotted journal, some Tombow dual brush pens and washi tape and went on with it. The practice became on and off until eventually, I officially gave up in 2019. The sentimental part of me feels sad to have let go of it. But the rational part of me is so relieved.
the pressure of perfectionism
The problem was the overwhelming task bullet journaling became. The system is supposed to be a solution to our disorganisation and in Carroll’s videos, the simplicity of the system is obvious. However, the blank canvas of Carroll’s style leads to opportunities in designing the appearance of your bullet journal, leading the way to the “aesthetics” problem. On Tumblr, I noticed that the bullet journal spreads posted by various users were often artistic. Stickers, washi tape and brush pen calligraphy made these pages visually stunning. While these are wonderful to look at and appreciate, subconsciously, we build the notion of what is to be expected from keeping a bullet journal.
When I began bullet journaling, I had already forayed into the studyblr community and felt much more confident in organising my academic life, something which I previously struggled with. But then came the unspoken rule of being aesthetic. Aesthetics have become incredibly popular and are arguably a core part of everyone’s identities in the contemporary world. I myself love the concept of aesthetics and apply it as part of my own identity. But it proved to be an intensely stressful exercise for a lot of us in the study community. In 2017, I was ready to post my own spread. A muted weekly spread in pastel colours with minimalist pictures made its way to becoming liked by over 2,000 users. It was a delightful feeling seeing how many people liked how aesthetic it is. What I didn’t realise is that was precisely the superficial mindset that would lead to my quitting.
Bullet journaling became a chore and I would create spreads for the new month and become dissatisfied with its appearance. There was too much effort for my slow and easily exhausted brain. They weren’t ‘aesthetic’ enough and wouldn’t receive social media likes.
defeating the purpose
Leading on from the aesthetic dilemma, the time spent on constructing a double-paged spread results in being side-tracked from a bullet journal’s purpose. From my own experience, I can recall spending an awful amount of time figuring out what type of weekly format to use, which colours I wanted, what materials would look the nicest and finding pictures to print and glue onto the pages. Writing down the tasks would be the last thing I considered.
In hopes of becoming more productive, bullet journals became a popular solution for students and those who work. When the attention deviates from the process of organising your life, the system is made redundant.
Of course, there are people who succeed with their productivity and be creative visually using a bullet journal. AmandaRachLee, a popular creator online who’s known for her bullet journal videos on YouTube, is one that comes to mind. Her monthly upload schedule always features setting up her spreads for the new month. As an artist, her talent is evident in the various themes she incorporates. But her consistency in utilising the system to her benefit is also clear. Bullet journal users such as Amanda have found a method which works for them. However, that doesn’t mean this system is universal. Some may be quick to adopt it, others like myself will go through that annoying cycle instead.
money & waste
Bullet journaling also turned out to be an enemy to my bank account. Especially since I struggled with the extra materials in an attempt to be artistic, these products led to a series of issues.
One of the earliest stationery shops I came across from the studyblr community is KawaiiPenShop. Some top creators would use their stationery products and would also offer a 10% discount if customers used their affiliate code. There was also an introduction to Muji and their products, a popular Japanese brand. The stationery in question would range from pastel-coloured washi tape (a type of tape made from rice paper), brush pens, stickers and gel pens. Additionally, the notebooks and journals were among a few noted brands. Moleskine and Leuchtturm were the top names in notebook brands while some who continued to use planners, owned a MosseryCo planner. The appeal of the latter was the personalisation of having your name on the front cover.
During the initial phase of bullet journaling, I bought the washi tape and stickers from KawaiiPenShop and a pack of Tombow dual brush pens and a Leuchtturm 1917 dotted journal from Amazon. While I cannot remember the grand total from the top of my head, it all cost a tad bit too much. As well as the price points being just beyond reach, I realised that I could not afford to continue spending money buying a new batch of stationery once the previous was either completed/used up.
The other glaring problem I’ve come to realise is the amount of waste being produced. In more recent times, I’ve become more eco-conscious as the environment and climate of our planet is on the ropes and we all need to do much better to save it. The journals I owned have several empty pages towards the end due to creative blocks. Some existing pages do not feature any tasks or remain unfinished. If I was unsatisfied with a spread, I would attempt to redo the ‘mistakes’, ruining the quality of the paper in the process or fully tearing the pages out and discarding them.
Waste does appear to be an issue across the study community. Whether it is leaving journals unfinished or buying far too many to find proper use for all of them, I can say that I almost shudder recalling the wasteful person I was when I tried bullet journaling.
so what now?
Since I abandoned bullet journaling, I did not move to a new system per se. It took a little bit of time to find something which worked for me. I was gifted a yearly planner on my 21st birthday which I managed to use well. Afterwards, I felt that planners would raise the waste issue again so I didn’t continue with this format.
Eventually, I began using Notion. This app kept appearing amongst students and other creators on YouTube and the design and structure was definitely appealing. So, after much contemplation, Notion quickly became a top database for my life overall. Google Calendar also proved to be helpful in planning out tasks across the week. Both apps being digital and providing freedom to customise solved many of the issues I had with bullet journaling: there is no waste, the apps are free to use and easily customisable if I wish to edit my style.
Those who have been successfully using a bullet journal, fair play to you. For myself, I have left for (what I believe are) greener pastures. The important thing, overall, is to figure out what type of system to adopt and utilise because it works for YOU. Don’t settle for a system because it is the popular and trendy thing to do.
cinem(a)shika. 