I love bullet journaling. I love scrolling through pinterest and looking at new ideas for spreads and gaping at the ridiculous cursive and calligraphy skills. I love watching doodle tutorials and reading articles on how to decorate, on ways to become more efficient, on all the new trends for the new year or the new season. And I love filling out my actual bullet journal.
Why do I love it all so much? Not because it makes me more organized, efficient or goal oriented. It doesn’t.
It really doesn’t.
I like it for the opposite reason. It’s the perfect way to avoid doing any actual work. I plan and decorate away, feeling blissfully productive while simultaneously getting nothing done. Just look at this beautifully decorated To Do list I won’t complete! Behold this gorgeous habit tracker I’ll start forgetting to fill out in a week or two! You know what I should do? Make a Habit Tracker Forgetting Tracker so I can keep track of all the times I forget!
That dentist appointment seems suddenly inspired when it’s etched in calligraphy and surrounded by flowers.
It’s the perfect way to glamorize a life that’s not particularly interesting. That dentist appointment seems positively inspired when it’s etched in calligraphy and surrounded by flowers. And really, why ‘do’ any of those To Dos when you can draw another colourful border and add a few more sleeping cats?
If I spent half the time I use decorating my goals page or my ideas page actually working on said ideas and goals I might actually accomplish something. And wouldn’t that be terrifying?
Maybe the real reason I love bullet journaling is because it’s a shield I can hide behind. I’m not procrastinating, I’m planning. And as long as I’m busy decorating my bullet journal, coming up with new things to track and schedule, I don’t have to try. I don’t have to actually put myself and my work out there. Maybe the root of my love of bullet journaling is just a plain old fear of failure. Ugh, how boring. I wonder if there are any ideas on pinterest for bullet journaling your fears that I could use to really spruce it up and… I’m getting off topic.
If I spent half the time I use decorating my goals page or my ideas page actually working on said ideas and goals I might actually accomplish something. And wouldn’t that be terrifying?
So, what do I do? Do I throw out all my coloured pens and pencils and run my bullet journal through a wood chipper? Maybe. Or maybe I recognize that wasting a good chunk of my productive time colouring in decorative flowers and filling in little boxes on a habit tracker I’ll never analyze isn’t the best use of my time. Maybe I pare it down and avoid the clear time wasters.
Like the grocery lists. Who brings a bulky journal with them to the grocery store? Use your phone. And the ‘style’ pages. Really? Do you really need to describe your style… to yourself? And inane pages like ‘my morning routine’. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but if you haven’t figured out how to get up and get ready yet, I don’t know if a journal page covered with smiling fried egg doodles is going to help you.
It’s the cookie, not the answer.
Let’s be real. Bullet journaling is never going to make me more efficient. But it is relaxing. So maybe I keep it, with the understanding that it’s not a stand in for productivity. It’s the cookie, not the answer. Bullet journaling isn’t going to make me a success, but it can help me perfect those little rocket ship doodles. You know, just in case it ever comes up.
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Melanie Cole 