what i was doing wrong in my bullet journal and how i fixed my mistakes 

It's the other way round for me: aesthetics over practicality. I've noticed that I don't really complete any lists in my bujo but creating a good-looking spread helps me to unwind and clear my mind. So now it's a mix of a diary, art journal and expenses tracker. I still call it a bujo lol for the lack of a better name 🙃

Just a reminder for a random person reading this: You're not everyone. If you see everyone is doing a trendy spread, then: Bullet Journal is your safe and personal space. You’re NOT everyone. Ask yourself: I want that, because it made me curious if it works for me and how will it work for me or I want that because everyone wants that?

1. Cluttering my pages -> do not safe space in the name of sacrificing your sanity 2. Performance over practicality -> get real with yourself and set ground rules 3. Setting up daily logs way ahead of time -> do not set them up in advance 4. Including unnecessary spreads -> only make spreads you'll use 5. Having an unclear purpose -> take a step back, do an assessment with you bujo

I was also doing it wrong... lol! Practicality over aesthetic!! We honestly don’t need that much stationery!

"A bullet journal is a tool. Not a measure of success." Brilliant!

Another thing I learned is that I don’t have to bullet journal all the time! What I mean is that sometimes I felt overwhelmed because I couldn’t keep up with the spreads and I stopped because I was behind. Eventually I understood that the purpose of the bullet journal is solely for me. If I feel overwhelmed I don’t need to fill what I didn’t have the time to, I can just skip. Now if I don’t feel like bullet journaling I just don’t, so I can have months or weeks missing but my bullet journal is more complete than ever.

“have you personally encountered any of them?” yes, all of them. i’ll try to switch things up, keep it simple, practical. thank you for the tips :)

I would spend A WHOLE DAY to do a pretty and aesthetic spread, now I'm back to minimalist notebooks and post-its, never felt better and more efficient :')

You’re so good at explaining things huh🥰💖

thank you for making this! this is way more realistic to me, than the ones that i have been seeing on tiktok, or pinterest.. i am NOT artistically inclined, and this makes me feel way better about my abilities. it makes me think i can do this too, and it's not something that needs a whole lot of thought, or artistic tone.

I have gone to a minimal based journal now. I use a monthly calendar, then at the begining of each week I list the jobs that I need to get done. I just do a date then write. If I miss a day that is ok. I use color for my montly calendars and washi tape at the bottom. I am not even using the trackers now as I did not find them helpful. I love looking at all journals but I now find it just a way to relax. My journal is for me and noone else.

i am literally surprised to see a person making us aware of the mistakes we all do in bullet journaling, keeping in mind that they were the reasons i was afraid to start a bullet journal and also because of the high standards today's world has set for journaling. Pls keep up the wonderful thing you are doing of helping people like me and looking forward to watching your videos, i am actually new to ur channel :) i always get irritated by watching people filling up their journals with aesthetically pleasing spreads and using unnecessary stationrys and overbuying things and forgetting the actual purpose of a bullet journal. this video totally reflected my thoughts. thanks

I feel like the biggest tip is: make it work for you. For me the some of the tips in this video don't work at all, I'm a very artistic person and use the bullet journal as a way to convince myself to be productive. If it's pretty I end up wanting to follow it and my daily goals stop being as much of a chore because with each task completed I get to color or draw something. For me it's kind of a reward system and it works really well. Looking for tips is great and can help you find your style, but make your bullet journal something that works for you, not something that work for others!

Bullet journaling isnt suppose to be aesthetic!! Whatever you create is already beautiful enough

My bullet journals became a productive procrastination process. I dumped them all together and went with clean page layouts, and a week layout planners.

This is two years later, but I absolutely love this video's message, thank you so much! I havent been journaling for almost the whole year and i couldnt figure out why. I needed this reminder!

Ugh. Thank you so much. I bought this amazing journal and I’ve barely touched it and done nothing but shame myself. Since, I haven’t been able to get past the “aesthetic.”

This is so me! I work full time and I’ve tried the pretty bullet journal themes but i can’t keep up! I thought it was going to be a fun and creative project but turned into a stressful thought process trying to one up each month. Your video helped me not feel so bad anymore. It taught me its ok to make my own simple journal.

I love the idea that white space is as much a part of the spread as the text. So helpful! Thank you

ohh, I've just started bullet journaling because I have ADHD and I need something to help me with routine, deadlines and everything. So i'm thankful to have watched this video first, now I know what I should have in mind when journaling, thank you so much!!

I like that you’re not about aesthetics cos most of the journaling videos are always so intricate and aesthetic which to me is time consuming and I can’t sacrifice that much time to do it. I can do simple things and yet still make it look neat and get stuff done. I love that you focused on that, thank you

For me along with planning, Bujo is a great way to add something artsy in my day and it also helps me relax and wind down! But I know that's not how it is for everyone

I started my bullet journal in January 2020. I was also drawn to all those beautiful spreads on Instagram and Pinterest and wanted to do it myself. I quickly realised that having a different weekly layout doesn't work for me. At some point I felt like doing themes became a responsibility rather than something that gave me satisfaction. I was bothered by all the imperfections and mad that it wasn't as pretty as the one I saw online. Then I realised it makes no sense - it's supposed to be for me, nobody will see it anyway. And it's supposed to help me get my work done. So this year I ended up creating my weekly spreads with one colour for every month and it feels great. I still track my mood and habits but decided to skip all the spreads I created and never used. I think bullet journaling is a process where you have to discover what works for you by making mistakes. So seeing videos like this for people who want to start their first bullet journal is amazing :)

I was trying so hard to make it aesthetic and to add as many page fillers that i didnt even want to use, i just thought they were cute? im so glad ive found your channel, as a lot of bullet journal channels will always advertise aestehtuc etc

Thank you so much for your frankness and straightforward approach. I tried to bullet journal years ago and way overthought everything to I completely gave up. You videos and comments are helping me give it another try.

I use my bullet journal as a day planner with a section in the back for notes. When I do spreads, I always opt for function first. I love those really artsy spreads that seem to always make it to the top of every bujo page on IG or Pinterest, but for me I really want to make sure there's ample space for my to-do list, just in enough cuteness that it's pretty to look at it, and a clear division between the decorative and the day planner.

I just found this video, and I think you’ve changed my life. I have purchased so many journals only to start using them, stop using them because I wasn’t “doing it right “and then decluttering them when I cleaned. What a waste! You have given me permission to bullet journal the way I live. I am a minimalist, but not a stoic minimalist. I refer to it as cozy minimalism because I like soft colors and pretty but functional, clean spaces. I realized that in trying to make my pages artistic that I was cluttering the pages with visual noise. I’m going to live with my Bujo as I live my life…clean, functional spreads with a little color or decoration when it makes sense, not because everyone else is doing it. Thank you, Claudia, for showing me something that I should have instinctively known.

First time here and the number 1 advice... yes , it took me some time to realise that I NEED SPACE and I didnt understand why I was clutterring my page... more space to breathe like in life!!!Thank you 🙏🙏

THIS!!!! Bullet journal was the best thing that happened to me and I always remind myself to just go back to basics. That’s the wonder of this system! You can always restart and try again.

in the beginning of me bullet journaling, i faced all of these problems too. only 2 years ago, i decided to keep my bujo as a rough book to just do random things and it slowly evolved into what i need ^^

The original design and layouts of Ryder is beautiful in my opinion. I don't know why it's so appealing to track your mood with a picture of a tree where each leaf is a day. Again, it's my opinion because I'm laughing each time I see a video about minimalism bullet journal when in fact it's bullet journaling.

doodling and aesthetic planners work for me as a source of motivation to actually look at my journal lol. But i have noticed that when i slack on the art aspect i feel like i am no longer allowed to feel productive. Im gonna go more simple and eliminate cluttering and see if it changes things :) thank you for the video!

Finding this video in 2024 and I have to say I can relate so much. I am still bullet journaling in a grid notebook, but I have become very minimal in what spreads I do, or don't use. I've been only setting up what works for me for awhile now. At the end of the month when I'm ready to set up the new month, if I haven't used a spread, I either don't use it or I redesign it in a way that I think I will use. I've tried something new this year too, I've added a quarterly spread section where I can lay out where I can add a section for goals, to help me break my goals for the year into smaller bites, spending priorities (rather than a budget tracker, which I never use) and a section for seasonal menu favorites & ingredients to help with meal planning. I have been using only a month at a glance page for quite some time now and instead of daily or weekly spreads, I have added a section for daily tasks where I just write down the things I want to track on the day I do them and date as I go. Last, but not least, the closest thing I have to a weekly spread is a language study section where I can log anything related to my studies that I think will be useful, including a word of the day that I receive via email daily and a notes section where I can log anything I think is relevant to my learning. Anyway, thanks for the video - it's helpful to see videos like these that keep it real!

YES! Ive realised that id been doing all these things, finally a PRACTICAL video 🌸♥

this helped a lot fr because im new in the bujo community and now i understand that printouts,aesthetic spreads aren't everything, its if it makes u happy. its okay to get inspired by aesthetic spreads but dont try to copy them

Thank you for making this video. It's very easy for ppl to get lost in the aesthetics and buy supplies, but at the end of the day it is important to reflect. The bujo will always be a trial and error method and don't expect to make the best spreads on the day you start one!

I see those artsy bullet journals online more like scrapbooking. To me also a bullet journal must help me clear my mind, so keeping it simple is best for my disorganised mind! Being a painter, I keep my art for my sketchbooks and canvases.

Thank you. I know you posted this in January but it was meant for me in March. Thank you, again.

I'm lazy and not a talented painter, so this minimalist bullet journal is perfect for me. I have been doing over a year. Also, if I could not draw like what I saw on Pinterest, I would hate myself. Soooo I only use a dotted notebook and a blue pen!

definitely learned the not making weekly/daily spreads in advance this year. taking it day by day is so much better and less stressful even though i do itch to make it advance sometimes bc i just want to fill up my journal!

Practicality is sooooo important! 👍

really amazing video. I started to feel my bujo becoming more of a task, than what it is actually meant for. this helped me take a step back, reflect and refresh my stale 'spreads'.💕🌟

This is the second year I’ve been bullet journaling and I started it because I got tired of the numerous sticky notes around the house and at work with things to do or to remember and I wanted them all in one place. That, and my hubby got fed up with all the paper everywhere! 😂. Now that I’ve got the hang of the process, I’ve been exploring the other more artistic versions to see if going that route would work for me. It’s been a very long time since the artistic and creative side of my brain was active so watching these artists with their beautiful spreads not only whets my appetite but they also deflate me a bit because, well, I’ve focused on the logical and analytical side of my brain for so many years, I feel like getting back into drawing and calligraphy and making things pop with color may be outside my bandwidth now. I dunno. I appreciate this video because it brought things down to just being real and reevaluating purpose with a more, well, logical approach. Thanks for being real!

Hi Claudia, fellow Vancouverite here! So glad I found you-I love watching minimal/basic bullet journal videos since they’re much closer to what I do in my bullet journal practice.

I really enjoyed this. I sometimes feel bad that I’m not a “true” bullet journaler. I actually love to be creative so I do a lot of artwork and colorful things. I also do weekly spreads as a planner. The most important thing to me though, is actual journaling. I leave three blank pages at the end of each week to write my thoughts, feelings, and things I learned. If I don’t use all three pages, I fill in the the blank space with artwork, favorite quotes etc. If I need more space, I tape in extra pages. I have been doing it this way for about 18 months now. I have appointments or important tasks written down, but I don’t use the key or even know the principles of bullet journaling. This is what works for me and I have been enjoying it much more than just a diary or just a planner.

mistake #2 Less artsy more useful Solution: I've got two. One for work: cheap, shabby, looks like crap, rarely has anything beautiful in it. Second for art, monthly spreads and anything cute I want to steal or create.

My issue with aesthetics in my journal, is that I'm never going to be consistent. The artistic side brings me joy sometimes, and there'll be a week or two where my bujo is beautiful... and other times it's very very basic. I used to try to find a consistent average that I could sustain, but now I just... switch from one extreme to the other, and that is perfectly fine.

i know i am a little late, but this video was so helpful. i am new to bullet journaling and seeing someone else going through the same things was so nice. you just earned a sub and keep it up!

randomly found this video and realized those mistakes are all mine and i decided to do it. maybe it's been a year. i think i need to start doing bullet journaling again. thank you so much for your insight! ❤

I actually don't enjoy writing my toughts, instead I draw them and show them in the form of symbols, colors, stickers and many other things. I find it easier to cope with my mental health issues when I just fill a page with crap. It really just depends on the person

I started bullet journaling two months ago and did some research on instagram, pinterest and youtube and it frightened me how people spend hours on their pages by drawings and art exchange of poor content. There was no 'collection' to take an example, not one! And I think collections are the life-blood of BJ. I knew that it's not what I want and I kept it simple, useful, minimal, clear and full of effective content to empty my mind. I realized that the most important thing is to empty your mind on pages, see how was your day, how you felt and why. You automatically make the connections and come an understanding inside of your brain and this is a wonderful thing on your journey. Anyways, I liked your content thanks for the video! Also greatest thanks for Ryder Carroll :)

Sammmeee. My first year journaling, I did everything wayyyy to fast and squeezed 3 fricking years into one journal. 7th grade, 8th grade, and 9th grade. I was 11 at the time and I didn’t actually fill out the spreads, I just planned for infinity. The journals cost? 6 bucks. 6 BUCKS.

this video is the happy medium i need between bare bones ryder carroll setups and out of this world fancy hand drawn bujos. really needed this video claudia, thank you!!

“This month’s choice is the next month results” Choose wisely what you do this month

This is actually so true,when l see stuff on social media I always get influenced to do something like that but then l tend to forget what works the best for me , thank you for this video

There seems to be a lot of interesting videos. I think it will come often in the future. I'm looking forward to the next video, too👏😊

Agreed 100 % with everything you said. Only I wouldn't call these mistakes but rather a learning process. 😊 It takes time to find out how you can use this great tool to your needs. It's so easy to get sidetracked with all the artsy journaling videos and stationery. I like to keep my bujo minimalistic and easy to use, but I also love looking at beautiful spreads. I currently have two journals: My everyday bujo is really simple and practical with minimal decorations. My reading journal, on the other hand, is where I try out more aesthetic things. But with no pressure! I only take notes on my favourite reads, so this journal gets used about 0-2 times a month. And I might just write down my thoughts and decorate the pages later. This way I get to experiment with drawings and such when/if I feel like it, but my daily bujo is super quick and easy to maintain.

I've never been a fan of bullet journals. It's a lot of work to set up everything from scratch. I know many have found this to be fun, but I would get tired and discouraged before all the sections are set up. (Not to mention making them "artsy" like you said!) I prefer buying a beautiful planner with pre-printed monthly calendar, weekly pages and a lot of empty space. As time goes by and if a prompt or heading is necessary, I will set one up accordingly. I find this to be more practical and I can really make use of it and not having to throw away the entire journal after only a few months due to boredom and feeling of commitment.

I always say that I don't have any ideas and pages should be perfect!! But now I understand

Ohhh this is such a useful video. I did all these mistakes and got burnt out and didn’t know why. Now I’m back to “just pen” method, and it feels great

It's been 5 months of Bullet Journaling... and I've done all of them already. The biggest mistake I will add and I've made is to think that my Bullet Journal will be perfect and all pages filled. I tried some spread I didn't filled. I tried some drawings I've never finished (too long or difficult for me !). I've made countless mistakes in how I present my Bullet Journal, and then it was cluttered. At first, it all begun very nice and perfect, but with time and use, practicality finally won, and I decided it was ok if it was not perfect. And now, because I allow that...it's kind of perfect again !

My bullet journal is definitely an endless to-do list... but I like it that way! I have a terrible memory and I was constantly in a state of "oh shoot- I forgot!" Now I can actually get on top of things and be better prepared for things I'll have to do in the future.

Thank you so much! This video has just saved me. I was doing these mistakes last year (it was actually a reason why I quit bullet journaling), and I have released that I’m doing them again this time. I’m organizing everything in columns,doing spread a month ahead and panicking when I’m feeling I need a brainstorm. Time to fix it. Again,thank you. Much love from Ukraine 💙💛

wish i saw this in 11th grade! the performative part made me forget a important maths exam the next day xD i restarted the bujo when i entered university, started off really messy and basic but it worked. but 3 years later im still using the bujo, and figured out stuff that works for me (and constantly experimenting), and only if I have down time or waiting for my lecturer to arrive do I get artsy. x) it naturally got neater overtime but i still have 'ugly' pages.. but it doesnt matter as long as it works. cluttered bujo > cluttered room and piled up work any day!

love they way you're able to deliver messages to point and precisely.

I've been bullet journaling for 4 years now and this was still super helpful!!! Sometimes it's best to just go back to the basics.

i started bullet journaling last year, making every single mistake you said and eventually gave up but last week i decided to start again and this time i'll definitely follow your advice !!

When I first started bullet journaling, it was hard to express why I felt so stressed with the whole process, but you summarized everything so well! Thank you for this great video!

When I started bullet journaling, I was very inspired by the aesthetic which I've seen on Pinterest and RU-vid. So I have been using it as an artistic activity but not as a useful planner because I'm taking a break from school. It sometimes stressed me to think of new designs because I always want to upgrade my creativity. After watching this I realized I should be focusing not on the themes and colors but use it to reflect myself and maybe starting next month, I should do more realistic sheets rather than the aesthetic ones. Anyway, this video is soooo helpful. :)

This hit home with me. It's amazing that just today I decided to return to bujo but to do it for my benefit not for social media acceptance or comparisons. Then I came across your video that explained & expressed the feelings & struggles I wanted to avoid. Thank you for your vulnerability because this has helped me find solutions I didn't know where to find. I feel more confident & relaxed with a purpose for my new bujo experience that tbh I didn't have the first go 'round.

That is my exact problem! I will never in my life actually need a mood tracker. I need my journal so that I don’t procrastinate or forget things so that I never end up with too much to do in too little time, it helps organize my life. I also use it for personal enjoyment like writing notes on books I’m reading so I can take a break from reading and reflect on what I’ve read. Or just writing down my feelings on a day that I need them off my chest. I do still do artsy stuff on monthly pages, but if I have to decorate every page I will eventually give up.

I experiment with my monthly layout but then am minimalist for my daily/weekly because I have so much to calendar. Nice to stumble onto this video and see a journal style that looks more like me. Certainly I use it for my to do lists almost exclusively but it is a mediative process for me.

I know this is sorta old video but this video speaks to me since I’m trying to go back to bullet journaling. I switched to analog and digital for the last couple of weeks. It was stressful. I opened my old bullet journal which was very simple and had minimal decorations. So I copied what I did there unto my new 2022 journal and it felt more doable and pleasant. It was in the middle of minimalist and artsy journal because the notebook I used is actually a sketchbook, so there are pages that have paintings in between spreads.

This is the first of your videos I've watched. I LOVE the way you present what's not working coupled with a solution. thank you.

Thank you for this video. I have procrastinated for years and feared pages out, went through countless journals getting engrossed in making it look pretty 😂

Exactly how I feel about some bullet journal spreads! Well said!

This is more of a "reminder" to me that I shouldn't be anxious about the design and my bujo should help me to be productive and organize every day. Thank you so much for this! 🥺❤️

This was a very helpful video for me. I am new to iPads, procreate, digital journaling, and bullet journals. I’ve been exploring to see what I like and it’s been easier digitally since I don’t have to feel bad for wasting paper and think about the trees. Even through digital journaling This mistakes can still be made. I love your content 🫶🏼

I have recently realised what journaling is really to me and imma change

Such a helpful video. I have fallen into the trap of loving the pretty journals. I am not artistic but i do like the scrapbook look. Plus, my work day is 12 hours in an icu. On work day, journaling is basically out. You have inspired me to rethink the purpose of my journal and to set some ground rules. Finally, I’ll let myself off the hook for not being someone else. ❤️

This video was very insightful. My first month (Jan 2021) of bullet journaling lead me to a mental breakdown half way through the month. I abandoned it and went back to it in Feb just because I wanted to try a new monthly theme. I went to the depth and to see what exactly didnot work for me. I like to doodle so I like including themes and colors. It's the one thing that excites for the beginning of the next month. "Bujo is a tool, not a measure of success." Those words are gold, thank you, I'll stand by them cause it's just so easy to get lost in the mndset of making spreads look pretty and aesthetic and all that.

ps : you are so articulate and mature, I am amazed. I was nowhere near like that when I was your age! You are doing great work!

thanks!! i had all the similar troubles, while really wanting to JOURNAL, not necessaryly bullet journal so I just... let myself start again aaand- do whatever the heck I wanted and it was the first time I TRULY enjoyed journaling like when there are no set rules like "u need to do this daily" or "make it pretty" orr "every page needs to be perfect" it's so much easier to enjoy what you are doing!! so that's how I finally finished my first journal ever and it was an amazing experience

i use my bullet journal for creativity... im super creative and have lots of ideas for paints or future product ideas i would love to create in the future... i refer to it more like my " Idea Journal" this way i never forget something later on and i can expand on an idea or make adjustments as i get more creative with it... i made the mistake also of wanting to save space in my book but also found that i wasnt using it every day like others so my book wasnt getting filled as quickly... so i had no need to really save because it was already gonna take me longer to fill.... i also got into bullet journaling after seeing those pretty instagram photos of cluttered pages and realized quickly that style wasnt for me... as creative and cluttered i can get i do like a structured, easy to read, organized layout.

OMG I relate to this so much! Thank you for making me realize why I'm tired of doing my bujo (after +/- 5 years!). I started bujo with just a todo list and sometimes quote/good lyric I find that day. Somehow I got carried away by the trend, I added more and more things (habit tracker & mood tracker I'm lookin at you) that actually don't really work for me but I just keep making it to make my bujo look good, not because of its function.

I like this thanks for having a minimalist bullet journal. I use my notebook as a understanding of myself and a bill pay organizer sometimes even a day to spread but not every day

The main piece of advice I'd personally give is what you said at the end about the journaling method evolving. I used to try to stick to one format even when it stopped working for me. Letting it grow with me has been working a lot better

You are my new hero. I was feeling bad with myself because i couldn't be productive and aesthetic at the same time but you just opened my mind!

A good way I used to make my journal look a little better (I've been trying it out this past year and am enjoying it so far) is instead of trying to make a bunch of art to make the journal look pretty so it doesn't look so plain and uninviting- I just get some stickers to put on it. Obvs that's money, so if you're not in a position to buy stickers you like for your journal it's not the ideal tip but yeah- Just putting some stickers that made me happy down really helped. It made me want to keep returning to my journal every day and engage more with each page. (I have ADHD so having each spread be a little novel is super useful to me)

I'm overwhelmed just by thinking to start a BuJo, but your sharing helped a lot to get clear on it!

The sacrificing productivity and understanding for aesthetic is a mood. I ended up taking my "normal" notes and then doing whatever "aesthetic" notes after if I felt like doing it. It saved so much time honestly

I love what you said about breathing space.

I am the complete opposite of you. I prefer coloring and decorating, even if I am not good at them. I do not compare myself to others and I like what I do, but in writing diaries specifically, I prefer the simple details because I write to vent my feelings. At this point, I support your opinion. Space here is important.

thank you for making this! I stopped using a bullet journal due to most of the reasons u listed! but no one was really talking about it

Number 2 is something I needed to hear... last year it overwhelmed me so much I didn't bother to fill it lol

omg finally someone make a video about this! I've always make my journal to be practical than looking good. There's a period where journaling became so trendy but all i see their intentions were decorating them, making them aesthetics, not truly wanted to use it for purposes.

i found that the bullets themselves made me feel cluttered., and i would constantly be stressed about messing up a page and not being able to undo it and "ruining" the whole book. so now i do my spreads on printer paper, hole punch 'em, and put them in a decorated binder! If I don't like it, I can redo it no pressure with a fresh sheet, and it's nice and blank for me to use!! It's not really a bullet journal at all now - no bullets, no journal - but I still make similiar spreads and use inspiration from videos like these

no, cause you captured and perfectly talked and described the main reasons why I stopped bujo. I decided to start again with some healthier choices and this video really helped make me less anxious. Thank you :).

I stopped bullet journaling because of the mistake #2 hahaha, good thing I found your video and it made me want to go back to bujo again. Thankss!

Thank you for showing me a realistic and functioning bullet journal. I always thought I was doing something wrong but now I know, it needs to be my way.