🐿️Pinecone Attack

c/bullet-journaling

8

allen.amy•3h ago

My habit tracker leaked blue ink all over my October spread

I was sitting at my kitchen table in Seattle last Tuesday, filling in my daily mood tracker, and my cheap fountain pen just... exploded. Blue ink went everywhere, totally ruining the whole month I had spent decorating with washi tape. I panicked for a second, then grabbed a paper towel and dabbed at it, which only made it smear worse. Eventually I just cut that page out of my notebook and started fresh on the next blank spread. Now I'm paranoid about using any pen that isn't a basic ballpoint in my journal. Has anyone else had a pen leak disaster like this?

21

ivangrant•13h ago

PSA: My local Staples has a whole clearance section for dated planners in February

I stopped into the Staples on Elm Street in my town last weekend and found a shelf full of 2024 bullet journals marked down to 3 dollars each. Everyone online says you need to start in January or you're doomed to fail, but honestly I grabbed a Leuchtturm1917 for cheap and started my first bujo in March. It works fine for tracking habits and tasks even if the year is half over. Has anyone else had luck starting a bullet journal way after the new year started?

12

andrew7•1d ago

My habit tracker went from messy to clean in 3 weeks after I stopped using colors

I used to color code everything in my bullet journal but it just turned into a rainbow mess that told me nothing. Once I switched to simple dots and X marks, I actually started seeing patterns in my sleep and water intake for the first time. Has anyone else found that less decoration actually helps you stick with tracking?

31

oliver242•1d ago

The little dots in my bullet journal are getting out of hand

I swear, every time I see someone post a spread with those perfect tiny dots as a border, I just don't get it. I tried it last month on a weekly log for a work project, and after 3 pages my hand cramped up way worse than just using a ruler and a pen. Maybe it's just me, but isn't the whole point of bullet journaling to be fast and functional, not a test of patience? Has anyone else given up on trying to make their borders look like a Pinterest post?

5

the_wendy•1d ago

I finally found the exact page where Ryder Carroll explains why he keeps the original system so simple

I was flipping through the Bullet Journal Method book for the third time last night and noticed something I swear I missed before. On page 42 he talks about how the rapid logging method was designed specifically for people with short attention spans - not just for design or aesthetics. That really hit home because I've been overcomplicating my monthly spreads for months. Has anyone else discovered a detail in the book that changed how they set up their own journal?

5

reese_lane29•4d ago

Hit 100 pages in my bullet journal yesterday and it caught me off guard

I started my first bullet journal back in January and knew I was using it a lot, but when I counted the pages yesterday I was shocked to see 100. I use a Leuchtturm1917 with 249 numbered pages so I still have plenty of room left. Seeing that number made me realize how much I rely on this thing for tracking my mood, habit streaks, and random notes from meetings at work. The habit tracker alone takes up 2 pages per month and I've got 10 full months in there with daily logs every single day. Has anyone else hit a big page count that surprised them? I'm curious what fills up your journals the fastest.

27

the_nathan•4d ago

My coworker Mark told me my rapid logging was just anxiety in disguise

We were grabbing lunch last week and he saw me scribbling in my journal while waiting for our food. Asked if I ever just... stopped tracking? Said his therapist told him bullet journals can become a compulsion if you're not careful. Hit different because I realized I've been tracking my water intake for 3 years and never drank more because of it. Anyone else ever had someone call them out on over-tracking?

9

eric_wright77•8d ago

Swapped my monthly layout for a daily log last spring and it changed everything

I spent two years doing a fancy monthly spread with color coded events and habit trackers. It looked nice but I barely touched it after the first week. Last March I switched to a simple daily log with just dates, tasks, and a few notes. I write down 3 things I actually need to do each day and cross them off. No more decorating or planning weeks ahead. Six months later I've stuck with it every single day. Anyone else ditch the big spreads for a simpler system?

7

the_tara•10d ago

Just tried Staedtler pens vs Leuchtturm paper and the ghosting was night and day

I used my normal Tombow brush pens on the first spread and they bled like crazy, but switching to the Staedtler fineliners made the whole layout look clean and sharp, has anyone else found that certain pen combos just click with specific notebooks?

25

the_miles•11d ago

Found out my bullet journal habit costs me about $200 a year in pens alone

I did the math on my notebook and pen spending for 2023 and realized I drop roughly $200 annually just on Pilot G2s and Leuchtturms, so do you track your yearly bujo costs or just ignore it like I did until now?

24

the_sarah•12d ago

Finally tried a monthly log after avoiding them for 2 years

I always thought monthly logs were a waste of space since I only used dailies and weeklies. But last month I got a new job and my schedule went crazy so I gave one a shot. I drew a simple grid and tracked deadlines and appointments and after 2 weeks I realized I wasn't missing anything anymore. It just helped me see the big picture without flipping through 30 pages. Has anyone else been stubborn about trying a layout and ended up loving it?

18

olivia573•13d ago

My sister made me rethink my whole monthly spread setup

I was showing my sister Sarah my bullet journal last weekend and she goes 'why do you spend 3 hours on a fancy cover page but then barely write in your daily logs?' She had a point honestly. I was prioritizing the pretty stuff over the actual tracking system. Now I'm trying a minimal layout with just basic columns and seeing if I actually stick with it longer. Has anyone else had a family member call them out on their journaling habits?

9

richard_roberts80•17d ago

Tried a digital bullet journal app for a month, lost everything

I thought I'd be clever and switch to an app on my tablet for a month. Everything was fine until the app crashed and wiped three weeks of daily logs and my habit tracker. No backup, no warning, just gone. I learned that paper doesn't have a sync failure or a corrupted file. Has anyone else had a digital journaling tool just delete your work on you?

18

spencerw72•19d ago

Still not sold on weekly spreads after 6 months of trying

I kept seeing everyone rave about weekly spreads in their journals, so I forced myself to stick with one for 6 months. Setup took me 20 minutes every Sunday, and I'd spend another 10 minutes each day filling in tasks I already had in my daily log. After 180 days, I realized I was just copying information from one page to another. Has anyone else gone back to just daily logging and ditched the weekly format completely?

16

betty_shah•21d ago

Why does nobody mention how bad washi tape is for bujo pages?

I tried using washi tape to make my weekly spread pop and two days later the pages were sticking together and tearing. Anyone else just ditch the decorative stuff and go straight pen?

25

hayden_rodriguez•1mo ago

My sister told me my weekly spread was useless and she was right

I used to cram every single day of the week into one page with tiny boxes for each day. My sister looked at it and said "you're just writing down stuff you already know you're doing, what's the point?" So I switched to a rolling weekly setup where I only log the 3-4 things that actually matter each day. Now I actually use my journal instead of just filling it up to feel productive. Has anyone else gotten blunt feedback that made you completely rework your system?

19

blair_davis50•1mo ago

Shoutout to the lady at Starbucks who saw me bullet journaling and asked about my habit tracker

She said she'd never thought of tracking her water intake with a simple color graph, and it made me realize how much we overcomplicate these systems. Has anyone else had a random person ask about your journal and end up giving them a mini tutorial?.

29

lisa_wilson87•1mo ago

TIL I was using my bullet journal wrong for 6 months until my friend pointed out I was mixing up my daily log and monthly spread

I was just doing one long list every day with no signifiers until a coworker saw my notebook and asked why I was rewriting the same tasks every single morning.

14

abby_martin28•1mo ago

Stopped by my old coffee shop and saw someone using a pocket notebook

I was grabbing a latte at Brew & Bean downtown and noticed a woman bullet journaling in a little Leuchtturm. It made me remember when I first started 5 years ago with just a basic composition book and a pen. Has anyone else gone back to simpler supplies after trying all the fancy stuff?

16

seanperry•1mo ago

That time my coworker called out my chaotic weekly spreads

I used to cram every task for the week into one big messy block. A guy I work with said it looked like a to-do list on steroids and I got defensive at first. But he showed me how he splits his week into morning and afternoon sections with a thin line down the middle. Now my weeks are actually readable and I don't miss half the stuff I jot down... has anyone else had a small tweak like this totally fix their system?

28

tessa_kim3•1mo ago

Drove past an old abandoned school and it hit me about my journaling

I was driving through small town Ohio last week and saw this old brick school from the 1920s with ivy growing all over it. It made me realize my bullet journal is like that building - i keep adding new spreads without ever going back to check if old ones are still useful. Has anyone else gone back and cleared out months of dead pages they never touch?

10

richard_roberts80•1mo ago

Stumbled on a trick for setting up weekly spreads in 10 minutes flat

Stumbled on a trick for setting up weekly spreads in 10 minutes flat. So I was at my local coffee shop last week and I overheard this woman talking to a friend about how she sets up her bullet journal for the week. She said she uses a ruler and a paper clip to mark the top and bottom of each column before drawing any lines. I mean, I always just eyeballed it and ended up fixing crooked lines half the time. Tried it this morning and it took me maybe 10 minutes to get a whole week laid out perfectly. The paper clip acts like a little stop so you don't overshoot the edge either. Has anyone else found a weird little tool or hack that speeds up your setup time?

2

oscarwright•1mo ago

My march spread was a total disaster and i almost quit

I spent like 3 hours on my March monthly spread, did all these fancy watercolor flowers and gold lettering. Then the markers bled through like 12 pages and ruined my whole future log. Has anyone else had a spread that went so bad it made you wanna toss the whole notebook in the trash?

12

beth_hunt•1mo ago

That one perfect week in February where every spread actually worked

Back in February I had seven days where my weekly layout, habit tracker, and mood log all lined up perfectly without me having to erase or redo anything. I even managed to keep up with my daily rapid logging for the first time in 3 months. Has anyone else had a random week where your bullet journal just clicked and you have no idea why?

18

taylor.betty•1mo ago

Debate: Is a minimalist bujo better than a fully decorated one?

I was at a coffee shop in Portland last month working on my weekly spread when this woman walked up and said, "You're putting too much effort into something that's supposed to be functional." She showed me her bujo which was just black ink and checkboxes, no colors or stickers at all. Meanwhile I had spent 2 hours on washi tape and doodles for one week. She argued that decoration kills the whole point of rapid logging and makes you avoid using the journal. But I feel like the art helps me actually stick with it daily. Which side do you fall on does decoration help or hurt your bujo habit?