evan56•1mo ago

Vent: My friend said bullet journals are just for people who can draw

I was having coffee with a friend last week and she saw my journal. She said, 'Oh, that's cute, but I could never do that. I'm not artsy.' It really got under my skin. My whole setup is just a black pen, a ruler, and some colored highlighters. I don't draw a single thing. I use it to track my roofing jobs, my material costs, and when to call clients back. It's a tool, not an art show. I think the fancy pictures on social media make people feel like they can't join in unless they make it pretty. But for me, the whole point is to get my thoughts out of my head and onto paper, fast. How do you guys deal with that idea that it has to be perfect or artistic to count?

3 comments

3 Comments

aaronowens1mo ago

My own bullet journal looks like a toddler organized a hardware store.

laura_gonzalez251mo ago

I just tell people mine is a glorified to-do list. The messy ones work the best anyway.

wood.andrew24d ago

My old bullet journal from last year has a coffee stain on the March page that looks like Australia. I had to write "call dentist" sideways in the margin because I ran out of line. That book got me through a whole tax season, so the mess clearly works.