Six months ago I was filling my bullet journal with color coded calendars and perfect little boxes

I used to spend two hours every Sunday making my monthly spread look like a magazine layout. Multiple gel pens, washi tape borders, the whole deal. Then I missed three days of tracking in a row because I was too burnt out to even open the notebook. That's when it clicked: I was treating the journal like art class instead of a tool. Now I just use a plain black pen and write down tasks in a straight list. No colors, no stickers, no fancy headers. I get faster results and actually stick with it. Anyone else realize they were overcomplicating things and had to strip it all down?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark4361mo ago

Hold on though. A plain black pen is still a tool. No judgment, but calling it the "correct" way is kind of missing the point. Some people's brains just need the color coding to actually process the info.

wilson.joseph1mo agoTop Commenter

Fair point. Different brains work different ways. Color coding helps some people see the big picture.

sandra_bennett591mo ago

@mark436 yeah, grab a pack of four basic colors and see if it clicks.