The problem with adding a million tiny doodles to every single page

I keep seeing people post these gorgeous journals that look more like art projects than actual tools. They spend 45 minutes drawing a floral border just to write three lines of tasks. My bullet journal has been through oil stains and coffee spills in my shop and it still works fine. A fancy drawing of a teacup isn't going to help you remember when your car registration is due. Has anyone else stopped using decorative spreads because they just slow you down?

4 comments

4 Comments

wood.faith2mo ago

Honestly, does the doodling actually help you remember stuff or is it just for the 'gram?

thomas_torres2mo ago

nah its def not just for the gram lol. i used to think the same thing until i tried it in my chem class. turns out drawing little diagrams or even just stick figures helps me lock in concepts way better than writing boring text. like for biology i doodled a messy mitochondria instead of writing "powerhouse of the cell" and i actually remembered the whole function. the pretty spreads are extra but the mindless scribbling while listening? that's what does it.

william_harris2mo ago

Tried a fancy floral spread once and spent so long on it I forgot to actually write down my bills. Ended up paying a late fee and had to scratch the whole drawing out with a black marker. Now I stick to lines and dots, and my wallet thanks me.

janah831mo ago

but also like is it really that deep? i see people posting these elaborate ink sketches of their whole weekly spread and im like okay cool but did you actually write down your dentist appointment or did you just draw a cute toothbrush next to where it should have gone. ive got a friend who spends more time decorating her journal than actually using it and she still forgets to pick up milk from the store. it just seems like a lot of effort for something that's supposed to make your life easier, not give you another hobby to stress about.