Let me make this clear, this is not an attack on the hobby itself. However as one studyblr (studyquill) recently posted on YouTube, bullet journaling can be heavily romanticized and become unrealistic to the organization goals one wishes to achieve. I loved bullet journaling, especially having control over the creation of my ideal planner! But all good things must eventually come to an end, here is why I stopped:
1) Time constraints
I was able to spend much of my time journaling and planning between my High School and Cégep years (probably around four years). All course work I found was relatively lighter (even if I was doing eight classes during a Cégep semester) and bullet journaling easily fit into my free time. University ended up being much different in terms of course loads and the homework to class time ratios. Last year after my bullet journal ended up being destroyed due to a torrential downpour, I kept an ongoing to do list in a cahier Canada for the 2019-2020 school year. When returning to bullet journaling this semester, I found the time I was spending setting up all my weekly to do lists ridiculous. Therefore, I just recently made the switch to the GoGirl Planner to use for 2021 along with using My Study Life.
2) Expectations
I feel like there is some pressure in the community, as studyquill had mentioned, to constantly produce cute and aesthetically pleasing spreads each month. I for one was not affected by this as I know my artistic ability sucked when it came down to attempting to be artsy. These expectations can end up romanticizing the hobby and create some toxic ideas for others who are self conscious of there own abilities. Overall the expectations did lead into my following point:
3) Commercialism
I was personally stuck in the commercialism loop when it came down to bullet journaling. Having the artistic ability of a moose on ice, I would purchase washi tapes, stickers, cute scrapbook papers etc. to create my spreads. I do not want to imagine the amount of money I spent over the years. So far with the limited space in my GoGirl planner I am hoping it nips that habit in the bud.
4) Priorities
When it finally came down to my decision, I asked myself what my priorities were. The last thing that came to mind was spending an evening of my week bullet journaling when I could use that time to study, do important chores, or take care of myself. I considered my poor performance over the previous semester and spending 3-4 hours planning a week contributed to my eventual panic attacks and procrastination. So far, My Study Life has done the job of organizing the semester for me. I can consult it in a separate space as opposed to consistently having assignment information in front of me in my planner and furthering my anxiety about all I must do.
Once this semester is up I plan on doing a collection of thoughts both on the GoGirl planner and on My Study Life. I know the current trendy thing is to use Notion but I do not have the time to set up a workspace. (plus it reminds me of one of my final comprehensive assignments from Cégep!)
Once again this is not meant to bash bullet journaling, but it is meant to comment upon my realizations of the harsh realities of time. (and, additionally comment on Studyquill’s video with my own personal experiences) I am also presently surprised at the present quality of premade planners, which the lack of quality spreads were the reason I switched to bullet journaling primarily in the first place! Whether you are using a bullet journal or a premade planner, happy planning!
