A Perfectionist’s Guide to Imperfect Bullet Journaling

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I started my first bullet journal in the summer of 2018. It was a complete fail. Months later, my second attempt became the first journal I ever filled.

Bullet journaling is not just an Instagram-worthy hobby, but also an outlet for creativity, a chance to overcome perfectionist ideals, and a way to collaborate and meet other passionate journal-ists. But first, what is a bullet journal and how is it different from a regular journal? A bullet journal is a self-tailored planner that helps you keep track of your week, schedule, or habits, whereas a regular journal mostly documents your day in plain text on paper.

To start a bullet journal of your own, you need to give yourself room to make mistakes. The first step to creating a successful bullet journal is to try an array of journals and notebooks to find one that fits your preference. A bullet journal is your own to customize and decorate. Try out a few different journals to find what you prefer – hardcover or spiral-bound, big or small. Give yourself time to experiment with your first journal.

A completely blank pristine book may seem like a welcoming challenge to some, but a disaster waiting to happen for others. To get over your fear of ruining an empty journal, you need to understand that mistakes are bound to happen and that letting yourself make these mistakes is going to help you overcome them. When I first started my bullet journal, the blank pages were so daunting that the simplest of lines I drew were deemed unworthy. Slowly but surely, I gained more confidence in my journal and allowed the mishaps to breathe, sometimes even embracing random smears of ink.

Pro tip:

Cover unwanted mistakes with scraps of paper and integrate them into the design! It brings more layers to the spread and fleshes out the page as well!

A bullet journal is part of your personal expression. Find washi tapes that you like, pens in the colors you prefer (not just black or blue!), and fill it with curly and bold handwriting as you wish. Use all the colors you want or challenge yourself by sticking to a few. Your journal can be filled to the brim with different spreads detailing your week and a complex log of your emotions, or it can have no rhyme or reason and simply burst with spontaneous color and ideas. Most importantly though, don’t feel intimidated by the impeccable journal spreads on Pinterest. Rather, use them as inspiration and motivation. Your journal is for you and you only, so adjust it to your liking!

I have bonded with many friends over bullet journaling, sharing stationery, and flipping through each other’s books. Which is to say, bullet journaling isn’t just about putting pen to paper, but also the social experience of shopping for journals and the requisite tools with friends (I recommend 南锣鼓巷 nánluógǔxiàng or any stationery store near you), letting go and journaling your thoughts, then sharing work that you’re proud of.

So go out and get yourself a journal, make it yours, and enjoy the process!

Images: Mina Yan

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