How to bullet journal without losing your peace of mind

Tips and tricks from someone who learned the hard way.

Photo by Noémi Macavei-Katócz via Unsplash. Description: a black pen on an open diary with a drawing on its left page and writing on the right page.

This title may sound like a joke to some of you, and I understand that. How could an activity like journaling, which is often recommended as a relaxing hobby or a healthy coping mechanism, trouble someone’s peace of mind?

Well, bullet journaling could do both, honestly. Being based on the idea of an entirely customized and customizable planner/journal (with dotted paper), you can have fun at setting up the spreads you need, or you can spiral into perfectionism and engage in unnecessary comparisons with the rest of the bullet journaling community.

Personally, I have been using bullet journals for four years, I have experienced both these sides of this activity, and I think that I have finally found my personal balance. Here are some tricks that helped me achieve it.

First of all, let’s debunk a myth linked to bullet journaling: you don’t need a lot of money to start. The very basic tools that you will absolutely need, indeed, are the same that you would need to write on paper, namely a pen and paper, specifically a notebook. It doesn’t even have to be a dotted one, it just has to suit the purpose you intended it for. My very first bullet journal was an A4 squared notebook, and it…