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Home » What to Do if Bullet Journaling Feels Overwhelming?

What to Do if Bullet Journaling Feels Overwhelming?

November 12, 2020 Leave a Comment

What to do if you love bullet journaling but it feels overwhelming? 3 Tips to Try Right Now | ChocolateMusings.com


Post Contents

  • What to do if Bullet Journaling starts feeling overwhelming?
  • Recognize the Problem
  • What Creates Overwhelm for You? Tip #1 – Determine What You Need
    • Ask yourself:
  • Tip # 2 Manage the Overwhelm, Take a Vacation from your Bullet Journal!
  • Habit-Making Recommendations
  • Tip #3 Create Only the Minimum Amount Required
    • Eliminate Overwhelm: Pare Down to Only What You Absolutely Need In Your Bullet Journal
  • Let Your Bullet Journal Adapt to Your Life
  • Inspiration to Keep Going

What to do if Bullet Journaling starts feeling overwhelming?

3 Tips to Try Right Now to OVercome Bullet Journal Overwhelm | ChocoalteMusings.com

Do you feel overwhelmed with bullet journaling? Did this process previously work for you, but now it feels like a burden? Do you avoid your bullet journal? Have you returned to your old method of trying to remember everything or sticky notes and long to go back to when your bullet journal worked for you and when it contained the details of your life, so you didn’t feel so ragged?

Yup. Me too. A couple of months ago, it all just felt like too much. And I stopped doing anything that helped me feel put together, organized, or productive. I didn’t stop these things intentionally. It just happened because, at the time, everything felt overwhelming.

Recognize the Problem

Going through this pandemic and the trials associated with it have genuinely increased the overwhelm in my life. My husband lost his job early on during the year, and it’s been challenging to cope with all the other changes. The tipping point I think for me was when our cat of 18 years died suddenly, followed almost immediately by my husband losing out on an opportunity that we both wanted very badly.

I decided to take a little break from everything I could in my life. Social media, bullet journaling, and even art took a backseat to the menial day-to-day tasks as I worked through my grief on many levels. In the past, I’d use my bullet journal to write and help organize my thoughts and art to create a safe place for my mind. I couldn’t do the norm this time around, and that was ok. I knew I’d be back.

Sometimes to find happiness, you have to experience sorrow. Sometimes to know how to rebuild the calm in your life, you have to experience the chaos. I knew that’s what I was doing. I knew that the method I was doing wasn’t working throughout the pandemic and beyond, so I needed to figure out what needed to change.

What Creates Overwhelm for You? Tip #1 – Determine What You Need

3 Tips to Overcome Bullet Journal Overwhelm and how to Overcome it - Tip #1 - What do you really need from your bullet journal? | ChocolateMusings.com

Stop and take a minute, here. What’s creating overwhelm in your life? Why did you decide to read this article?

Ask yourself:

What do you need from your bullet journal?

What are you trying to do with your bullet journal that isn’t working?

There are times where I need intricately drawn or painted spreads and times I need minimal layouts. If you’re overwhelmed with your bullet journal, it’s a signal to change it up.

Listen to yourself. Don’t force yourself to keep doing something just because you’ve always done it.

Tip # 2 Manage the Overwhelm, Take a Vacation from your Bullet Journal!

Tip #2 - Take a Vacation from Your Bullet Journal - But have a return ticket scheduled | ChocolateMusings.com

Do you need a break from bullet journaling but don’t want to stop forever?

Here’s a tip: don’t break the habit and think you can come back to it whenever you want, you need to prepare the way to return. I know that’s how I break most of my good habits (see the posts in my health journey adventure).

Instead, call it a vacation. That’s how I take time away from a habit but mentally knowing that I’ll return to it. If you call it a vacation it helps your mind feel like it’s returning from a break rather than ‘falling off the wagon’.

It’s ok to give yourself a vacation. I promise. If you’re not using it anyway, and your bullet journal is overwhelming you, take a break, but set up a return date and an expectation when you return.

For instance, I will give myself a week (or a month) from my bullet journal and jot down the ‘vacation dates’ on a sticky note and post it on the front of my bullet journal. Writing down the commitment is especially important. And if you end up taking more time than you intended, call it an extended vacation.

Habit-Making Recommendations

Here are some books I’ve read on organizing, decluttering, and habits. I’d love a recommendation and add it to my list. Let me know if you have more to add in the comments below.  

 

Tip #3 Create Only the Minimum Amount Required

Tip # 3 Return to the Minimum Required in your Bullet Journal - Eliminate all unnecessary lists, to dos, records, allow yourself to breathe and realize what is really important to you | ChocolateMusings.com

If you’re struggling with motivation and overwhelm in your bullet journal, return to the minimum amount you can do. For instance, I decided to create a simple welcome page, a vertical calendar page to track events and day-specific to-dos, and a habit tracker page. To focus on being thankful, I added a one-line gratitude journal as well. It was the perfect mix of keeping track of life with a little whimsy.

  • November Thankful welcome page in my bullet journal - heart wreath with watercolor | ChocolateMusings.com
    Welcome Page
  • November vertical calendar log - minimal bullet journal spreads | ChocolateMusings.com
    Monthly Log
  • November Habits & Thankful Line Per day - Minimal Bullet Journal Use | ChocolateMusings.com
    One Line Per Day & Habit Tracker

A comparison from the typical spreads I created in my bullet journal vs. when I pared it down this month:

Typical Month:

  • 2 -Page Welcome Spread in Watercolor
  • 2-Page Monthly Calendar
  • Monthly To-Dos
  • Habit Tracker
  • 2-Page Spreads for Each Week
  • Brain Dump
  • One-Line Per Day
  • Productivity Tracker
  • Journal Page

Pared Down Month:

  • Welcome Spread (simple)
  • Monthly Log
  • One Line Per Day
  • Habit Tracker

** I could have eliminated the welcome spread, one line per day & habit tracker and kept only the monthly calendar, but they made me happy and I decided could keep up with them.

Eliminate Overwhelm: Pare Down to Only What You Absolutely Need In Your Bullet Journal

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, choose what you absolutely need and use that for a month. Hint: after the first week of the month, if you’re craving a missing part of your bullet journal, absolutely add it back in! There is nothing that says that you have to continue doing (or not doing) what you start the month doing.

Going back to the basics is the best way to see how my bullet journal needs to evolve for the next season of my life. If you let your bullet journal grow with your seasons of life, you’ll find the value of your bullet journal amplifies. This is one reason why I’ve stuck with bullet journaling for so long.

Here’s a post on how you can create a one-line per day spread. (And how to use it!)

Let Your Bullet Journal Adapt to Your Life

Stop the overwhelm and adapt your bullet journal to work with you instead of work against your current season of life. I feel the most overwhelmed is when I’m not using the tools in my life, and I insist that I have to use them the way I’ve always done.

Allow yourself to make a shift in the way you plan and carry out your tasks when you get them done. We’ve all gone through a significant change in the last few months. Adaptation is critical, and it certainly is necessary to eliminate overwhelm.

So if something in your bullet journal feels overwhelming, that’s a clue to change what you’re doing. Make a change. It’s ok, I promise. The system is not rigid. It was never designed to be rigid.

Inspiration to Keep Going

I hope you found some inspiration to adapt your bullet journal to your current season in life. I think you’ll find more peace and eliminate more overwhelm in your bullet journal if you give yourself a temporary vacation, reset to the minimum, and let your bullet journal adapt to your life. Don’t do what everyone else is doing. Make this tool work for you.

No Matter Which Notebook I use – You’ll Always Find These Supplies Close at Hand

3 Tips to Overcome Bullet Journal Overwhelm | ChocoalteMusings.com
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YouTube Video UCefWa0NWVt5a_q9LWofOWhw_yIQ4ggBQBsg From the Archives: Fun & Whimsical Bullet Journal Set Up - Ideas and Plants - Loose floral wreathsLots of spring-inspired doodles with pastel colors. I changed it up this month with horizontal weekly layouts.____________________Brain Dump Names: https://chocolatemusings.com/different-names-brain-dump/Social Links - Let's be Friends!Website: http://ChocolateMusings.comShop: https://chocolatemusings.com/shop/Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChocolateMusingsInstagram: http://Instagram.com/chocolatemusingscreatesFacebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ChocolateMusings/____________________Products I Used: Daniel Smith Watercolor: https://amzn.to/3Ip8xbDPrinceton Velvetouch Paint Brushes: https://amzn.to/42IVnPQArcher & Olive A5 Dot Grid Notebook: https://archerandolive.refr.cc/triciamHelix Circle Maker Tool: https://amzn.to/49kx5xYTombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen: https://amzn.to/42MogKRVideo Set-Up:Photography Lights (I use these for my everyday drawing). They're amazing https://amzn.to/2shdb4jCanon PowerShot G7x Mark III Digital Camera https://amzn.to/3yt2lb4Blue Yeti - USB Microphone https://amzn.to/2SNwb6aScissor Arm Mic Stand https://amzn.to/2CcGgm0Contains affiliate links - if you use them, I may receive a small commission at no charge to you.00:00 Introduction00:12 Sneak Peek00:33 Welcome Page01:26 Monthly Calendar02:42 Brain Dump03:34 Weeklies05:35 Journal06:17 Habit Tracker06:55 Flip Through
From the Archives: Fun & Whimsical Bullet Journal Set Up - Ideas and Plants - Loose floral wreathsLots of spring-inspired doodles with pastel colors. I changed it up this month with horizontal weekly layouts.____________________Brain Dump Names: https://chocolatemusings.com/different-names-brain-dump/Social Links - Let's be Friends!Website: http://ChocolateMusings.comShop: https://chocolatemusings.com/shop/Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChocolateMusingsInstagram: http://Instagram.com/chocolatemusingscreatesFacebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ChocolateMusings/____________________Products I Used: Daniel Smith Watercolor: https://amzn.to/3Ip8xbDPrinceton Velvetouch Paint Brushes: https://amzn.to/42IVnPQArcher & Olive A5 Dot Grid Notebook: https://archerandolive.refr.cc/triciamHelix Circle Maker Tool: https://amzn.to/49kx5xYTombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen: https://amzn.to/42MogKRVideo Set-Up:Photography Lights (I use these for my everyday drawing). They're amazing https://amzn.to/2shdb4jCanon PowerShot G7x Mark III Digital Camera https://amzn.to/3yt2lb4Blue Yeti - USB Microphone https://amzn.to/2SNwb6aScissor Arm Mic Stand https://amzn.to/2CcGgm0Contains affiliate links - if you use them, I may receive a small commission at no charge to you.00:00 Introduction00:12 Sneak Peek00:33 Welcome Page01:26 Monthly Calendar02:42 Brain Dump03:34 Weeklies05:35 Journal06:17 Habit Tracker06:55 Flip Through
From the Archives: Fun & Whimsical Bullet Journal Set Up - Experimenting with Watercolor Leaves in my Bullet Journal. Featuring 2-to-a-spread weeklies and a loosely painted watercolor theme - I hope this planning session inspires you to paint or to try something new.00:00 Introduction00:15 Welcome Page Wreath01:41 Monthly Calendar Page03:04 Habit Tracker & Monthly To Do Pages05:47 Gratitude + Week 106:35 Weeklies06:52 Brain Dump07:15 Journal07:42 Whoops! Adding a Page09:06 Final Flip Through____________________Social Links - Let's be Friends!Website: http://ChocolateMusings.comShop: https://chocolatemusings.com/shop/Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChocolateMusingsInstagram: http://Instagram.com/chocolatemusingscreatesFacebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ChocolateMusings/____________________Products I Used: Daniel Smith Watercolor: https://amzn.to/3Ip8xbDPrinceton Velvetouch Paint Brushes: https://amzn.to/42IVnPQArcher & Olive A5 Dot Grid Notebook: https://archerandolive.refr.cc/triciamHelix Circle Maker Tool: https://amzn.to/49kx5xYTombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen: https://amzn.to/42MogKRVideo Set-Up:Photography Lights (I use these for my everyday drawing). They're amazing https://amzn.to/2shdb4jCanon PowerShot G7x Mark III Digital Camera https://amzn.to/3yt2lb4Blue Yeti - USB Microphone https://amzn.to/2SNwb6aScissor Arm Mic Stand https://amzn.to/2CcGgm0Contains affiliate links - if you use them, I may receive a small commission at no charge to you.
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About Me


Hi! I'm Tricia, the creative behind ChocolateMusings.com, I know how it feels to lose your inner muse. After years of darkness (which I call the dark ages of my life), I found my inner muse hiding in the forgotten corners of my soul, I vowed never to lose sight of her again.

Bullet journaling helped reignite the passion for art and living life again while organizing my days. I also discovered modern calligraphy and watercolor. Since then, my use of the bullet journal system has evlolved and I call it 'creative planning'. Here on the blog, I show you how to use your planner to ignite your inner muse and explore creativity and art while staying beautifully organized and living a joyful life.

I invite you to grab some good chocolate and dive into my musings. Let’s ignite your inner muse.

Read more on the about me page. You can also find my policies and disclosures here.

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