Now the Don'ts...

When I made the leap over to digital, that also meant making the grand leap to everything Apple. And I went all in - MacBook, iPad, I Mac, I mean the whole shebang. For this old dog, it was not an easy trick to learn. But like with any new skill, you get better with practice. The same goes for your bullet journal.

Let’s be honest—bullet journaling can go from being a “simple productivity tool” to “overwhelming art project” faster than you can say washi tape. While the BuJo method is meant to simplify your life, it's so easy to falling into traps that can turn it into yet another thing to stress over.

Here are a couple of mistakes that tend to prevent a Bujo from reaching full potential.

Trying to Make It Instagram-Perfect from Day One
The Mistake: Spending three hours making the “perfect” spread… and then not knowing how to actually use it.
Why It Happens: You see gorgeous bullet journal spreads online and think yours has to look like that too.
What to Do Instead: Focus on function first—clean lines, a simple layout, and maybe a few stickers for a little razzle dazzle. You can always build on it later once you've found your groove. Pretty is optional; practical is essential.

Copying Other People’s Layouts Without Tweaking Them
The Mistake: You use someone else's exact spread—even though it doesn’t fit how your brain works.
Why It Happens: You assume their aesthetic = productivity.
What to Do Instead: Borrow ideas, but adapt them. Not a weekly spread person? Go daily. Need more space for notes? Or a space for your running log? Make the layout work for you.

Using It Only as a To-Do List or Just a Calendar
The Mistake: You treat your bullet journal like a glorified notebook with checkboxes and events.
Why It Happens: That’s how many people start—and get stuck.
What to Do Instead: Use it as a thinking tool. Log ideas, brain-dump stress, track progress, reflect, plan… whatever keeps your brain clear. It’s not just a to-do list—it’s a you list.

Abandoning It Because You Miss a Few Days
The Mistake: You skip a few days or weeks even and feel like you've failed, so you stop entirely.
Why It Happens: All-or-nothing thinking.
What to Do Instead: Start again, it doesn't matter where you are, even if its not a Monday. No apologies, no guilt. The beauty of a BuJo is its flexibility. There are no rules. Just turn the page and pick up where you left off.

Trying to Do Everything at Once
The Mistake: You dive in head first with a key, index, future log, monthly, weekly, daily spreads, doodles, stickers, washi tape, trackers, quotes—and burn out by week two.
Why It Happens: You’re excited and want to do everything, all at once.
What to Do Instead: Start small. Maybe just a monthly log and a simple daily page. Add elements as they make sense for you. Progress over perfection, always.

Bottom line, your bullet journal is a tool that works for you and with you, it should not feel like a second job. Keep it flexible, focus on function, and don’t be afraid to make it messy. Whether it’s artistic, minimalist, or somewhere in between, the best bullet journal is the one you’ll actually use.