I used to think a bullet journal had to be perfect or it was useless

For the first six months, I only used a black Leuchtturm and a single black pen. I saw all the fancy spreads online and felt like mine was wrong if a line was wobbly or I had to cross something out. Last month, my pen ran out mid-week and I grabbed a red ballpoint from my truck. I scribbled a messy grocery list right over a monthly log. Instead of starting a new page, I just kept going. That messy week ended up being my most productive one yet because I wasn't worried about how it looked. I realized the tool is supposed to work for me, not the other way around. Now I use whatever pen is handy and let pages get messy. Has anyone else had a moment where letting go of perfection actually made their system work better?

3 comments

3 Comments

hugobarnes4mo agoMost Upvoted

It's the same with cooking. I used to follow recipes exactly and get stressed if I didn't have the right herb. Now I just throw in what's in the fridge. The food tastes better because I'm not anxious about making a mistake. Letting go of the "right" way makes everything work smoother.

alex_taylor102mo ago

3 years into cooking I finally realized most recipes are just somebody's guidelines anyway. I started swapping out stuff because my pantry was bare and honestly the weird combos turned out better than what I was trying to copy. Like I threw some leftover pickle juice into a chicken dish once on a whim and it was actually amazing. Now I just trust my nose and tastebuds more than the ingredient list... takes so much pressure off.

anthonyhunt4mo ago

Wait, you actually had the right herb in your fridge? @hugobarnes, that's the part that shocks me. My fridge only has sad parsley and maybe some old cilantro. The idea of having the specific thing a recipe calls for feels like a fantasy. I guess your point stands though, because even when I did have the right stuff I was so worried about measuring it perfectly the whole process was miserable. Letting go of that need for everything to be exactly right is the real trick.