Friend told me digital bullet journals are cheating, got me thinking

My buddy Matt said using Notion for habit tracking defeats the whole point of bullet journaling because you lose the hand-writing part. But I feel like it saves me time and I actually stick with it - does that make it less authentic or just more practical?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark_thomas3d ago

Honestly, I gotta ask - what was the actual tipping point that made you go from "I love my hand-drawn spreads" to "okay digital it is"? Was it a specific frustration or just slowly realizing it wasn't fun anymore? Because I feel like a lot of people stay in paper bujo out of guilt more than enjoyment, and that's what sucks. Like, if you're spending Sunday dreading setup instead of actually using the tracker, the medium is getting in the way of the method.

tyler64d ago

Three years into bullet journaling here. I used to spend an hour every Sunday setting up spreads and tracking stuff by hand. Switched to a digital version six months ago and my consistency went way up. The handwriting part is nice but not the main point. If the system works for you then it works for you. Matt is gatekeeping.

kelly_nelson953d ago

Yeah but @tyler6 what made you finally switch over to digital after three years of doing it by hand... I've been on the fence about it myself. I started bujo for the creative outlet but lately the Sunday setup sessions feel more like a chore than something I actually look forward to. Did you try any digital apps before landing on one that stuck or was it more about just giving up the paper entirely. The gatekeeping thing is real though, plenty of people act like Ryder Carroll invented some sacred ritual and you're doing it wrong if you don't hand letter every header. If the system keeps you organized who cares if it's on a tablet or in a notebook...