How To Recover Your Bullet Journal Motivation

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I talked to many Bullet Journalists, and they all said the same – at some point, you just get burned out and don’t really have any motivation to bujo.

Here are the tricks that helped me to overcome mine every time.

Maybe if you’re just learning about Bullet Journaling for beginners, you’re confused about why you’re here. But trust me, motivation and come and go for anyone, beginners or seasoned planners.

Bullet Journal is an amazing tool, but pretty much like with anything else at some point your motivation might go down, disregarding how much you loved it at the beginning.

This is natural; it happens to everyone.

I’m actually writing this as I’m personally overcoming and going through my first slump.

What do you do when it happens though? Do you quit for good? How can you get your Bullet Journal motivation back? I got you covered with these 7 simple things you can do to overcome your Bullet Journal slump.

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My Bullet Journal Motivation Dip

I’ve been bullet journaling for a little more than a year now and it’s been amazing. Bullet Journal completely changed my life and opened up a bunch of new possibilities. You can read it in my post 5 Ways Bullet Journal Changed My Life In One Year.

However, at the end of January, I got a new job, which turned out to be as demanding as it got. Together with that job, I also write for this blog and used to have two Instagram accounts that required my daily input.

I wasn’t ready for such a sudden change in my schedule; it burned me out. Bullet Journal became a chore instead of a helpful tool, and I started using it less and less.

It lost its spark, and it wasn’t that fun anymore. You can definitely see how my Instagram feed took a hit from this because I started uploading fewer weekly posts.

So I had two choices. Either quit BuJoing and go back to my old chaotic blobby life or get myself together and fall in love with Bullet Journal again. So I did some research, asked around, and gathered some great tips to try and rekindle my passion.

Below are the 7 tricks I tried to bring back the motivation to Bullet Journal and to be creative.

Did they work? Am I now full of renewed love for BuJo? Or is this the end of Masha Plans? Keep reading to find out!

Remember Your “Why”

So, you’re not motivated to do anything, and you’re even thinking of quitting Bullet Journaling.

Ok. First of all, don’t panic. It’s fine, we all have low moments. Before you make any rash decision, take some time to remember your “why”.

Why did you start your Bullet Journal? How did it help you? How much has it already helped you? Is it still a tool that will get you closer to your initial goals?

You might be tired or bored with it, but if BuJo has helped you to become a better self, maybe it’d be a good idea to keep it up, given how much it has done for you.

Back to Basics

Try to go back to basics. Maybe you aren’t motivated because creating art is frustrating. Or maybe you just spend too much time setting up all the kinkajillion pages you want to create.

Take a step back and return to the core system and its basic elements. Start slowly rebuilding your motivation. Getting overwhelmed by BuJo is exactly the opposite of what the system is for.

Review What’s Working

Bullet Journal is a freestyle planning system. That means that it’s easy to overdo it and use a million different spreads every month. That, of course, leads to burnout and a lack of motivation.

If you’re in a slump but don’t want to dial it all back to the absolute basic, find a compromise. Take some time to look back at your Bullet Journal and do a little review. See which pages were useful and which ones weren’t. Check what you felt like was missing. Notice which kind of setups worked the best.

Apart from creating a clear understanding of what you need from your pages, you’ll most likely also get inspired by how much progress you have made so far.

If you’re thinking about Going Back to Basics or Reviewing What’s Working, I’d recommend you to definitely check The Bullet Journal Method Book by Ryder Carroll. It will not only help you understand the core system, but also, it’ll give you a whole new outlook and perspective on how to use your Bullet Journal. 

Add Some Fun and Creativity

Maybe what you were missing from your journal is some creativity. Try to experiment with different elements and styles.

In my case, I was so concentrated on all the other things that I forgot how inspiring creating new pages can be. One day I was super tired and stressed, so I felt like I just needed to unwind.

The best way to do that for me is to do something with my hands, so I just sat down and started doodling in my bujo. This turned into a fun little about me spread, and in no time I was already super inspired and got back some of my bujo mojo!

If you’re looking for some creativity courses, there is no better place than Skillshare. It’s a platform with thousands of courses on any possible topic.

Using my link, you can get one month of premium access for FREE!

Be sure to check my list of Creativity Courses To Rock Bullet Journaling for some more recommendations.

Stop Comparing

My husband always says “don’t compare yourself to others. If you look at those who are better than you, you’ll just become bitter, and if you look at those who are not as good as you, you’ll become vain”.

This is a really important one. A lot of people usually fall in the trap of comparing themselves to others. And how can you not?! There are so many beautiful works out there.

Absolutely perfect journals of any style. It really doesn’t matter how good you are, there is always somebody you think is doing what you do, but better.

Comparing yourself to others, especially when you are at a low point with your Bullet Journal is really destructive. So try and do your best not to do that. Go look at your previous spreads and journals and compare yourself to you in the past instead!

Stay Off Social Media

It can be very helpful to also stay away from social media for a while. This, of course, will help you to stop comparing yourself to other creators.

There is a second layer to it, though. I know a lot of Bullet Journalists share their creations on Instagram, and this can get pretty frustrating.

With the absolutely evil and ever-changing algorithm dictated probably by some ancient Eldritch god, and the need to post every day to just make sure you have some growth, Instagram easily becomes a chore and sucks all the happiness out of Bullet Journaling.

Maybe what you really need is a break to start journaling for yourself again.

Take Time Off From Your Bullet Journal

This sounds counter-intuitive, but sometimes too much of a good thing is, well… too much. Take a break, step away for a bit and allow yourself to reload your energies.

The key here is, of course, to not take too much time and end up just abandoning Bullet Journaling altogether. However, it’s totally fine to take some time off, enjoy the life around you, and get your muse back.

As for me? Don’t worry; Masha Plans is here to stay, and I’m actually glad I got to talk about this with you guys. The community is always a great motivation to keep up.

Have you ever experienced a slump in your Bullet Journal motivation? Did you overcome it? How did you do it? Share with us your experiences in the comments section below.

Hope this post was useful; if you find it so, please share! If you enjoy my content and want to show your appreciation, please consider supporting me with a cup of coffee.

And remember: Keep Bullet Journaling, and Don’t Be A Blob.

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