Why It’s Okay to Leave Your Bujo Spreads Unfinished

Trust me, I know the struggle. You make a spread, all excited to fill it up with your plans or goals, and then you get busy—or, for some of us, maybe you suddenly get a lot less busy, thanks to quarantine requirements or the loss of a job. Then a few weeks later, you find yourself looking at a partially (or maybe completely) empty spread, and the guilt about not using it starts to creep in.

I’m here to tell you to stop that right now. 2020 has been an awful year, and it does you no good to make it even worse by feeling bad about not using your bujo for weeks or even months, about leaving spreads partially filled out. Even in normal times, you should never feel bad about neglecting your bujo for a while.

It can be hard, I know. Especially if you’re like me and you occasionally share pictures of your bujo online. Sometimes, in the online bullet journaling community, there is this pressure to have all your spreads look perfect. And even if you’re not the kind of person who shares their bujo online, looking at an empty spread can still be a little disheartening.

Remember, though, that a bullet journal is supposed to be something that helps you organize your life. That’s it. If for whatever reason it stops working for you for a while, that’s completely okay. First and foremost, your bullet journal should be for you.

I know a lot of us have been struggling with planning this year, and I know for sure that my bullet journal has suffered because of it. But I want you to know that if you’re finding it hard to fill up your bujo spreads, you’re not alone. Let yourself take the break that you need. Your bujo will still be waiting for you when you’re ready.

I know this was kind of a short post, but this is something that’s been on my mind a lot lately. I hope that my words helped you somehow. Happy planning, everyone, and I’ll see you next time.

-Ariel