Bullet Journals and Planners have become extremely popular over the last few years. They are all over Instagram which makes me extremely happy. I have used both in my life so seeing people appreciate them too brings me a lot of joy.
It can be quite overwhelming deciding which of these is best for you, so today I am going to compare them. I’m going to share what each of them is, as well as their pros and cons. Without further ado, let’s get to it.
Planner
Planners are notebooks with spreads that are already pre-made and ready to use. They come in all shapes and sizes which I really like. You can often find planners for different purposes, such as an academic planner, financial planner, and health and fitness planner. You can find planners that have different layouts for different spreads. For example, some planners have vertical weekly pages, and others have horizontal. Additionally, some have weekly pages with timestamps, allowing you to plan your day by the hour.
Pros of using a planner
- It’s set up all ready for you to use
- There are a variety of planners out there
- They are quick to use due to being pre-made
- They are easy to use for future planning
Cons of using a planner
- Despite there being a variety of planners, they are hard to customise
- There may be wasted pages as you may not need to use all of them
- Due to being pre-made, there may not be enough room for your plans
- There’s limited flexibility
Bullet Journal
A Bullet Journal is a customisable system that allows you to track the past, order the present and plan the future. It is essentially a planner that you create yourself. For example, if you want to have a habit tracker, you can put one in. If you want to have a mood tracker, you can put one in. If you would like to see a monthly setup, check out my blog post.
Pros of using a Bullet Journal
- It can be completely personal to you and what you need
- It is relatively cheap to start – you can simply use a pen and a notebook
- It can be really beneficial to your mental health due to the ability to add decoration and spend time creating new spreads
- There is a spread out there for everyone
Cons of using a Bullet Journal
- It can be quite time-consuming due to the nature of setting up spreads yourself
- It can be quite overwhelming and confusing to start with
- Mistakes are likely to happen
- Moving to a new notebook and having to migrate everything can be frustrating
In conclusion, there are pros and cons to each of these systems. If you prefer something with a bit of structure that’s already been done for you, then a planner is your best option. If you prefer something that’s more flexible with a bit of everything, then a Bullet Journal is more for you!
I hope this was helpful to you in some way. Thank you for reading!
Beth
Beth Olivia 