Overheard a guy at Starbucks explaining his bullet journal like it was a conspiracy theory

I was grabbing coffee last Saturday and this dude at the next table was showing his friend his bullet journal, but he was talking about it like he’d cracked some secret code. He kept saying things like “the future log is a trap” and “migration isn’t about moving tasks, it’s about moving your soul” - I kid you not. I nearly spit out my latte when he pointed to a spread and said “this is where I track my cosmic alignment with my deadlines.” It made me think about how seriously I take my own bullet journal, you know? I mean, I love a good habit tracker, but I’ve never thought about my habit tracker as a “portal to productivity enlightenment.” It reminded me that sometimes we all get a little too wrapped up in the method and forget it’s just a notebook with dots. Has anyone else heard someone turn bullet journaling into something way deeper than it needs to be?

2 comments

2 Comments

ruby_grant1d ago

Ok so here's what I haven't seen anyone mention yet - maybe that guy is actually on to something but in a completely different way than he thinks. Like, the whole "migration is about moving your soul" thing sounds ridiculous at first, but idk, maybe he's accidentally found a way to make himself actually care about his tasks. Most people treat their bullet journal like a chore list and then wonder why they stop using it after three weeks. If pretending your habit tracker is a cosmic portal gets you to actually stick with it and get stuff done, is that really any dumber than someone who spends 90 bucks on washi tape and fancy pens for the aesthetic? The real trap is thinking there's only one right way to use a dumb notebook.

faith_lopez481d agoMost Upvoted

Future log is a trap"? That is the wildest thing I have ever heard someone say about a notebook. @ruby_grant your point about it being a way to actually care is interesting, but I can't get past the cosmic alignment with deadlines part. That guy sounded like he was about to start charging people for access to his spreads.