The Best Ways to Fix Bullet Journal Mistakes
Oops! Any bullet journalist or artist knows how it feels when their pen accidentally slips or they try out a new style and it doesn't turn out exactly how they thought it would. But what to do? Should you just rip the page out of your bullet journal and toss your hour of hard work?
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Updated for 2024
Of course not! Unless you really really want to start over. There are plenty of tips and tricks you can do to cover up those little or even large mistakes.
And then at the end of the day, if you still just simply hate that layout, you can glue those two pages together (Using gluestick and not regular glue so the new page doesn't turn out all wrinkly), instead of ripping it out and weakening the binding on the notebook, you are using.
But hopefully, you can use these tips to fix your bullet journal mistakes instead!
The Best Ways to Fix Bullet Journal Mistakes
First, let me ask you... what is the best way to fix a bullet journal mistake?
You might not think of it right off, but of course, the best way to fix a bullet journal mistake is to not make it in the first place. So where we want to start, is the ways you can eliminate making bullet journal mistakes! :)
1. Use an Erasable Writing Instrument
The easiest way to eliminate making mistakes is to use an erasable writing instrument. You can still make mistakes obviously, but you can erase them afterward and no one will know!
Simply draw out your entire layout using a pencil first, and then go over it in pen. Just doing this alone, eliminates a lot of the mistakes I know I would make. :)
And yes, it might take you a little longer to sketch the layout using a pencil first but think how much time it will take you to fix a large bullet journal mistake. You might even have come to this post because you just barely made a large mistake in your bullet journal.
You can also find erasable pens so that you don't need to go over it with a pen. If you don't like pencils, then that might be a good option for you.
Plus, use a ruler... unless, you don't care about having straight lines. I know I do! You can also use stencils, and stamps when drawing shapes to help eliminate errors.
2. Use a White Gel Pen
Ahhh! A white gel pen is definitely a lifesaver for me and the first way I try to fix a mistake! If you look closely at the picture above, you can see where I messed up on the "at" in "at - a - glance", but I covered it up with a white gel pen, and then I redid it. Now it is hardly noticeable.
White gel pens are very cheap, so I recommend having one in your bullet journal essentials kit.
If the ink showing through, annoys you, then you can buy a white paint pen that will have thicker ink, but it may take longer for the ink to dry.
3. Cover it with a Darker Color
If you take a look at the first photo in this post, you can see that the header for "goals" is a black square with white ink on top and while I didn't make a mistake right there, it can definitely work as a solution to fix mistakes.
Even if you make a mistake using a very dark color, all is not lost, because you can simply make a square or a circle and write on top of it using your handy white gel pen. Gold and silver gel pens would be fun too!
If you make a mistake in a lighter color, you can always use a darker color on top and it won't be noticeable. Like in the picture below, if I hadn't liked the lettering, or had made a mistake, I could cover it up with a darker color and used a white gel pen to "erase" any bits that were left showing.
4. Stickers + Washi Tape
Cover up your mistake with an aesthetic sticker that matches the rest of the page or if the mistake is in a lighter color, then you can use washi tape.
Plus, I want to mention that if your lettering is off-centered and you really just want it centered, you can draw a doodle, or use a sticker to center the heading. That might be what I did on the layout above. ;)
This can work for small and medium-sized mistakes. Sticky notes are also a good idea and to make it more permanent, you can use a glue stick to glue it all the way down.
5. Craft Paper
Oh, those large mistakes! When you do the whole header and it turns out looking ugly or when your hand slips and it messes up the whole thing. What can you do then?
Use a little bit of craft paper (or a large bit of craft paper depending on how large the mistake) is and some glue stick to cover up the whole thing. Then you can add some washi tape or a little sticker in one corner, to make it look like it was intentional.
You can also save the extra dotted paper you may have from doing dutch-door layouts and use that instead because it will blend in with the page.
After you glue it down, write overlapping the edge, to make the paper you added to your notebook less noticeable.
The Best Ways to Fix Bullet Journal Mistakes
Those are the best ways I know to fix bullet journal mistakes, but if you decide that you really don't like how it looks after you try some of these methods, you can always cut a dutch-door layout, or you can glue two pages together.
We all make bullet journal mistakes and other mistakes too. :)
Over time though, your bullet journal layouts will improve and you will find that you make fewer mistakes! If you don't believe me, just take a look at my first bullet journal and then come back to this post and look at these layouts again.
If you liked this post, you might also enjoy these ones!
- How to Bullet Journal Even When You are Super Busy
- How to Bullet Journal When Feeling Uninspired
- 36 Bullet Journal Layout Ideas for When You are Bored
- Tips for Improving Your Bullet Journal Quote Pages
I hope you found these tips helpful! If you did, please consider leaving a comment or giving it a share. Thank you so much! :)
Pin this one for later. I even made you a pretty pin!
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