Bullet Journaling 101: Monthly and Weekly Spreads


Hi everyone! Today we're continuing our series about something I've been doing lately to satisfy my love of stationery and organization: bullet journaling.  I am not one for trends, but when everyone and their mother was talking about bullet journaling and how it kept their life in order, I looked into it. I googled it and was immediately put off by all the insanely intricate layouts and drawings. A few months ago, my best friend asked me about whether or not I had heard of bullet journaling. I told her it all looked so complicated and that my OCD would stop me from actually enjoying it. Then I went through a period of daily anxiety and worry, and I decided I would try it to get my mind off the things that were bothering me. I've been through 4 journals and am now on my 5th, not because I have a lot to write, but because I was right about my OCD- I end up making layouts and hating them because there was something I wanted to add or I didn't like the order in which I placed the sections. 

Bullet Journaling 101: Monthly and Weekly Spreads

Today I’m here to show you how I plan my months and weeks in my bullet journal.  This is definitely the easiest place to change it up if I don’t like how the layouts turned out.  Knowing myself, this will probably happen every week, as I notice there are modules that I’m not using or that could be put somewhere else in the journal where they could be better utilized.


For the monthly layout I have a calendar and an area for events, things to remember for the following month, and a to-do list.  It also contains specific tasks in a checklist that I need to accomplish around the house for the month.  One of the past bullet journals I did (and hated) had a different layout for daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. This month I’m going to try placing these sections where they need to be done (monthly tasks on my monthly spread, weekly and daily tasks on my weekly spread) and see if I use it better in checklist form.






Next I have a “brain dump” section. This might be one of the sections I drop next month in favor of a daily writing or art journal.









Next is my daily gratitude layout. It’s so easy to become negative in the world we live in, especially with such easy access to bad news with social media. So I make sure I sit down at the end of the day (or if something happens during the day I want to add, I’ll leave myself a note in my phone) and write one thing I was grateful for that day. Since 95% of my waking hours are spent with a pint-sized dictator (oops, I meant ADORABLE CUDDLE MONSTER WHO NOW HAS THE DEXTERITY TO DESTROY MY APARTMENT), most of my “gratitudes” have to do with something she         learned or something funny that she did that day.



Ah my monthly menu…. It was planned with the best of intentions (I can go shopping at the warehouse store way in advance if I need meats or sauces and not have to go every two weeks). YEAH, OK. I am so unbelievably indecisive about what to make for dinner that sometimes even planning a week ahead is pushing it. I’m really trying to save money and not order so much takeout, so I actually have a column next to my dinner ideas that says “did I make it?” and we’ll just see how often I can put a check mark there…





Next up is my weekly set up, which I’m not sure about. We’re only a few days in and I’m already not feeling the extras (like I don’t really need a spot for notes, events, or tasks). Maybe the next ones I set up will only be spots for the days. 





The next two pages are my to-dos and habit trackers for the week. On the first page are things I want to get accomplished for “work” and home. I put however many checkboxes for how many blog posts I want to write or how many trainings I want to complete for Avon (shameless plug: yes, I’m still a sales rep. Hit me up if you need anything!) The following page has a mental and physical health habit tracker. These are just routine things I need/want to get accomplished each day (yes, that says “shower” and “brush teeth.” When you can’t even pee without your toddler chewing on a phone charger, they need to be written down and checked off just so you can                                                                                 feel accomplished. Don’t judge!)





So there you have it, folks! That’s how I personally set up my months and weeks (for now) in my bullet journal. Next month will be WAAYYY more awesome because I have a little more time to plan it out… I’ll show you what October looks like at the end of the month! Next up is the fun stuff: collections! Come see what I’m talking about in my next post!






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