In the bullet journaling community, people tend to update their journals each month. Personally, I track a variety of different things monthly. It helps to keep me organized and motivated to stick with all of my goals. Below is a list of all the monthly spreads I use that are common for most bullet journalers. None of these spreads are necessary for your own bullet journal. Everything is customizable to your needs.
Introduction Page
To begin the month, I typically, along with lots of other bullet journalers, have an introduction page. This might include some doodles to demonstrate the theme. (A lot of people, including myself, have a different theme for each month.) This page might also have a miniature calendar depicting the days of the month. Having a quote is also common. Generally, I only include the doodles. Below are a few examples:
Calendar
The next page is the calendar. As I use my calendar less than others, I only use one page. It is more common to have a full two-page spread. The calendar is intended to keep events and deadlines organized. Both writing the events and using indexes are appropriate, whichever you prefer works. Because my calendar is smaller, I use an index and codes to mark my events.
Highlights and Gratitude
In my journal, I track one highlight and one thing I am grateful for every day. My memory can be a little spotty at times, so it is nice to have little reminders of what I did that day. I have noticed that having a highlight of my day helps me to separate my days in quarantine. It makes every day seem just a little different than the last.
Based on what I know from my psychology background, written gratitude activities help increase happiness. They are great at changing your perception of things from pessimistic to optimistic. The gratitude spread might not seem like much, but I enjoy the positivity it brings to my day.
Habit Tracker
One of the most common spreads you will see in bullet journals is the habit tracker. I personally track a lot of different things, like my water intake (how many cups of water I drink a day), my steps, my mood, and other things. The habit tracker is great for motivation when it comes to your goals. Marking something off as completed or seeing that you drank enough water that day is really rewarding at the end of the day. That feeling of accomplishment reinforces you to continue doing those same actions. The habit tracker can be a little bit of a hassle, especially when you have lots of habits to track, but it is definitely worth it.
Weekly Spreads
Weekly spreads are where you write down your day-to-day task lists. Most people include one column or one box per day so that they can write out their to-do list. However, that format might not be for everyone. You can also have lists based on the week or the month, instead of each day. When I was in school, I had a list for each day and a short to-do list for each of my classes. This system worked wonders for me once I figured it out. I am a big fan of having a weekly list along with my daily to-dos. It helps keep me organized and productive. Everyone’s organizational needs are different, and therefore, everyone needs a personalized weekly spread.
Creative Spreads
Every once in a while, I like to add a little extra to my month. That might include a list of things I want to do for Christmas or a list of new hobbies to try. Sometimes it is nice to have a little variety to your bullet journal. Do not forget that the bullet journal is completely yours. You can do whatever you want with it.
Everyone’s bullet journals are different. We all have different reasons for keeping a journal. If you want to keep it simple or you want to make the journal artsier, you can. You may need to try a few different spreads and styles before you find the right one, but I am of the opinion that the journey is just as fun as the destination. Get to know yourself and your style along the way. All-in-all, have fun and stay organized!
