Starting a new bullet journal is wearisome when you do not know what you are doing. There are lots of spreads to add to your bullet journal, yet you have no idea what to do! We have all been there. So here is a quick guide to get you on your way (with a few fun spreads to add as well)!
Bullet journaling is basically just a bunch of pages (or spreads) designed to make your life easier. These spreads are meant to help you organize your day-to-day activities and everything else you want to track. Bullet journals can be simplistic with only a few spreads or decorative with lots of pages. Either way, it is up to you how you use your bullet journal. Below I have a few standard spreads that you might want to include in your bujo (bullet journal).
Basic Spreads
These basic spreads are the spreads you will typically see in a lot of bullet journals. They are likely to be seen as important for bullet journaling. These include spreads like a key and an index.
Key
The key is typically the first spread you have. Here you should have all the symbols you use in your calendar and weekly spreads. The symbols are different for every person, but people usually include a symbol for events, appointments, tasks, completed tasks, etc. Personally, I do not typically use a key because my symbols are pretty simple. I use a square to designate that I have a task or any other thing I need to do that day. When I complete that activity, I draw an “X” in the square or I fill it in.
Index
The index is intended to help you organize your spreads throughout the journal. You add the page number and the name of your spread. That way you can easily find your spreads. My journal (an Archer & Olive bullet journal) does not have any numbers on the pages; therefore, I do not typically use the index. So if you do not want an index, do not feel obliged to include one.
Future Log
The future log is a page where you can write down your future events and tasks for months you have yet to create. I make my bullet journal one month at a time. So if I have any activities that will occur in months from now, I can write them down here. The future log is useful for all of those events you do not want to forget that are farther in the future.
Grid Spacing
Grid Spacing is not a spread everyone includes in their bullet journal, but it is a necessity in mine. I love to have the spacing in my journal already sorted before I make any of my other spreads. The grid spacing page splits the page into sections, such as thirds, halves, quarters, etc. The page is there to tell you how many squares are in each section. It makes creating spreads in the future so much easier because you already know how to divide the page. This page is a must for me!
Goals
The goals spread helps you to set what you want to accomplish for the year or half of the year, depending on how often you journal or how many pages you use. I like to have some goals for the year that let me know what I am aiming for. My goals page also has a section to include mini-goals under the main ones. These mini-achievements help me with steps to accomplish my main goal.
Extra Spreads
These extra spreads are optional for your bullet journal. I like to include some fun spreads throughout the year to add some extra spice to my bullet journal. Check out some of these extra spreads that you can add to your bullet journal for a fun year!
Favourites
This year, I decided to include a favourites spread in which I write down all of my favourite movies, shows, and music. I like to keep track of my favourite things that year so that when I go through my journals in the future, I can see what I liked that year. My memory is particularly bad, so it is fun to see what I liked in the past. It brings back nice memories!
Recipe Ideas
I make dinner with my family almost every night. We tend to make similar meals all the time, but we get a little bored with the same meals. So I thought it would be good to include a spread to motivate me to make new recipes. I can add some new recipes to my journal and try them out later. We have been trying out a few new recipes lately. It has been really great!
Wish/Gift List
My wish/gift list is where I write down all the things that I want to buy over the year. This way I know what I want to splurge on in the future. Or if someone asks me what I want for my birthday or Christmas, I know what to tell them. The gift list is where I write down what I plan to buy for others as gifts. When someone says they want something during the year, I can write it down and get it for them later.
Last Time I…
The last time I… spread is intended for documenting when I did something important. For instance, I can write down when I last changed my toothbrush or when I last went to the doctor in this spread. It is for practical uses. It is really only to keep track of the important things in my life. This spread is typically used as a cleaning spread to keep track of how often you cleaned your home, but I use it for any of the things that I need to track.
Book Tracker
I love to track how many books I read throughout the year. It shows me the rate at which I am reading books. Whether I read one book a month or five, I like to know how often I am reading. I also include ratings for the books from five stars to 0 stars. It helps me to remember which books are worth reading again. The book tracker is perfect for the readers in us all!
Year in Pixels
Usually, I like to have a mood tracker for every month. I colour in my spreads depending on how I felt that day. This time around, I decided to go for a year in pixels spread instead. This spread has a tiny square for each day of the year. You colour it based on how the day went. Whether you were tired or happy, you can include any emotion you want in your year in pixels. And it saves me lots of time creating mood tracker spreads each month.
Anxiety Tracker
Occasionally, I have a strong burst of anxiety, or I had a bad day. I like to write down how I felt and what triggered those emotions so that I can work on them in the future. It helps to improve your anxiety if you know what causes it. I suggest you have a tracker like this if you experience anxiety too. It can also be great to have for therapy. Your therapist will appreciate your effort in tracking what makes you anxious.
Self-Care List
To go along with your anxiety tracker, you should have a self-care list. A self-care list should have all the things that make you feel better or cared for when you are upset. Every self-care list should be personalized. This list can help you to improve your mood when you are feeling down. I included things like talking to my friends, listening to music, and more on my list.
Expenses
Budgeting is important to lots of people. Spreads about budgeting and expenses can help keep people on track with all of their money. In case someone gets ahold of your journal, it is best not to have any information that could lead to someone stealing your money. Best to keep your spread simple and safe!
It can be tough to get started on your journey with bullet journaling when you have no idea what to write. Look no further! There you have some great spreads to include in your bullet journal! If you want to know how to make monthly spreads to continue to create your journal, check out my post about monthly organization. Now, go have a great time journaling! Let us know which spreads you create in your bullet journal!
