THE PERFECT BULLET JOURNAL MONTHLY SPREAD IS THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF
On my Instagram sister site, @showmeyourplanner, the question I get asked the most is
“HOW DO I GET STARTED?”
As with trying anything new, beginning a new bullet journal can be intimidating. There are a ton of conflicting resources out there telling you what bullet journal elements you should use or shouldn’t use. And the truth is, you do what’s right for you.
For this series, I’ve chosen the key elements for bullet journaling and will explain them in detail, and of course, provide you with lots of gorgeous inspiration from my favorite bullet journal accounts. I’ve organized the posts in this series in the order in which I use them, but feel free to click through the posts in any order that you like.
- Bullet Journal Index
- Bullet Journal Key
- Bullet Journal Future Log
- Bullet Journal Monthly Planning (you’re here!)
- Bullet Journal Weekly Logs or Weekly Spreads
- Bullet Journal Dailies
One of the greatest (and most frustrating) components of any bullet journal is that the options are limitless. And while that is liberating for many, it is petrifying for others. How should I map out my monthly events? Maybe you’re used to a more traditional planner or calendar and the idea of recreating monthly spreads is daunting.
Have no fear, I’ve found a few options for you here, to keep your future looking bright.
Bullet Journal Monthly Planning
To me, the Bullet Journal Monthly Spread is right up there with the weekly spread. You can keep your Calendexes (Calendi?) and your bullet journal dailies, but I absolutely need my monthly spreads. In a bullet journal, there’s a million ways to keep track of what’s happening in the months to come, from the traditional calendar to the monthly log to the Calendar Wheel.
And the greatest thing about the monthly log in a bullet journal? Is that you can change it each month, of course!
TRADITIONAL MONTHLY CALENDARS
Traditional monthly calendars are just that. Most bullet journalers spice them up with doodles or fun lettering.
No bullet journaler is complete without a set of ZEBRA MILDLINER HIGHLIGHTERS
These PRISMACOLOR COLORED PENCILS create gorgeous hues.
No bullet journaler would be caught without her LEUCHTTURM1917 DOTTED
These ZEBRA MILDLINER HIGHLIGHTERS offer just the right amount of color.
Tombow pens: TOMBOW DUAL BRUSH PENS, TOMBOW TWIN TONES, AND TOMBOW MONO DRAWING PENS
SIDEWAYS MONTHLY CALENDAR
The sideways calendar would be hard for me to get used to, I think. But some people love it!
STAEDTLER PIGMENT LINER AND STABILO 20 PEN SET
TOMBOW DUAL BRUSH PENS AND SAKURA PIGMENT MICRON PENS
MONTHLY CALENDAR WITH HABIT TRACKER
Habit trackers are an way to remind you what to focus on each week, or in this case, month. Some of us I won’t name names) love to put habit trackers in their bullet journal, then after a week, forget to track their habits.
MONTHLY LOG
The monthly log comes straight from the original bullet journal method. If you don’t need to see your events in the typical calendar fashion and love all things linear, the Monthly Log is for you!
ZEBRA MILDLINERS AND MUJI GEL PENS
TOMBOW DUAL BRUSH PENS AND GREY LEUCHTTURM1917 DOTTED NOTEBOOK
STAEDTLER PIGMENT LINERS AND BRASS BINDER CLIPS
CRAYOLA SUPERTIPS, MUJI GEL PENS, AND COPIC MULTILINERS
ZEBRA MILDLINERS, PENTEL FLEXIBLE SIGN PENS, BRUSHABLES PENS, SAKURA MICRON PENS, COPIC MARKERS
MONTHLY LOG WITH HABIT TRACKER
These lovely journals use a monthly log and add a habit tracker to stay super organized!
MONTHLY CALENDAR AND MONTHLY LOG
Have lots and lots of appointments? Try using both the traditional calendar AND a monthly log.
ZEBRA MILDLINERS, PRECISION PEN, FLORAL WASHI TAPE
MONTHLY WELCOME PAGE
I just love the pages that people use to welcome the month (or even say goodbye). Adds a little fun to the journal.
FABER CASTELL PITT ARTIST BRUSH PENS, ZEBRA MILDLINERS, PAPERMATE FLAIR PENS
MONTHLY LOG PLUS WELCOME
Once you welcome the month, might as well get right down to business.
CALENDAR WHEEL
The calendar wheel is such a cool and relatively new bullet journal concept. Track your dates in the month using a circle, rather than a list or calendar.
There you have it! How did you like the collection? If you have a link to another beautiful monthly spread, leave it in the comments below.
PIN ME!
Looking for more bullet journal inspiration? Check out my Zen of Planning Bullet Journal board on Pinterest. Or see all my Zen of Planning boards on Pinterest.
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