Bullet Journal Spread Ideas // ranging from "necessary" to purely entertaining
January 05, 2020Happy Sunday! And HAPPY 2020!!!!
*bad joke incoming*
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Wow, I haven't written a blog post since last decade. Crazy, right?
*booing*
Ahem. As I was saying, it's a new year, and with it comes, for some of us, NEW BULLET JOURNAL SPREADS!
I originally wanted to do a "How to Bullet Journal" post, but there are already so many of those out there. Instead, I decided to do a post on different types of spreads you can put in your journal!
If you're planning on starting a bullet journal, don't worry - I'll point out the basic spreads to use before going on to more . . . shall we say, unique spreads. XD And the necessary spreads kind of turned into a how-to post of their own.
Anyways, let's just jump right in. This intro is long enough.
First off, to clarify - when I say spread, I just mean a page in your journal dedicated to a specific topic. It's nothing fancy, it's nothing elaborate (unless you want it to be) - it's just a page or two. XD
And ALL of these spreads can be modified to suit your needs! There's no "right" way to do any of them - it's entirely up to you. Don't feel limited. :)
So, our first "necessary" spread to mention is the . . .
FUTURE LOG
This sounds complicated, but the only thing that's complicated is writing out allllll the little numbers.
Basically, a future log is where you write down all the important dates for the year. This way, if you hear of an event happening in six months that you want to remember, you have a place to jot it down.
You honestly don't even need the little calendars to go along with it. I just like the visual.
MONTHLY CALENDAR
As the title suggests, a monthly calendar is where you write down all the important events for the month. You transfer all the dates of that month from your future log to here (just so you don't forget they exist) and add in any new dates that come up.
You can also add a "motivational" quote or two - or just a stupid quote. Whatever works. XD
DAILY LOG
You guessed it - this is for all the daily tasks that you need to accomplish. This is the spread that you'll use most often (obviously).
There's a ton of different ways you can do these logs. Here are a few:
This one looks pretty complicated - that's because it is. There's a reason I stopped using this one. I'm just proud of the quote. XD
For more daily log inspiration, I highly recommend YouTube. XD
Okay, so that's all of the "necessary" spreads you would need. Now for the fun stuff! (This is where it gets good.)
TITLE PAGES
Doing a title page at the beginning of each month in your bullet journal looks really nice. I also do one at the beginning of each year. They don't need to be Extra - I just write the name of the month and a quote or aesthetic below it, and it works just fine.
YEAR IN PIXELS
I tried this in 2019, and it's pretty cool. Basically, at the end of every day, you fill out a square with a color corresponding to your mood. At the end of the year, you can look back and see when you were the most stressed or the most happy. And it only takes thirty seconds out of each day to complete!
(I should add, though, that drawing out that graph? NOT FUN. It took FOREVER and I was continually in fear of smudging. Beginning bullet journalers, be advised. XD)
REASON TO SMILE
I got this idea from Keturah a while back and loved it so much that I still do it. However, I've stopped dedicating a page to it - now I just write it in the corresponding daily log.
Every day, you write down one good thing that happened, no matter how insignificant. It's like a quick, positive journal entry.
Highlights from my own reasons to smile:
5 more library books #noregrets
More TwoSetViolin (I only have a SLIGHT problem)
Fangirl moment w/ Family Video girl over Tom Holland
only slightly dying and I'm not dead yet - back-to-back XD
Vacuuming my room at 9:30 at night - I promise I'm responsible ;)
HABIT TRACKER
If you want to form a habit of learning a language every day, journaling, or something else, than habit trackers are the spread for the job! I've drawn in mini-calendars for each habit and colored in the corresponding box for each day that I've done the habit.
However, you can modify this to whatever works. I've tried graphs before. You could also do lists, doodles . . . whatever you come up with!
BRAINSTORMING SPREADS
I can't provide an image for this because SPOILERS for secret projects, but you can just turn a page into a hurricane of random notes that will most likely disturb all who look upon it.That's what a brainstorm page is for. Don't be aesthetic. The messiness IS aesthetic.
(so I have no idea what I'm saying at this point but it's fine)
SPREADS THAT ARE JUST COMPLETE AND UTTER FAILURES
I accidentally drew the spread upside down, and when I realized that, I got ticked.
So . . . yeah. Moving on. XD
SPREADS THAT YOU MEAN TO FILL OUT BUT NEVER DO
Because let's face it - not everything is going to work for you. This "RM Memories" spread seemed like a good idea, but I never filled it out.
Which is fine, honestly. Sure, it's a little annoying, but I learned from that. From now on, I'll just write memories down in blog posts or in a diary. :)
Don't stress about not completing something or messing up something. I didn't complete my Year In Pixels, I don't cross off every single checkbox for the day, and I definitely don't do my habits every single day. But none of us are perfect.
In fact, to remind myself of this, I wrote this on my 2020 title page:
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So those are just a few spreads that you can use for bullet journaling! If you want inspiration for some different spreads or designs, here are a few YouTubers I HIGHLY recommend:
AmandaRachLee (if you want plenty of doodles + monthly playlist spreads!)
studyquill (for simple, school-related spreads)
TheCoffeeMonsterzCO (for stickers! lots of them! and pretty intense daily logs)
DORMI (a Korean bujo-er who does really simple, easy spreads)
And of course, there's a huge bullet journal community on Pinterest as well. XD
I wish you luck in whatever journal or planner you use! And have a productive 2020! (because seriously, I have been 100% unproductive) (if anyone needs a productivity accountability partner, HIT ME UP and maybe we can work together!)
-Nicole <3
Which of these spreads is your favorite? Do you bullet journal? Do you have a favorite bullet journal YouTuber? Let's talk!
26 comments
I love the reasons to smile! That is such a positive and happy idea. This looks really fun and organized, but honestly I would die if I tried to make these. XD I have no patience. I love your cover page for 2020!
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you (although it was really Keturah's idea - I take no credit) - you should try it!
DeleteXD XD I feel the same way about a looooot of YouTubers and their bullet journals - they’re INSANE.
Thank you! <3
Did someone say productivity accountability partner?? *raises hand* I feel you! I wasn't really that productive in 2019, and am hoping to change that in 2020, XD. And oh my goodness, your bullet journal spreads are BEAUTIFUL!! I especially love the Reasons to Smile spread; that idea is so positive and ahhhh *heart eyes* I used to love AmandaRachLee's channel, haha! I feel kinda bad for stopping bullet journalling (I did it for a few months last year), but it just isn't something I'm great at keeping up with, so maybe that was for the best...
ReplyDeleteAnyways, this was an amazing post, Nicole! I hope you can embrace productivity in 2020, lol <3333
LET'S DO IT. *high-fives* Hopefully both of us can Get Stuff Done in 2020!
DeleteAw, thank you! <33 And her channel is great! (I really only watch it for her bullet journal videos, though - her other stuff is mostly stationery reviews, which I’m not that into . . .)
*nods* I totally get it - it’s a lot of work, honestly. :D
Thank you, Ash - and the same to you! <33333
Yaaay! Another bullet journaling post!
ReplyDeleteI have an embarrassing amount of "spreads that you mean to fill out but never do" spreads in my bullet journal from last year 0.0
The time blocking idea would be cool at the beginning of the school year to mark what time your classes/everyday tasks are...
Yes, 'tis here!
DeleteHaha, I do too - it’s kind of bad. XD Oh well.
Ooo, that sounds like a great idea - I miiiiight try that at the beginning of next school year. I think I’ll need it. XD
I just started a bullet journal. I love these ideas! Thanks a BUnCh! ;)
ReplyDeleteastordetective.blogspot.com
YOU DID???? YAY!! I hope you enjoy it and that it works for you! :D
DeleteI LOVE THESE IDEAS!! I got a bullet journal for Christmas and so far all I have is a list on my goals, a book log, and a few pages to write a sentence/thought a day in.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU, GRAY!! And yay, congrats! I hope you enjoy it - and those pages sound amazing! :)
DeleteI love your bullet journal!! Your spreads are soooo good! And that title page for 2020--just awesome!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sarah! <3 (By the way, are you still bullet journaling?)
DeleteI am, actually! I've moved into an actual notebook now that I know which spreads I want, which I'm loving.
DeleteYay, that’s awesome! I’m so happy you found what works for you! (and I’m sure it’s EPIC)
DeleteAHHH YAYYYY *gets wayyy too excited about this post* The only thing I love more than bullet journaling is looking at other people's bullet journals. xD
ReplyDeleteYOUR JOURNAL LOOKS SO GOOD! I love how you did the Reasons to Smile page! I loved that idea from Keturah, too, and I did it for a little while, writing in the daily calendar squares (is that what you call them? xD) like she did. But that got too crowded and easy to forget so I stopped. But I actually think I might try to do it the way you did it, because I think if I had a whole page dedicated to it I'd remember it better. xD
The habit trackers look really useful! I should give that a try. But HANG ON THOUGH WHY DON'T YOU EAT LUNCH EVERY DAY. XD
Your angry-looking "THIS WAS A TEST" made me laugh because I totally understand. xD I haven't done THAT yet, but there are soOoOoOo many pages in my bullet journals with imperfections where I accidentally wrote on the wrong day, or drew a line from the wrong dot, or used the wrong color. (I'm a little more relaxed with the colors now, but when I'm coordinating it BURNS MY EYES to see the pattern messed up xD) I also have a lot of empty spaces like your memories page because I either don't keep up with it like I want to, or I just give up, or I don't have enough to write there... yeah. It's a real struggle. xD
ANYWAY enough rambling. I love this post!! I'm planning on doing a bullet journal post soon, since I've redone a lot about mine and added a lot of new pages that I'm having fun with. :D
theonesthatreallymatter.blogspot.com
*gets excited about you being excited* HONESTLY SAME, looking at how other people bullet journal is so fun!
DeleteTHANK YOU! Yeah, I prefer having more than a small box or one line to write down my reasons, so maybe that will work for you!
Yes, do it!
*cough* School food is nasty and I forget to bring my lunch sometimes *cough* very bad habit 10/10 do not recommend
Well, I’m glad it made someone laugh, because I seriously considered throwing something when I realized my error. XD (and I completely agree on the whole BURNING EYES thing). Haha, thank goodness I’m not the only one who never uses memory pages. It’s rough XD
Your rambling honestly makes my day, so don’t apologize! XD And YES, I CANNOT WAIT FOR THAT POST. *excitement mounting*
I can't stand those habit tracker things, tbh. I always forget to fill them in, even if I did do the thing (brush teeth, practice music, or whatever).
ReplyDeleteHonestly, my BJ has become nothing but a bunch of lists written with a black G2 pen. I do use washi tape to find all the lists, so at least there's some color.
But your BJ is amazing!!
XD Yeah, I feel your pain. I’ve already forgotten once this year (go me), and I gave up on them for a few months. I’m trying them again, so I guess we'll see if it works out . . .
DeleteOoo, nice, I love when people use washi tape in their journals! (And hey, constant lists are great! :D It’s a more unique form of bujoing that I never hear about.)
Thank you, Julian!!
This is so timely because I'm trying to get into bullet-journaling this year! My senioritis is KILLING me and I've admittedly never felt so unmotivated to be productive in my entire life (I could certainly use a productivity accountability partner, if I'm being honest, so DM me on insta or private-message me through my blog if you want to do something... I'd be down XD). All my hobbies are suffering too. But I've managed to (mostly) keep peace through it all, and bullet-journaling has been a great way for me to relax and brainstorm new ways of motivating myself. Thanks for all these ideas!!
ReplyDeleteOoo, yay, good luck with 2020 bullet journaling!
DeleteUgh, SAME, I’m actually dying over here. XD (and I miiiiight just take you up on that. I have no idea how to do this, but I’m sure we’d at least get something done. XD)
Oh, wow, that’s awesome. <3
EEP! I do a bullet journal too! xD I love the minimalistic/simplicity looks you went for in your spreads. My first bujo last year got waaaay too complex & I ended up not even completing it. But this year I'm keeping it super simple, yet it still looks good (I think ;D). Love this post!
ReplyDeleteHappy 2020, girlie!!! <333
You do???? That's awesome! Haha, yeah, complexity isn't always the best thing in bullet journals. Good luck with your 2020 bujo! You got this!!
DeleteAnd happy 2020 to you!! <3333
I love bullet journaling! I liked your spreads(especially the endgame one :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Diamond! <3 (and your bullet journal spreads are so pretty too!)
DeleteI love this! Yours is so pretty!!
ReplyDeleteI should try to make one.
Thank you! <3 <3 And DO IT - I’d love to see what you come up with!
DeleteWelcome to the comment section! I love hearing what you guys think and seeing you guys talk. Just remember to keep it clean, and as always, check back for my replies! <3
-Nicole