Simple Monthly and Weekly Bullet Journal Setup

I’ve seen too many posts on Facebook from people who want to use a Bullet Journal, but fear “ruining it” or fear that it’s too complicated. As I responded to one acquaintance, “I’m not at all artistic, and I have horrible handwriting. I still LOVE my bullet journal. Don’t worry about ruining it. There’s no ruining, just using. Use it! Life is messy.”

I’ve written three other posts about the Bullet Journal, which might be good to review if you’re starting from the beginning of this process. If you just need some ideas for how to do a simple monthly and weekly setup, then stay right here.

Those posts:

How to Start a Bullet Journal

My Bullet Journal Three Months Later

After One Year of Bullet Journaling 

Let’s get to a simple setup for monthly and weekly pages. You can use ANY notebook, but I like this one (as do many Bullet Journalers) because of the sturdy cover, dot pages, and two bookmarks. And the Le Pen brand are my favorite pens by far.

#1. MONTHLY HABITS

I start each month with a habits chart, which I used to print from Bohoberry.com’s tribe resource library, but her site hasn’t been running in awhile. I know write it out myself. I change the habits I’m working on each month.

#2. MONTHLY ONE LINE A DAY

I also got this idea from Bohoberry.com. I write “one line a day” at the top of a page. Number the lines, and truly write only one sentence at the end of each day. A note to perfectionists: You have to let that go! You can see in this picture that I accidentally forgot to stop at 28 when numbering my February “One Line a Day” page. NO BIG DEAL. I crossed out the extra numbers and moved on with my life.

#3. SIMPLE WEEKLY SETUP

My weekly setup changes from time to time, but this is the format I’ve been using for the past few months. On the left side of each day, I will jot down any major appointments. But I do still use my iPhone and coordinating iCal on my laptop daily to view appointments and make future ones. On the right side of each day, I will write my to-do items for that DAY. (Not for the week in general.)

Now, look at the right side of the notebook. I have two lists that will soon fill up with items. The left side is for the to-do items that needs to be done by the end of the week, perhaps not on any specific day. On the right I will put the things I need to add to future to-do lists. I call that list “on the horizon.”

Note the total lack of nice handwriting, colors, or pretty pictures. This is my functional, simple Bullet Journal. I hope anyone nervous to dive in will trust me that your notebook does not have to be Instagram worthy.

Good luck and feel free to ask questions! Nina 🙂

EDITED IN 2021 to say my Bullet Journaling is still going strong, but I do my weekly spreads differently than pictured above. It just furthers the point that the brilliance of the Bullet Journal is being able to change it as you change. Experiment!

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Nina Badzin hosts the podcast Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. She's been writing about friendship since 2014, co-leads the writing groups at ModernWell in Minneapolis, and reviews 30+ books a year on her website.

5 Responses

  1. Thank you for taking the guesswork out of the bullet journal. I’ve been so intimidated by the fancy handwriting I see everywhere online. (I felt like I needed to go to RISD to keep one of these journals.)

    Do you keep any kind of reviews or notes from the books you’ve read? I thought it would be fun and interesting to have book details in the journal. I’ve only found samples for book trackers like a simple count of how many books have been read.
    Jackie Cangro recently posted..How to Find the Best Writing Group for YouMy Profile

  2. Hi Nina! I read all of your Bullet Journal posts today, and I loved them! Excellent positivity and thorough writing, as always. This wave came along just after nursing school started for me, during which I had my own crazy way of keeping up with assignments, but I kept this system in the back of my mind for after graduation. I think it’s perfect for me as an Obliger who tends toward taking on too much, starting lists I never finish, and rebelling when I hit the wall. Now I’m ready to jump in, and it was so nice to have you as a leading light. Thank you!

  3. Loved this post, Nina – as you know I love my bullet journal thanks, in part, to YOUR praises! I read your January bujo post, too. Informative and nice to know that you experiment with different layouts. I’ve got ones that are working for me, but wonder if something ‘new’ might be in order if I get tired of the same pages? Hmm. I did end up liking the extra large notebook much better vs. the medium (I have a medium one like yours now, and feel too cramped). But, also like you, I can’t see wasting money since I have so many blank pages left. So I began my 2018 in an older, medium notebook as well.

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Hi, I'm Nina

HI, I’M NINA BADZIN. I’m a writer fascinated by the dynamics of friendship, and I’ve been answering anonymous advice questions on the topic since 2014. I now also answer them on my podcast, Dear Nina! I’m a creative writing instructor at ModernWell in Minneapolis, a freelance writer and editor, and an avid reader who reviews 50 books a year. Welcome to my site! 

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Hi, I'm Nina

HI, I’M NINA BADZIN. I’m a writer fascinated by the dynamics of friendship, and I’ve been answering anonymous advice questions on the topic since 2014. I now also answer them on my podcast, Dear Nina! I’m a creative writing instructor at ModernWell in Minneapolis, a freelance writer and editor, and an avid reader who reviews 50 books a year. Welcome to my site! 

Get The Newsletter

I send an email once or twice a month with the latest friendship letters, podcast episodes, book reviews, recipes, and more.

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