Welcome to a bullet journal for beginners guide! Bullet journalling may seem overwhelming at first but this series will guide you through the ins and outs and you’ll be ready to start your own bullet journal in no time!
This is part 6 of the series! In this part of the series we will go over monthly collections. I will walk you through what my standard monthly looks like and then give you a list of ideas for when you start up your bullet journal!
Monthly collections can be even more fun than yearly collections. Every month you can play around with what spreads you have, what format you are using, and have some fun with a theme!
To start off my monthly I will always come up with a theme. Part of the reason I love bullet journalling is because it has become a creative outlet for me. I love both the calligraphy aspect as well as the doodling aspect. I have never been a great doodle-er when I am winging it but I do find it fun when I am sticking to a theme! Having a theme is not something you have to do by any means. Again, just stick with what works for you for bullet journalling!
Here are some of my favorite themes to date:
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Title Page
I will start my month with a title page. On the left hand side I will include a quote. This will be something that is speaking to me at the time whether it be a fun song lyric or a more meaningful quote. On the right hand side I will include the month with some themed doodles.
Monthly Log
After the title page I will do a monthly log. A monthly log is essentially an overview of the month and often includes the dates and a place to write events. For more ideas on how to set up your monthly log check out this post.
Habit Trackers
Next I will add my habit trackers. Habit trackers are one of the most common things you will find bullet journals contain. A habit tracker will look at all the habits you want to track over a month and give you a way to mark whether you did or did not do something every day. Habit trackers can seem overwhelming but they are a simple check of a box.
The reason I love habit trackers is they have become a way to keep myself accountable. They are also great if you are settings goals! This way you can set and track goals. For example one month you may say you want to go to the gym 10 times and if you do you will reward yourself with a new workout outfit. By using the habit tracker it becomes very visible!
Possible Habits To Track
Health and Fitness
- Go to the Gym
- Eat Healthy
- No Fast Food
- No Caffeine
- No Smoking
- Ate Vegan
- Followed Whole 30 Food Plan/Meal Plan/Etc.
Self Care
- Any of the above health and fitness trackers
- Wash Face
- Specific Skincare Items
- Have a Bath
- Read a Book
- Daily Devotionals
- Daily Gratitude
- Use Bullet Journal
Financial Trackers
- No Eating Out
- No Shopping
- No Online Shopping
- Stayed in Budget
- No Spend Tracker
Weather Tracker
A weather tracker is one I include every month. If I had to cut something from my monthly set up, it would probably be this one. However I do find it fun to look back on a month and see what the weather has been like!
Gratitiude Log
Every month I include a gratitude log and it has become my favourite spread. I keep my log very simple. I love taking a few minutes of every day to find something to be grateful for. I try to be a really positive person and sometimes when things are difficult it really is important to take time to find the good in the mess.
Goodbye Month/Monthly Memories
At the end of every month I will create a “Goodbye Month/Monthly Memories” spread. It will always be two pages side by side. On the left page I will break it into 2 halves, a top half and a bottom half. The top half I use a standard set of questions that look at what I was up to over the last month. They are:
- Reading…
- Watching…
- Making…
- Feeling…
- Loving…
- Disliking..
- Thinking…
- Embracing…
On the bottom half of the left page I will create blank spaces where I can fill in memories from the last month. I have really loved doing this as a way to reflect over the last month. Time has been going by so fast and I think it’s important to take a moment to reflect on the last month, both good and bad. Reflecting on the last month has also helped me set the tone for the next month. This last year I had some rough months and by reflecting on them I was really able to take a look at what happened, set it in the past, and set a clean slate for the next month.
On the right page I will use my calligraphy following the style of the months theme to write GOODBYE MONTH (filling in the months name, i.e. GOODBYE DECEMBER). I will use the colors I was using all month and throw in some doodles that correspond with the months theme. This is something I have just been doing for fun to give me more chances to practice my calligraphy and have some fun!
Monthly Spread Ideas
Bookkeeping
- Monthly Title Page
- Monthly Log
- Habit Trackers
- Master To Do List
- Monthly Memories
- Brain Dump
- Weather Tracker
Wellness/Self Care
- Gratitude Log
- Mood Tracker
- Goal Setting
- Goals and Rewards
- Sleep Tracker
- Menstrual Cycle Tracker
Health and Fitness
- Meal Planning
- Workout Log
- Food Log
- 30 Day Fitness Plan
Finance
- Expense Tracker
- Debt Tracker
- Monthly Bill Tracker
- Spending Log
- Saving Log
What are your must haves in your monthly bullet journal spreads? Let me know in the comments!
Bullet Journal for Beginner’s Series
Part 1: The Who/What/When/Where/Why. A bullet journal introduction .
Part 2: Bullet journal materials… What do you need? .
Part 3: Initial set up of a bullet journal (Key and Index) .
Part 4: Annual vs Monthly vs Weekly vs Daily Spreads .
Part 6: Monthly Collections (you are here!)
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