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 4 of the series! In this part of the series we will go over what an annual vs monthly vs weekly vs daily spread is. We will also talk about how they feed into each other!
Annual Spread (AKA Future Log)
An annual spread/collection is a calendar overlooking the upcoming year. This could be just an overview of the dates of the upcoming year illustrated like this:
I like to create an annual spread that I can write events or important tasks for upcoming months in. This is an example of an annual spread that gives you room to write down events or tasks for that given month while still seeing a calendar overview:
Typically in a bullet journal you would not have an entire years worth of monthly/weekly spreads laid out like you would in a normal agenda. So if an event comes up I like to add it to my annual spread in the months I have not already created spreads for. For example if I book a haircut 3 months in advance I would write it in my future log or when I book a vacation. This becomes particularly useful in the busiest months where you book up quick, like December. This year I had my entire December booked up before November was even over! Considering I didn’t create my December spread until the very end of November I would have had nowhere to make sure I wasn’t double booking December events!
Monthly Spread (AKA Monthly Log)
Monthly spreads are an overview of the month. I LOVE monthly spreads. This is where I set up my theme for the upcoming month and really have a lot of fun. Traditionally a monthly spread will include a calendar overview of the month and a monthly to do list. Monthly collections have evolved to be able to include a lot more. Different monthly collections that can be included when setting up a monthly spread will come in Part 6.
You can use the monthly log to track what is upcoming in a month or you can use it to jot down things as they happen (like a memory tracker). I typically only put in future events.
The monthly log can be set up as a calendar view like this:
Or the monthly log can be set up in a more simplified horizontal form like this:
I tend to use the second option. I find it quick to set up, easier to write things on any given day, and very clean looking. There are many other ways you can set up monthly logs too! For more examples you can reference my monthly plan with me’s!
When you set up your monthly log, you can reference your future log. You can then “migrate” any events or tasks you put down. I also reference my birthday collection that I created so I don’t miss any birthdays!
Weekly Spread (AKA Weekly Log)
Weekly spreads are not part of the traditional bullet journal system, however I find them very useful. There are many different setups of a weekly spread. It’s also fun to be able to set up your weekly log in advance and carry over your theme from your monthly log!
Weekly spreads can be very simple and just contain an overview of the week such as this one:
Similar to the monthly log, I like to create a horizontal weekly spread. I find it easier to write down any events or tasks as opposed to trying to write in a vertical column. I will then typically use the right hand side for a to do list, a small monthly calendar overview, a meal plan, and a water drinking tracker. For examples of how I set up my weeklies you can reference my monthly plan with me’s!
When you set up your weekly you will reference your monthly log. You can then “migrate” anything in your monthly log into your weekly log.
Daily Spread (AKA Daily Log)
Daily spreads are where you record the tasks, events, and notes from what happened that day. Typically daily spreads are created either the night before or the day of. Dailies are not created in advance or many in a row. The reason for this is so you can have as much or as little room you need on any given day. One day you might have a million things you want to remember or do and the next day there might not be anything you want to write down!
Daily spreads are a large part of the original idea that a bullet journal should be a cross between an agenda and a journal. The journal aspect is coming from being able to write down your daily thoughts as much or as little as you need.
One common question is: do I need both a weekly and a daily spread?
The answer is it totally depends on what you want or need! When I am really busy or stressed out or in a difficult time and feel like I could benefit from a journal I will use daily spreads. However typically I will not use a daily spread. I will capture everything I need in my weekly.
As you could see in the daily log above, it looks very similar to a journal.
You can however turn it into a more structured spread including anything you may track daily. Examples of things you might build into a daily spread could be a sleep tracker, water drinking tracker, mood tracker.
Next week we will get into annual collections! I can’t wait! Till next time…
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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 (you are here!)
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