Bullet journals are fantastic tools for boosting productivity and keeping your life organized. One of the many benefits of bullet journaling is the customizable layout, ensuring your bullet journal fits your life.
Here are 33 inspiring bullet journal monthly spread ideas to fawn over, motivating you to create your own perfect monthly spread!
Bullet Journal Spreads
A bullet journal spread is a layout used to plan and organize your life. Spreads typically cover two journal pages, so you see them across the two visible pages when the journal lies on a table. Some prefer more compact layouts that only span one journal page.
Many spreads relate to a specific time frame. Bullet journal weekly spreads are popular ways to organize your week, while daily spreads often contain task lists, habit trackers, and appointments for any given day.
Creative journalers create spreads that don’t relate to time. Think of a spread as a dashboard that you make to visualize the items most important to you quickly and easily.
What is a Bullet Journal Monthly Spread?
A bullet journal monthly spread is a bullet journal layout specifically designed to track your month at a glance. Most monthly spreads have a calendar or planner, along with monthly goals and trackers.
Many bullet journal monthly spreads are in calendar form, but no rule states it must be. Some Bujo enthusiasts prefer to see their month in list forms, while others may want a less structured format.
What Goes in a Monthly Bullet Journal Spread?
You can use your monthly spread to track anything you want. The critical piece is that it works for you.
Many monthly spreads include a calendar, showing you every day of the month and giving you space to record specific items for each date.
Here are some things you might want to include in your bullet journal monthly spread:
- Bill due dates
- Appointments
- Social engagements
- Assignment due dates
- Birthdays/holidays/special occasions
- Monthly habit trackers
- Monthly intention
- Top 5 Priorities for the Month
- Goal progress bar
- Space for doodles
- Meal Plans
- Space for notes
How Do You Set Up a Monthly Spread in a Bullet Journal?
Once you’ve decided what to put into your monthly spread, you can choose how to set it up. Many people develop their spread around a calendar, where they input the important dates they want to remember.
Surround your calendar with the other essential dashboard items. Place a monthly intention at the top and highlight it to draw your eyes every time you view the month. List your top priorities at the side of your calendar so you can quickly refer to them. Put your goal and habit trackers on the bottom, allowing you space to add to them as the month progresses. Leave room in the margins for doodles, drawings, or last-minute notes.
A calendar doesn’t have to be the central focus of your monthly spread. You may prefer to see your month laid out in essential tasks and priorities rather than in a linear form based on time.
Create blocks in your spread relating to essential items you need to accomplish each month based on what you deem most important. You may have a box labeled “Important dates” and another for the top things you need to do that month. Seeing your month organized in list form may help keep you organized.
33 Bullet Journal Monthly Spread Ideas
Ready for monthly spread inspiration? Here are 33 bullet journal monthly spread ideas you can use for inspiration in your own journal.
The ideas include everything from different types of themes to layouts to ideas on what to add to your spread. Use what you like to create a unique journal meeting your needs.
Theme Ideas for Bullet Journal Monthly Spreads
Monthly Themes
Creatives love to enhance their bullet journals with themes celebrating the monthly seasons or holidays. Here are some bullet journal theme ideas for each month:
- January: Winter, new year, new beginnings, celebrations, resolutions, yearly goals, champagne
- February: Groundhogs, hibernation, winter, cold, Valentine’s day, cupids, football, the lunar year
- March: Renewal, lambs, the start of spring, St. Patrick’s Day, rebirth, Easter, spring break
- April: Spring, rainstorms, growth, birds, bunnies, Easter, budding, planting, gardens
- May: Flowers, Insects, baby animals, mothers, warmth, opportunity, graduations, future
- June: Summer, Father’s Day, the longest day, warm nights, BBQs, camping, outdoors, sunny
- July: Freedom, Fourth of July, pool parties, summer days, lush green trees, vacations, tomatoes
- August: Beaches, sand, volleyball, back to school, opportunity, oceans, fishing
- September: End of summer, changing leaves, cool nights, school, corn
- October: Harvest, Halloween, reaping, autumn colors, nature, bats, ancestors
- November: Thanksgiving, family, feast, cornucopia, pilgrims, pumpkin
- December: Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, winter wonderland, snowflakes, presents
More Decorative Theme Ideas for Your Bullet Journal
Your monthly spreads don’t have to follow a specific theme based on the time of year. There are thousands of themes you can use for your spread. You can keep a consistent theme yearlong or mix and match them based on your mood.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Superheroes: Each month can have a theme based on a specific character, or you can incorporate all your favorites into your theme each month
- Animals: Your bullet journal can be decorated with all kittens if you wish. Alternatively, you can switch animals when you feel like a change
- Food: If your journal tracks meal plans, you may want to decorate it with food items, whether seasonal or your favorites
- Mythology: Use your favorite mythological stories and deities as themes for your journal
- Plants: Gardeners may want to theme their bullet journals after their favorite herbs, crops, and flowers throughout the season
- Anything you want: The options for decorating your journal are limitless!
Practical Themes for your Bullet Journal
Decorative themes are fun and allow us to embrace our creativity while journaling, but unless you’re creating an art journal, they aren’t the main point of your bullet journal. Some prefer a decorative theme because it keeps them engaged, but others are looking for themes they can apply for practical results.
Here are some practical monthly bullet journal themes to consider. These themes can relate to your overall journal, or choose a different theme each month.
- Gratitude
- Intentions
- Affirmations
- Tarot readings
- Specific Goals
- Important People in your Life
- Subjects you want to study
- Family goals
Your practical theme can help you determine the layout for your journal, but you can also use it as inspiration for any decorations you wish to include.
Monthly Spread Layouts for Your Bullet Journal
Now that you have your theme, it’s time to consider your spread! Here are different types of bullet journal monthly spread layouts, sourced mainly from Pinterest, for you to consider.
Minimalist Calendar and Task List
This two-page spread features a calendar on one page and a list of essential tasks on the other.
Month at a Glance
A one-page simple spread allows you to see the most important parts of your month instantly.
Simple Pretty Calendar
The gorgeous two-page calendar includes space to record your top monthly goals.
Easy Monthly Spread
Bullet journals don’t have to be artistic masterpieces to be helpful. If decorations and themes aren’t you, use simple boxes and lists.
Monthly Tracker
Are you using your bullet journal to track habits, moods, weather, or anything else? Consider a monthly tracker spread.
Monthly Symptom Tracker
Bullet journals can be great tools for keeping track of health and wellness. Here is a spread dedicated to tracking symptoms for a month.
Mood Tracker
This example shows both a monthly mood tracker and a yearly mood tracker.
Calendar, Goals, and Trackers
This minimalist spread centers on the calendar but has space on the bottom to track essential items and space on the side to showcase your top goals for the month.
Tracker wheels
Don’t limit yourself to boxes! Incorporate wheels into your monthly spread to track habits, moods, or other essential items.
This Month and Looking Ahead
Quickly see important dates and events with a calendar and task list, and add space looking ahead to next month.
Monthly Spread with Highlights and Financial Goals
This spread leaves space for you to record your monthly highlights plus space to see your monthly financial situation at a glance.
Month at a Glance
I love this tracker because although it has a calendar, it isn’t the focal point, showcasing that you don’t need one for your monthly spread if it doesn’t work for you.
Month in Review
Though this example is for college students, a month-in-review spread is an excellent tool for recapping your accomplishments at the end of the month.
A Fun Review
Your month in review can also track the books you’ve read, movies you’ve watched, and your overall wellness.
Monthly Memories
Remind yourself of your struggles, challenges, and wins over the month.
Decorative Goal and Habit Tracker
A bullet journal monthly spread can be both creative and functional. Decorate your journal however you want while leaving space to record progress on your top priorities.
Junk Journal Spread
Combine a bullet journal’s practicality with a junk journal’s fun creativity. This example has goals and a habit tracker but includes ephemera, scraps, and inspiration notes that speak to the creator.
No Spend Spread
Attempting a no spend month? Use a bullet journal monthly spread to keep yourself on track.
Bullet Journal Monthly Meal Plan
Plan your month in meals with a spread dedicated to your meal plan.
Pretty Calendar
If you only need a calendar in your bullet journal spread, consider decorating it with one of the seasonal themes mentioned above. A simple calendar gives you space to record important dates and events.
Month with Notes
This simple two-page monthly spread has a calendar on one side and space on the other to record your moods, favorite things, and what you were doing/watching for the month.
Reading Tracker
When someone in your house needs to keep track of the books they’ve read, create a monthly reading tracker in your bullet journal. This design makes it simple to fill the title in.
Chore Schedule
Some chores need to be done daily, weekly, or monthly. A monthly chore schedule can record all these tasks and help you track completion.
Simple Calendar with List
A simple calendar can help you plan your month, and the master list on the side helps you record essential tasks for the month.
Goal Focused
Allow space in your bullet journal monthly spread to highlight the most important things you want to accomplish.
Easy Minimalist Month at a Glance
This minimalist spread includes a simple calendar on one side with a few boxes on the other to record the most important things for the month. The plant decorations make it easy on the eyes.
One Important Goal
This user focuses on her Instagram growth. She has a calendar in her spread, a space for notes, and an extra box to track her Instagram growth for the month. You can change that box to track progress on any of your top goals.
Planner Plus To-Do List
The simple calendar on one side helps you record important dates and events, while the to-do list on the other enables you to prioritize the most important things you need to accomplish for the month.
Monthly Bill Tracker
Use your bullet journal to keep track of all your monthly bills.
Complete Financial Tracker
You can also create a bullet journal monthly spread that tracks your income, spending, debt, purchases, and financial goals.
Decorative Monthly Spread
Use one side of the page for your monthly or seasonal doodles and the other side to track your month.
What’s Happening Spread
Track everything you’re currently doing, from the movies you’re watching to the ideas that spark your interest.
Pac Man Monthly Spread
The Pac-Man Spread is an example of how creative you can get with your bullet journal. Use your favorite game, movie, or theme to make keeping track of your progress fun!
Organize Your Month with Your Bullet Journal Monthly Spread!
The possibilities for creating your monthly spread are endless. Pick what works for you and create the perfect spread to help you keep track of your essential monthly goals and tasks. Happy journaling!