A good weekly spread is the backbone of your bullet journal and will probably either make or break the habit. If you find them too complicated or tedious, it will be hard to keep at it. If you are not happy with the way they look or how creative you can get or the space you have to express your thoughts, you might get discouraged and not stick to your new ritual. . How to get it right? Well, find a set of layouts that you like and understand your needs and goals. Are you a minimalist, the creative type, do you delve in watercolour, or do you want to explore them all? Check out these 10 super simple weekly layouts for your bullet journal and decide for yourself what suits your needs best.
Horizontal
In my experience, I have found the horizontal spreads to be the best if you prefer to jot down memories. The horizontal format gives you the space to write short sentences or bullets, and, depending on the size of your journal and handwriting, leave room for creative space.
In the next four spreads, you will see the same theme in four different varieties. Same basic layout, four entirely different looks.
The minimalist
Boxes denote the space for your weekly goals and each day. Instead of boxes, you can choose lines, or separate the daily space with the day of the week in your favourite brush lettering font.
You could try the same format, boxes and all and add some tangle patterns as a design element? Doesn’t take long and creates a distinct look for that particular week. Find the instructions to this pattern in my tangle pattern post.
Again, I used the same format again, this time added some fancy washi tape and created room to track water intake, meals and active time.
If you have some lightly coloured craft paper, you can also use this to create a stunning spread using the same structure.
How to deal with the tail end of the month?
What to do with the end of the month? How do deal with the gaping white space that needs to be filled? First of all, don’t panic. As I learned in design school “Don’t be afraid of white space. The page elements need this space to breathe.” Secondly, I started to use the extra space for either some creative outlet or a mini reflection on the month. This will help you greatly when you do your year-end reflection. The more you make yourself aware of what happened each month, the less often you look back at the past year not remembering how it went by so fast. No more blank spots and more memories which all in all help you perceive time to progress a little slower.
Weekly spread with habit trackers
Ok, we have finally left the same-old horizontal pattern behind and added creative and tracking spaces to the sides.
This is a weekly spread one-pager that tags on a page with goals, trackers or whatever you want to add to your page. Not to forget space to give gratitude, my favourite tool to staying mindful, and appreciative of the blessings in my life.
Vertical weekly layouts for your journal
The vertical layout is ideal if you want to highlight your appointments, and jot down simple notes. It is the perfect way to gain an overview of your week.
In the simple weekly layout above I decided to hand-draw my lines, which give the page a distinct freestyle look. See the spread below that features accurate boxes which I drew using a ruler.
This layout provides lots of space for notes or trackers while clearly structuring your week. I love the simplicity and contrasting beauty of the black cursive versus rigid grey lettering.
This layout focuses on giving you an hourly overview of your day. It could also be used to track how you spend your time and see where there are “pockets” of time that you could use more efficiently.
Whether you are a seasoned bullet journaler and already have your favourites, or are are about to find your style, it is always fun to try out something you don’t usually do. What I love about journaling is that I can fit it exactly to my needs. If I am feeling minimalistic, i’ll go after that style. If I need to focus on tracking anything, in my case usually water intake, goals, gratitude and exercise, I can do that. Care to share which weekly layout you prefer for your bujo?
