Category: Planning & Lists

If you’ve been following along, then your monthly insert should be all done. Way to go! So now you can create your weekly insert and the notes insert. Since I use the weekly insert the most, I keep it in the front of my cover. This may be different for you depending on the order of things that you prefer.

WEEKLY INSERT

For my use, a two-page spread works great for my week which is what I explain here. So to create your weekly insert, here are the steps.

Front cover: leave blank to decorate later

1) First two-page spread: Draw out 8 rectangles for the days of the week, and one extra, to make it symmetrical. This weekly spread is where I use the bullet journal method. Enter your tasks for each day with a box in front so you can check it off when completed. However, there are so many options available which is the wonderful thing about this system. One week may be completely different from another week – tweak as you go until you find what works for you. If you google “bullet journal” you will indeed go down a rabbit hole of options!

2) Second two-page spread: Leave empty to use later. You can journal your thoughts at the end of each day, or add mini photos and memorabilia from the week.
Repeat this pattern of a weekly spread and then empty spread, for as many weeks as necessary in your journal. With the Moleskine Cahier you get three months of weekly spreads, and allows for the empty spread each week. If you omit that, then you will get six months in one journal.

3) Extra pages at the back of the insert can be used for various lists, planners, projects, whatever works for you.

The details

So at the end of each quarter (or half-year), you will pull the completed journal out of your cover. Simply insert the next quarter’s journal (or half-year) in it’s place. The cover always has the current weekly spreads to use along with the monthly view and your notes insert. At year end, your set of journals will be complete with photos and mementos – what a treasure!

You may also like to track certain habits or events, daily or weekly. If so, you can enter them where you prefer. It could be within each week’e spread. Or use the pages at the end of the insert so those types of trackers are all together.

Notes Insert

For the third insert in my artisan cover, I write the page number at the bottom edge of each page. I leave 3-4 blank pages at the beginning of the book to use as my index. This insert is used for miscellaneous notes, projects, lists, whatever I feel the need to write down. Decide on a title or phrase that will best trigger your memory later in the year. That title and the page number are entered in the index so those notes can be easily found later. Since this holds a wide variety of information, this is the one insert where the index is a necessity.

And now you have it

To summarize, the Weekly Insert stays in my cover for 3 months and then is replaced with the next insert.

The Monthly Insert and Notes Insert remain in my cover for the whole year.

Hopefully, you now have a good bird’s-eye view of how I use my bullet journal planner. Once that is done and you purchase your supplies, you can create your weekly insert and note insert. I’m sure my CPR method (Create-Plan-Record) will be of help to you with the wonderful life you are creating. After you have your weekly insert and notes insert all ready to go, read this next post:
https://yourlifeinjournals.com/are-you-ready-to-commit/

Did you purchase your journal or notebook insert? If so, are you ready to create your monthly insert? That’s the one I like to start with to get my year ready to go.

Review of what you’ve learned & discovered

As a quick recap, if you’ve read the posts so far, this is what you’ve figured out.

~ Step 1: realize the fact that you need to get your life and your activities under control in one place. Great for you! If you missed it, click here to catch up.

~ Step 2: decide what you want to capture, knowing this is different for everyone. As long as you know what topics you want to take control of, then you are all set! Click here if you still need to figure this out.

~ Step 3: your choice of what type of journal you want to create or use. It can be as simple as a spiral notebook, a Moleskine like I use, or even a 3-ring binder. I will focus on the Traveler Notebook style, but the process works the same regardless of the vessel you choose.

~ Step 4 is creating your planning space. I will walk you through how I design my three Moleskine cahier notebooks that fit inside my artisan cover. As a scrapbook store owner for seven years, I found my own preference for my covers. I taught classes so my customers could decorate their own and let their creativity shine through. In a future post, I will explain the artisan covers.

Suggested method

My journal of choice is the Moleskine Cahier, squared journal. I buy the soft cover journal in the 5×8-1/4” size and then cut it down so it fits inside the 5×7 cover that I make. The system that I’ve used for several years now that includes 3 journals inside the cover:
1) Weekly
2) Monthly
3) Notes/Lists

It’s very simple and basic, and I won’t win any awards for beauty. But do you know what? I’ve used this method for four years now, and that’s pretty amazing for me to stick with something this long. It’s simple enough that I am able to be consistent with it. If there’s spare time one week to play and add some color, that’s a bonus that makes those pages look even better!

How to create your monthly spread

Following are the details to make the insert of monthly view calendars. Although the official bullet journal system does not provide for this, I find that I need this option. I am one of those visual people who needs to see a monthly view. This allows me to enter events that are 3, 6, or 9 months from now that I need to plan for.

MONTHLY JOURNAL: The first insert that I create is kept in the middle of my cover. This book remains in my cover for the whole year. I use the squared Moleskine cahier journal which makes it really easy to trace the lines with a ruler. Just a tip – have the month’s calendar visible on your computer or a paper calendar. Draw in pencil first, so you know where NOT to make blocks if the week has less than 7 days.

Draw those lines

Front cover: leave blank to decorate later

1) First two-page spread is yearly overview: draw 12 blocks total across the 2 pages. This gives a visual overview calendar for the year where you can write in big events that occur, such as vacation, annual events, etc.

2) Second two-page spread is another yearly overview: draw 12 blocks total across the 2 pages. This is where I enter birthdays, anniversaries, etc so I have the full year at a quick glance. Never miss someone’s birthday or get caught unprepared again!

3) Third two-page spread is your monthly view: draw blocks out across both pages to create your January calendar. I use a pencil to draw five horizontal rows and then with divide each row into eight blocks.

4) Next two-page spread: leave empty – use for planning or lists, as noted below

5) Next two-page spread is another monthly view: draw blocks out across both pages to create your February calendar. Again do five rows with eight blocks in each row.

6) Next two-page spread: leave empty – use for planning or lists, etc

7) Repeat for the remainder of the year.
Depending on your notebook, you may have extra pages that can be used to make lists, trackers, goals, notes, etc.

Details

Your monthly layouts can be as simple or as fancy as your heart desires and your time allows. There are no limitations, and also no requirements. All that matters is that this works for you so that you use it! For instance you can use a simple stamp or sticker for your monthly words. Or if you know calligraphy, you can create a beautifully lettered word at the top of each monthly spread. It’s up to you how much time you spend on creating your inserts.

I always create my monthly view insert first. Write in the number of each day for the month, whether that’s 28, 29, 30 or 31. That way it’s done and ready to go for the year.

For the empty two-page spread after each month’s layout, there are many options of how to use this. Use it to plan for things that will happen that month, whether it’s a family event or a work-related project. I also sometimes write down my favorite song that month or enter notes on a book I am reading. You can do whatever you want – the possibilities are endless!

So are you ready to create your monthly insert? I hope so! I think you will love the practical overview of seeing at a glance what you have going on each month. After you have your monthly insert completed, read this next post regarding your weekly view: https://yourlifeinjournals.com/create-your-weekly-insert/

Have you ever found something that has your name written all over it? It fills your needs and you love the looks of it as well. It just speaks to you! I have experimented for years with various planners and journals to find the perfect one to keep me on track. I’m so excited to know I finally found it: the “to do” method and planning system that works for me. Have you?

If not, and you need to organize your responsibilities, goals, and tasks, maybe this will provide some possible options. My bullet journal planner method covers all the bases for me:
~ past-present-future
~ practical but pretty
~ portable

I have used a traveler notebook system since 2016. This includes 3 Moleskine journals that contain 80 pages each and are stored in a cover. I use mine as follows:
~ Weekly Bullet Journal
~ Monthly View Journal
~ Notes Journal
The following is a quick overview of each of these inserts.

Weekly Bullet Journal

This journal contains my weekly spread that covers two pages, and is set up as a bullet journal. If you enjoy checking items off each day like I do, the bullet journal is perfect for that.

The next two-page spread is blank. This allows space to go back after the fact and record things from each day, add mementos and photos. I can fit three months of weekly plans in this journal with allowing the extra page after each week. Without the blank spread after each week, you will get six months of weekly spreads in one Moleskine cahier insert. When the insert is complete, simply slide it out from the cover and insert the next one

Monthly View Journal:

In addition to the weekly view, a basic necessity for me is to have access to the full year at all times. This is something important to me that was lacking with the regular bullet journal method. That’s why I set up the middle journal in my artisan cover with all 12 monthly views. Each month is drawn out over a two-page spread.

Again in this monthly view insert, I leave a blank page after each month’s spread. This provides a place to plan tasks or events for the month that need some extra space. When that event comes up in the current month, I can refer to that starter list. Any tasks that need to be done can be written into the specific week and day as needed. This extra page between each month’s view still allows about 10 blank pages at the end of this journal. I have various uses for these, such as trackers, lists, etc. Also, I always set aside one page where I start a list for events the following year.

Notes Journal:

Finally, the last journal is a general journal for anything that comes up during the year. It may include personal lists such as books to read, quotes, Bible verses, or business notes. This insert is a basic dumping ground for most anything. Because of that, this is the one journal where I use the index as described by Ryder Carroll, of bulletjournal.com. With page numbers & topics written in the index, the notes are so much easier to find when needed again.

The Details:

I prefer to have my planner with me all the time, so the 5×7 size works best for me. In an effort to be creative and pretty, I use the softcover Moleskine cahier journal with the grid design. The grid lines make it easy to draw the bullet journal boxes & add designs and be relatively straight in the process. (This softcover version is also available in ruled or blank pages. Moleskine sells a huge variety including hardcover journals with dots instead of grid.) I prefer the softcover so I can use them as inserts in my artisan cover. I also use the 3.5×5.5 size for my financial journal – but that’s a topic for another time.

So, there you have it – I finally found it – the system that really works for me. It’s practical and keeps me on track to get things accomplished. If I have extra time, I can add some color or washi tape or photos to make it pretty. If not, the main thing is that it helps me live my life without missing anything. I can get things done in the present, plan for the future, and record the past. I’ve shared this, taught it at my store, and see how it makes sense to people. The beauty of this method is that you can personalize it exactly to your needs. It can be as simple or as fancy as you want.

If you need that perfect method to stay on track with life’s various activities, hopefully these ideas will help you. I’d love to hear you be able to say “I finally found it!” so you can add to the wonderful life you are creating. Be sure to read the details of my monthly insert on this post: https://yourlifeinjournals.com/create-your-monthly-insert