Planning a perfect monthly setup 💜

Before doing my monthly bullet journal setup, I like to consider how the current month has gone. We can use that information to set up next month with intention, so let's have a look at the process!

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Relevant to this video:

💜 Timestamps
0:00 - Before your bullet journal setup
0:42 - Step 1
1:17 - The initial brainstorm
1:50 - Example
2:15 - What to include
2:49 - Reviewing the pages
3:50 - The power of positives
4:44 - Going page by page
5:50 - Do I have to write EVERYTHING down?
6:12 - Reviewing likes and dislikes
7:43 - Introducing a new section
8:29 - Another new section?
8:54 - Continuing the review
10:28 - Tweaking ideas you find online
11:09 - More reviewing!
13:16 - Picking your time
13:37 - Dailies and fortnightly review
14:55 - Step 2
15:26 - Needs
15:41 - Wants
15:57 - Brainstorming needs
16:52 - Brainstorming wants
17:25 - Step 3
17:53 - Layouts for the next month
20:05 - How does your process differ?

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#jashiicorrin

[JazzMetz]

I am somebody who can carry the same layout for months to the month unless I find something new to try. I typically don’t do a review quite like this. However, for March, I get to start a brand new journal so I’ve been looking at all sorts of videos. They help me give me ideas on how to prep for that move and to think about if there’s any changes I want to make in my layout or in what I want to include in the new journal. Needless to say, this video of yours was very well timed.

[Restingmadface]

For my 2024 journal, I’ve been trying to condense my spreads more and more to just get straight to the point, and waste as little space as possible while still making me happy to open and look at. I look at what I have, and identify how it could be further condensed and then look for inspiration that either provides what I need, or could with a few alterations. Then I use a scrap piece of paper to list and sketch it out, then work on spacing with pencil and ruler in my journal. I tend to do this a month ahead. Because I get so excited and find the inspiration early. So I pre plan spreads a month in advance and once the month is close to an end, I mark it in pen/colors. Then admire it for a long time. 😁 I love my journal.

[rachelhforsyth-tuerck]

I typically use my monthly spread: 1) at the initial monthly set up, 2) weekly reset, and 3) before committing to a new event. That’s plenty. 😊It’s good to see the bigger picture, as well as things going on with other people in my family/friends circle that may not be in my daily calendar per se, such as other people’s travel plans, concerts, birthdays, etc. I have a short list of “must do’s” and goals for the month, and a weekly alastair checklist with 10 items of recurring tasks. On the next full spread, a simple habit tracker, spaces for daily gratitude, stuff I’m looking forward to (book/movie/show/music releases & events), and 3-4 world events. Layout is the same each month, but I switch out the theme with a new color palette, simple doodles, fun fonts, sometimes washi tape, stamps, or pretty pics from magazines for creative but easy decorative elements.

I appreciate your beautiful and creative layouts, as well as your attention to detail and sharing your thought process as you go. Cheers!

[c_aperture]

7:01 when I had trips into a bigger city via train this past July, I marked the train rides in my monthly log with a train variation of an event bubble (something like this turned sideways -> [O<). I could still fill it in (what I like to do with event bubbles) but also still distinguish just by scanning my eye down the page.

[StetStudio]

I love that your videos make me more intentional in my planning! (And congrats on the podcast!)

[sarahpitcaithly]

I went to a medieval event for a week in January. I knew well ahead of time that I was going, so when I set up my January spread, I put a pretty William Morris print as a deorative fill on the days I was away, so my "pass" was a visual decoration that differed quite distinctly from the rest of my spread and blocked out the week.

[ShaunaStory]

I did a lot of playing around with different layouts in my very first journal during the second half of 2018, then gradually settled into a consistent set of layouts over the course of 2019. It was basically an exercise in simplifying and stripping things down to the bare essentials bit by bit, as I eventually realized I valued a quick setup over decoration/experimentation. I'll tweak things if a need arises and after I've given it some thought, but I'm pretty much in a stable equilibrium now. (Note: This is not the goal for everyone out there! You do you!)

[teabean]

I liked your podcast with Mark! Looking forward to hearing more deets about founding members. I think it is so awesome you are putting that together! I know all the effort you have put into it will pay off.

[ChaiseDetective]

Ok... I'm back! I finally had time to put pen to paper. Here is just one part of my brain dump results.

Things I liked include:
Focusing on the one simple habit of opening my planner as soon as I get to my desk in the morning
My Who Done It Mystery Theme,
Limiting myself to two tasks per goal project on the Actions list,
I absolutely LOVED the Work Outputs page (again, to restrict the number of tasks under each header
Leaving room under project headers for two more tasks
Loved the spacing of my cyclic calendar
Separating work events from other events
The current fortnightly spread with smaller boxes & a new way to display my work outputs
Trying my hand at lettering my headers
Focusing on the one simple habit of opening my planner as soon as I get to my desk in the morning
Deciding to commit to cyclic planning
I have really appreciated the help and inspiration to go from brainstorming to achieving my goals.

[SpirituallyInspired]

I really hope to be one of your founding members for your course on goal setting!!! 😍😍😍😍

[ChantelleArts]

your handwriting is so neat and tidy 🥰🥰

[cwalsh]

I'm quite new to this so I keep mine super simple and easy to follow and populate. But I love to use stickers and washii tape to jazz it up 🤓💖

[nicolajones]

I have a “Next Month” page next to my monthly review and I write notes in there throughout the month as things crop up / occur to me. If I don’t use it much, I’ve either used it for decoration or I use half the page for another function (a looking forward to section, for example)

[EnabiSeira]

I like to keep my setups more or less consistent (the less thinking some times is the better), but I make adjustments before each month depending on stress or energy.

[ryreads]

Really enjoy your videos thanks for making them :)

[sugarandhoneybujo]

i typically use the same kind of layouts until i get bored then i do a full “rebrand” then i’ll adjust layouts until i think they are perfect (for me at the time) then the process will start over once i get an inkling of wanting to change something

[sueredding]

I can't find a square bullet journal anywhere. A&O hasn't restocked much of anything. Does anyone else make them?

[sharonliu]

The koi circle, looks like artistic swimming. (???) I must look up, the name.

[katendress]

Last year I think I used the same setup every month This quarter I haven't set up any weeklies or monthlies in my journal.

[ChaiseDetective]

Let me rewatch & gather my notes! This video is planner girl gold Jess 🫶🏽