How To Start A Minimalistic Bullet Journal (12 Layouts To Try)
You may have seen quite a few colorful spreads filled with doodles and drawings, where the entire page is busy but there are a few spreads that are simple and clean.
These spreads are usually called minimalistic spreads (also known as minimalistic bullet journals) where the idea is less is more and these spreads are usually black and white with a few exceptions here and there.
If you’re the kind of person who isn’t good at drawing or colors, or perhaps you’re too busy to find the time to really set up detailed spreads and just looking for something easy, opting for a minimalistic bullet journal will really benefit whether it’s for work, school, or day to day life.
Here’s everything you need to know if you plan to use a minimalistic style journal. From the how to’s, reasons why you should, the pros and cons, and a few awesome spreads to try, you’ll know everything you need to before beginning your journey!
Why You Should Try Keeping a Minimalistic Bullet Journal
Deciding if you should go for a minimal style bullet journal or a more creative one might be difficult at first but there’s no rule that says you should stick with only one style.
In fact, you can easily go back and forth depending on what you’d like to journal about.
However, if you’re curious to know how a minimal bullet journal will benefit you in the long run, here are a few reasons that will help you make a decision:
- Saves Time and Easy To Set Up
Will creative bullet journal spreads. they do require much more effort and time than minimalistic spreads since there’s much more detail involved. With minimalistic spreads, all you really need is a black pen and a simple layout to write the important details down.
- Focuses On One Thing
The great thing about minimalistic bullet journals is that you can section each page to focus on one specific thing at a time that makes it effective when it comes to work and business schedules.
- Can Plan For Days Ahead In A Short Period
Since minimalistic bullet journals are less time consuming, you will have much more time to focus on other aspects and plan ahead. In fact, you can plan an entire week’s worth of scheduling in just a few minutes whereas if you had to opt for creative layouts, these will take you much longer to finish.
How To Set Up a Minimalistic Journal
Setting up a minimalistic journal is absolutely easy and all you really need is a black pen, a ruler, and a pencil. Yup, that’s all there is to it.
There are a few pages you can include in your journal that will make sure you stay well organized and productive throughout the year.
These minimalistic pages include:
- Index Spread
- Yearly Overview
- Monthly Calendar
- Weekly Spreads
- Mood & Habit Trackers
Of course, there are various other pages you can include but with just including the ones above, you’ll truly love the process of bullet journaling with these.
Minimalistic Spread Ideas
Now here’s an awesome collection of spreads you can use in your own minimalistic bullet journal and these just prove that simple spreads don’t have to boring or plain! Take a look:
1. Blocks
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This block layout spread is great for a weekly spread but when you’re creating these blocks, make sure to leave some space for the header at the top of each box.
2. Monthly Overview
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This spread can be used to plan each month of the year and you have a great overview for 6 months ahead.
3. Weekly Spread By Hour
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This is a weekly spread where you can plan each hour of the day while also having a meal plan at the bottom for each day.
4. Timeline
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This is a creative way to plan your entire week in a timeline format. Looks pretty awesome and clean!
5. Neat and Clean
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For this spread, even though it’s really sleek, you’re going to be limited for space. So, it’s better to use this spread as an overview rather than for planning in detail.
6. Doodles
Make use of a fancy header and doodles to decorate your black and white spreads as shown here. The halftone header definitely makes this spread look even better.
7. Books Read List
Here’s a way to catalog the books you’ve read for the entire year by title and author. You can also use a star to mark your absolute favorites.
8. Floral Themed
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Now here’s a more detailed spread with large leaf doodles in the header. There’s also some neat handwriting for the titles and a handy habit tracker.
9. Colorful Spread
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This one is definitely different from the rest but it’s really simple and easy to do. All you need is some paint to add these colorful blocks and add a few circles with a black pen.
10. Two Page Spread
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You can write the dates in a large font rather than writing the days of the week and add a large black border to create separate blocks.
11. One Page
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Here’s another easy minimalistic spread you can try. All you need is a good brush pen and underline the titles to make this spread stand out.
12. Study Spread
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Use this type of minimalistic layout for planning your study schedule or even for work. You can easily write down the things you need to do and the time allocation for each task.
Conclusion
The great thing about bullet journaling is that you don’t need to stick with only one kind of style or spreads since there’s plenty of new ideas to try.
Also, if you’ve been using colorful spreads for a long time, there’s no harm in trying a few minimalistic spreads a few times. In fact, you may even grow to love it even more than the usual bullet journal spreads.
There are many advantages to minimalistic bullet journals, especially if you just want to organize your life better, and using your journal in this way will make sure you include everything that’s important without the fluff yet still journaling in a pleasing way.
