First off, you need to choose your new notebook.  One of my absolute favourites is the Morning Sun A5 Dot Grid notebook by Archer & Olive.  For 2022 I’ve chosen to use the new Pink Bits collaboration journal.  Mainly because this shade of pink is just perfect!  Click on this link or use code ROSE10 to get a discount on your purchase.

Bullet Journal Set Up Spreads

1. Cover Page & Quote Page

Although a bullet journal cover page and a quote page is not a necessary bullet journal spread, I always like to include one at the start of a new journal, just to welcome in the new year.  If you want to see how I created my new cover page and quote page for the year, you can watch the video below.

2.  Year At A Glance

Another very useful bullet journal spread to include in your set up is a year at a glance, which is basically a full year calendar.  It’s great to refer to when making appointments and setting tasks with deadlines. Check out this stunning example of a Year at a Glance by Design Team member Sarah-Jane (@essjay_florals)

3.  Key

A bullet journal key is basically a reference list of symbols you use as short hand throughout your journal.  This can include colours, letters and symbols which you can assign to specific actions.  Here is a great example by Design Team member Ericka (@crafteinated)

4.  Index

Something I always include in my bullet journal setup is an Index.  This is like a contents page for your bujo and is incredibly useful when you go back to old notebooks to look things up.  You just have to remember to keep it updated as you work through your bullet journal.  Setting up this spread is super simple with only a heading required like this one:

5.  Future Log

A Future Log is a must-have in your bullet journal setup.  A future log usually contains 12 months and it’s the place where you can log all your future events.  It’s great to have this spread so you can flip to it and see at a glance all your future commitments.

6.  Word of the Year

Another unnecessary bullet journal spread to have at the start of your notebook is a Word of the Year.  By choosing a word of the year, it allows you to focus on what is most important to you for the year.  This can relate to personal goals, work goals, fitness goals or anything really.  As long as the word has meaning to you.  Last year I technically had 2 words for my Word of the Year: Just Start, as a reminder to me to stop procrastinating!

7.  Year In Pixels

A super fun spread for setting up your bullet journal is a Year In Pixels spread.  This is essentially a year long mood tracker.  The year in pixels looks amazing when it is completely filled in, but be warned, it takes absolute commitment to see this spread through!  Here is one I created a couple of years ago:

8.  Waiting On / Online Orders

I always like to keep a master list of all my online orders so I can track when/if they get delivered.  I write everything that I buy online on the list and then cross them off when they arrive!

9.  Brain Dump

A brain dump is either one or two pages that you keep blank and is a place where you dump random thoughts, ideas, plans that don’t belong anywhere else in your bujo.  I like to use it as it’s quick and easy to refer to rather than flicking through pages of my bullet journal.  Here is an example of one I created last year - I’ve title this as “Inbox” as an alternative to Brain Dump.

10.  Annual Goals

A Very useful spread to have in your bullet journal set up is an annual goals page.  Choose a few big goals that you want to achieve during the year.  You can also create different goals for different areas of your life, like personal, financial or business goals. For more detail on how to create this spread check out this great blog post here.

11.  Level 10 Life

This is a technique to measure success in 10 areas of your life and help you build goals around these areas.  You can see how to create a Level 10 Life spread in this blog post here.

12.  Birthday Tracker

Some people like to record upcoming birthdays in their future logs.  But if you find your future log gets a bit crowded, having a separate Birthday Tracker in your bullet journal set up can be super useful.  For instructions on how to create a beautiful birthday tracker, check out this post.

13.  Reading Log/Book Tracker

If you’re a book worm, then you may like to include a Reading Log or Book Tracker in your bullet journal set up.  This can list all the books in your TBR or the books you’ve read during the year.  See this amazing post for how to create one yourself.

14.  About Me Page

An about me page is a fun page to include at the start of your bullet journal.  This can include all sorts of interesting facts about you.  It’s especially fun to look back on these if you do one in every notebook you own. Check out this amazing example of an About Me page by Masha (@Mashaplans).

15.  Period Tracker

Just as it’s titled, you can include a period tracker to track your menstrual cycle at the start of your bullet journal.  Here’s one I’ve done in my bullet journal:

16.  Finance Tracker

If you have savings goals, debt reduction goals or aiming to buy a house, then a finance tracker in your bullet journal set up is exactly what you need.  For a detailed tutorial on how to set this up, read this post here.

17.  Weight Loss Tracker

If you are trying to lose weight then a weight loss or weight tracker is very useful to keep in the start of your new bullet journal.  Here is an example of one I’ve created which also tracks how I ate, whether I exercised and if I drank enough water for the day:

18.  Master Wish List

A great spread to have when you set up a new bullet journal is a Master Wish List.  This always comes in handy when your husband/mother/son asks - what do you want for your birthday/Christmas.  Just show them this list!  Here is a great example, you can find out more about it in this blog post.

Free Printable 

Get a head start on your set up with this free Year At A Glance printable! Download here:

I hope you got a lot of ideas for spreads and collections to include in your new bullet journal set up. You don’t have to include everything in this list, just make sure that you only include the bullet journal ideas that you will find useful in order to avoid being overwhelmed.  Tag me @littlemissrose and @archerandolive to share your inspiration with us!