Creative Bullet Journal Calendar Spread Inspirations

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Today we will be talking about one of my favorite Bullet Journal pages – a monthly log and how to create a beautiful calendar spread to plan your month.

So get ready to be inspired by this post!

A monthly log is one of the basic spreads for your planning. It helps you to create an overview of how your month goes.

This is the place where you write down important appointments, deadlines, and other plans, so you can get, at a glance, how your month feels.

If you want to learn more about this page, check my post Everything About Monthly Log.

Meanwhile, let’s see how you can set up a Bullet Journal calendar monthly log and get inspired by work from some fantastic creators.

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How To Create Bullet Journal Calendar Spread

You have to start somewhere, right?

So here are a few things you’d want to think about before you sit down to start creating your page.

• What is your grid size? This is done by simply counting the squares across & down one page of your book. One more reason for you to create a grid guide in your journal.
• How many full week-rows do you need to make room for? Make sure you count the number of rows in the calendar. Most of the time, it should be 5 or 6. 
• Do you want to draw a horizontal or vertical calendar? Do you want to have a calendar view of the month or a vertical column?
• Will you be using this spread a lot or just as a reference? Because that way you’ll know if you need a whole page large calendar or just a tiny one.
• What day does the month start & end, and how many days are in the month? Obviously, an important thing when creating a monthly log is not to mess up this part.

With all these questions answered, it’s time to pick your perfect monthly calendar format and roll with it. Let’s start from the basics.

Classic Vertical Calendar Spread

The vertical format is the original way to set up your monthly log, so we’re starting from it.

It’s also probably the easiest way to set up a monthly log, so it might be the best format for beginners to start from.

The concept is pretty simple – write the dates of the month vertically. As in addition, you can add the days of the week to it as well.

There are many ways to customize it so let me show you a few examples.

This is me trying out the vertical format. There are a few things I did differently here.

First of all, I decided to add color to the weekends. That way, it’s easier to see the weeks.

Another thing I did is put my calendar in the middle of the page (well, kind of), that way I can write personal stuff on one side and work-related things on another.

I love this monthly log and how gentle the background colors are. 

With the page on the right, it also gives a complete outline of the month and the main goals.

Beautiful spread demonstrates clearly how convenient it is to have the calendar in the middle to divide different types of monthly tasks.

This is Mulan themed page, and if you’re looking for some more inspiration check out my post Disney Bullet Journal Theme Inspirations.

This format can be done horizontally too, with the use of 2 pages though. But it definitely gives more space to do illustrations.

For more Harry Potter inspirations be sure to check my post with Magical Bullet Journal Theme Ideas.

I absolutely had to include this monthly log because of how incredible the illustrations are here.

There isn’t even a need to make the name of the month stand out, it’s pretty obvious we’re in October.

If you need more space for your tasks but don’t want to draw a calendar – this is a great option.

In a previous example, the creator used the space for illustrations, here it’s more of the beauty of empty space. Which if needed you can fill out with tasks or anything else.

I usually prefer to have the calendar on the right, so it’s kind of easier to write the events. But I think this looks beautiful!

The handwriting is definitely a part that makes this page especially beautiful.

If you want to learn how to improve your handwriting, be sure to check my post 9 Simple Tricks To Improve Your Handwriting.

I love how a simple effect of white on black makes the page look so much more interesting.

This is definitely one of my favorite ways to enhance my pages, and definitely, I’d recommend you to use this pen.

If you don’t need so much space, you can always fill out the rest of the page with other important information.

Mini calendar to see the month, notes, monthly goals, or to-do list. Whatever you need, really!

You can also always divide your vertical calendar into two parts, and that way you’ll have more space for other things.

I love this idea because it’s really so useful to have more information on one page and get a much better sense of the month.

Kate always has a beautiful aesthetic and this simple monthly calendar spread is no exception.

By the way, if you’re thinking of doing this theme check my post Makeup Theme Inspirations.

Need something more creative? How about making this type of calendar diagonal?

I absolutely love the way it came out, as well as the contrast between black and white

Bullet Journal Calendar Monthly Log

This is definitely my preferred format, and I think it’s the most popular one.

I guess we’re all programmed from childhood to see the month in a calendar format.

This one takes some time to set up with all the lined, but it’s worth it. Plus there are still a lot of different ways to customize this format.

Let’s start with a classic two-page huge calendar spread.

I loved this one because it gave me enough space for each day (and that was a busy month), plus I had enough space to add my monthly to-do and a habit tracker.

You can always have a smaller calendar for just one page, it looks pretty neat and has enough space for some basic appointments.

Oh, and if you’re also a fan of sushi theme, check my post Sushi Bullet Journal Theme Inspirations.

This is my monthly calendar from the October setup.

Just to show that if you use a different journal size you can get so much more out of it! This is a square journal, and I have sooooo much space for everything here, no need to draw a calendar for two pages.

A page and a half is also an option for the monthly calendar.

Here she chose to use the rest of the page for decorating, but you can totally add there any other elements you need from the month.

Love this classy-looking monthly log, and how she used kraft paper and stamps to decorate it.

One-page calendar spreads are perfect in my opinion. Enough to note the most important events, but also space for extra decor or maybe just to-do list.

As you see, one page was enough to get all the decoration I need, but I also had plenty of space for all my monthly to-do lists.

I actually had a lot of fun with my setup that month, using different colored paper. If you want to check my Plan With Me post to see all the pages.

Lovely and such a bright page!

In case you wondered you can also have a very tiny calendar and write your important dates under it. That way, it would fit even in a traveler’s size journal

Another example of a mini-calendar. In this case, I added colored dots to the dates when something happens and you can see on the right the exact event.

That way, I have a clear view of the month, but also have tons of space for all the other things I have to plan for the month.

I’m really loving this journaling style, especially for cozy months like September.

Also, I think it’s super cool how she used icons and doodles to signify different events during the month.

Had to include this one because it really puts me in such a wonderful mood.

Makes me wanna go to the beach and just unplug! Thankfully I probably will in a few months; so excited.

A cool idea is a calendar but vertical. So the days of the week are on the vertical side, not horizontal like they usually would.

I find this format a bit confusing personally, but it is pretty fun to experiment, and it’s a much better fit for an A5 journal page.

A beautiful example of a two-page monthly spread.

Very simple and just in black, but it definitely looks super pretty.

If you’re not friendly with straight lines like I am, here is another idea for you – just create cute little frames for all your days.

It is a bit more time-consuming, yes, but it also has a unique look to it.

Here is another look at a vertical format of a calendar spread.

I love this one cause it allows me to use some of my washi tape collection.

A beautiful monthly calendar spread, so I had to of course include it here.

Something I really love about it is the color palette on the top. Cool element to use as decoration but also an excellent reference for the entire theme.

That time when the creator actually just makes a small calendar, so it looks like a cover page!

Totally took me a while to figure out this one, but I definitely like the idea.

Definitely love the creative approach to a calendar spread here.

This can actually be a fun thing to try if you make a mistake with your dates and need to cover it up.

Speaking of mistakes, if you make some in your journal, be sure to check my post Creative and Simple Ways To Fix Your Bullet Journal Mistakes.

Very good-looking monthly calendar spread, and I really like that all you need to create this is just a few horizontal lines.

I love this play with empty space.

Beautiful, and I love the lettering for the word calendar. Really on the theme.

Oh, and if you need more inspo check my post Star Wars Bullet Journal Theme Inspirations.

Circle Bullet Journal Calendar Inspirations

Probably the best-looking monthly log is a circle calendar.

It does take a while to set up and calculate properly, but the result is so worth it in my opinion.

Just check out these spreads and let me know in the comments what you think.

I love how much you can fit in a circle monthly log! 

If there was one more layer to it, it could also work as a mood tracker.

There is also a lot you can do inside of the circle calendar, not just write the name of the month.

And you, of course, will have more space if you use two pages.

If you’re not that good at math (like I was that month), you don’t even need to close the circle and make it just a half-circle.

It looks almost like I did it on purpose, wouldn’t you agree?

A very cool and kind of easy idea is to fill out the inside of your circle tracker (or the outside) with a mandala.

I know in this example it’s a mood tracker, not a monthly calendar, but it does look pretty much the same. 

And if you wanna learn how to do it check my post How To Draw And Use Mandalas In Your Bullet Journal.

What kind of calendar spread format do you like the most?

Let us know in the comments!

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And remember: Keep Bullet Journaling, and Don’t Be A Blob.

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