If you’re like me, starting a new month without a clear direction feels like stepping into fog. Thanks to this Monthly Log setup with my Bullet Journal, which covers BOTH a before-month-start overview and an after-month-end reflection, I no longer feel lost in that fog.
I have a map to guide me through the next 30 days that also align with my bigger Level 10 Life Visions and Master Goal List.
Even better, I have a trail of memories to revisit at the end of every month. At year end, these are also the pages I spend time with to review a full bygone year.
Setting up Monthly Log is a monthly activity, but it is also part of a brand new Bullet Journal setup, right after you break-in a new notebook and spread must-have pages like Future Log.
Either way, let’s get your Monthly Log of Bullet Journal set up!
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🌱 What Is the Monthly Log?
In Bullet Journal design, a Monthly Log is partly a full month timeline and partly a monthly task list. On one page, you prepare for the full month ahead with tasks to do this month. On the opposite page, you reflect each day by writing a line a day.
For me, these Monthly Log pages are where each new month begins and also where it ends.
I also romanticise it by calling the setup a Monthly Roadmap and a Monthly Memory Lane.
It’s quick to make, easy to maintain, and joyful to re-read.
This spread has two core functions:
- ✅ Set intentions and goals for a new month (I call it Monthly Roadmap)
- ✍️ Capture the monthly journey with daily summary and monthly reflection (I call it Monthly Memory Lane)
After years of practicing Bullet Journal, I added my own design Monthly Roadmap. This template helps to detail out the monthly plan ahead, especially if you are a multi-passionate person who has multiple projects and plans going.
In total, there are 4 pages to setup: 2 for the Monthly Roadmap and 2 for the Monthly Memory Lane. Nevertheless, it takes 10-15 minutes max to set up everything! 🫣
I intentionally simplify this process because I know how busy it usually is during an old-month-new-month transition. You should not have any more excuses after reading this blog to delay setting up your Monthly Bullet Journal on time. (I know, I was guilty there, but no longer 😉)
🧭 The Monthly Roadmap: A Monthly Plan with clear Intentions
This section consists of 2 pages:
- A simple Monthly Calendar Grid page to mark key events, deadlines, etc.
- A Monthly Goal Plan page that details when to do what per week to complete the 1-3 top goals of the month
These top monthly goals are the Lag and Lead goals taken straight from the Master Goal List. (You can learn more from this blog post’s 5-Step Goal Setting and Goal Planning Framework).
I revisit them each week and reflect on them during my monthly review. This way I make sure, I am on track every day and week towards my Monthly goals as well as my big Level 10 Life visions.
If you haven’t yet, grab this FREEBIE and complete the Goal Setting and Goal Planning exercises. I promise you will feel a lot lighter in your chest (if not even motivated and excited) and clearer in your head to kick start a new month with good vibes and intentions!
🛤️ The Monthly Memory Lane: A Monthly Journal with daily memories and learnings
This section consists of 2 pages:
- A One line per day for a quick daily snapshot — a win, a joy, or something of gratitude
- A Monthly Reflection page to summarize all the learnings and best memories of the month with 3 journal prompts
The one-line-per-day monthly spread is originated from the Bullet Journal method. Now together with monthly reflection, they are my poetically called Monthly Memory Lane pages.
Writing this line has become part of my evening wind-down ritual. It’s just 1-2 minutes a day, but the reward is so nice. At the end of the month, I already have a monthly record to read back. It’s like a tweet-sized time capsule of joy, growth, and little surprises.
Before Month Starts: A 2-Step Monthly Log Setup
Want to try this for yourself? Here’s how I set up my Monthly Log at the beginning of every month:
Step 1: Create Your Monthly Log Layout (5 min)
- One full page for a Monthly Calendar:
- I set up mine with a pre-made Monthly Calendar Grid templates, which I completed during Future Log setup.
- I simply attach this month’s template on top of the Bullet Journal notebook page.
- One full page for a Monthly One Line per Day:
- With the Monthly Calendar printout attached on top of the Bullet Journal notebook page, there is a “secret page” for my one-line-per-day underneath.
- I set up mine using the provided days and dates stickers, conveniently included inside the Bullet Journal Ed2 notebook. (Want 10% off your purchase? Use code SUANI10 at checkout!)
- One full page for a Monthly Goal Plan:
- I set up mine with a self-developed template, which is included in my e-book (see more information at the end of the post).
- This template helps organise your top Monthly 1-3 focus areas with all your pre-defined lag and lead goals and a built-in weekly schedule.
- One full page for a Monthly Reflection:
- With the Monthly Goal Plan attached on top of the Bullet Journal notebook page, there is a “secret page” for my private Monthly Reflection underneath.
Step 2: Fill in Your Monthly Roadmap and Plan your Month ahead (5-10 min)
- Migrate events from Future Log or previous Monthly Calendar over to the new Monthly Calendar
- TIP: With the Monthly Calendar Grid template, you can colour code the entries for visual distinctions, such as red or orange for deadlines, yellow for an event, etc.
- Migrate lag and lead goals from the Master Goal List or remaining to-do tasks from previous Monthly Goal Plan over to the new Monthly Goal Plan
- TIP: You should immediately schedule in the execution weeks after writing down your goals in the plan. This way you can make sure you have time and capacity to work on all tasks, seeing them being allocated to every week of the new month.
- With the Monthly Goal Plan template, you can simply put a bullet point in the weekly column to assign the week for a task (see below).
During the Month: My Daily and Weekly ritual with Monthly Log pages
Keep a Daily Snapshot Routine (2 min/day)
This daily ritual is performed on the One Line per Day page.
- At night, write one sentence each day in the One Line per Day page as part of the Monthly Memory Lane journal (highly recommend, but if time is really tight, you can opt for weekly reflection) instead
- TIP: This can also be your Gratitude Log, where you write one sentence about something you’re greateful for that day.
- Reflect weekly, appreciate another full week
- Re-read this page at the end of the month as part of your monthly review (you’d be surprised how far you’ve made it, how great another month life has been, filled with joy and gratitude!)
- Re-read this page at the end of the year as part of your yearly review (by this point, you should have a 12-page record of a full year to reflect upon. How cool is that?!)
This activity is part of my recommended Daily Journal routine, together with other journaling tips.
Keep a Weekly Check-in Routine (10 min)
This activity is done with the Monthly Goal Plan page, as part of the Weekly Check-up Routine (coming up soon to the blog) to closely monitor the weekly progress towards achieving monthly goals.
Just as you schedule in the week to complete your goals or tasks in the Monthly Goal Plan at the beginning of the month, this activity aims to:
- Review the progress per week by checking off or migrating the tasks between weeks
- Guide the weekly setup for a new week with the assigned tasks or goals
- Add or remove (cancel) any tasks to update and decluter the Monthly Goal Plan throughout the month
More details about this Weekly Check-in Routine are unfolded in the Weekly posts. So stay tuned!
Before Month Ends: 3 simple Reflection Prompts
This Monthly Reflection page is the last to fill of a month in the Bullet Journal notebook. On this page, I simply answer these 3 question prompts:
- What makes me proud of this month?
- What makes me happy about this month?
- What did I learn and take-away from this month?
These questions are not randomly selected, but distilled after years of my journaling practice and further more, closely tied to weekly reflection (coming up soon to the blog) to make sense of the whole practice.
🧡 Why This Works
This Monthly Log setup isn’t just about productivity. It’s about being intentional and present.
It helps me:
- Start the month with clarity: I know clearly and quickly what to do each month with my goals and deadlines being laid out in details
- Do what matters each month: as Monthly Goal Plan is linked with Master Goal List, I know what I need to do to get closer to my bigger Level 10 Life goals
- Celebrate growth (not just checkboxes) and stay connected to daily small joys: the Monthly Memory Lane pages are one of the Bullet Journal sections I treasure most at every year-end re-read.
🧪 Want to Try It?
You can recreate this spread in your own Bullet Journal using the steps above or using pre-made templates in my upcoming e-book!
No matter the choices, remeber these 4 Monthly Log pages:
- One–page Monthly Calendar: necesary to keep tab of all events, deadlines, etc.
- Option to use MyA5 templates to save time and effort from planning Future Log to reuse this page for Monthly Calendar setup.
- One–page Monthly One Line per Day: highly recommend for a Monthly journal record and Gratitude Log every day.
- Option to use Bullet Journal Ed. 2 notebook’s provided date stickers for quick setup
- One–page Monthly Goal Plan: super important to keep track of your goal achieving progress
- Option to use MyA5 templates to guide you from Goal Setting and Planning to actually schedule in Monthly and Weekly actions, all with minimum effort.
- One-page Monthly Reflection: highly recommend to keep a Monthly review for personal growth, self-learning and connection.
- Answer these 3 question prompts at the end of the month: What makes you proud of? What makes you happy about? What do you learn and take-away?
Are you interested in my upcoming e-book about Personal Development – Bullet Journal Setup series? It is to help you build an intentional and fulfilled life planning, tracking and living. This e-book includes:
- 12 Monthly Calendar Grid templates to set up Future Log and Monthly Log with convenience
- Monthly Goal Plan & Weekly Log templates to kickstart your Month and Week without delays
- The full Personal Development ft. Bullet Journal Setup series, all in one place for convenient reading and referencing!
GRAB PART 1 (FOR FREE!) OF THE E-BOOK AND JOIN THE WAITLIST FOR THE LAUNCH SOON-ISH
Or if you already have the e-book, then sign up for MyA5Letter waitlist for my upcoming e-book with all pre-designed templates (and for your eyes only: an early bird discount). You’d also become a beloved memeber of MyA5Corner and will receive weekly latest updates directly from me.
Thank you for reading till the end and supporting MyA5Blog.
Till our next read about Weekly Log!
Happy Bullet Journaling,
Suani
