Weekly Spreads vs Daily Spreads

Planning spreads and how we use them are essential to the bullet journal process. They help us to plan out our lives and keep us on track to reach goals. What happens when a planning spread doesn’t work for you?

There is often a big debate on what planning spreads people use. Some people skip the daily spread in favor for the weekly spread. Others stick to the daily spreads because they are great for an erratic schedule.

Today I’m going to show you the pros and cons of weekly and daily spreads so you can decide which spread is best for you.

Before we get started here is a list of my recommended supplies.

Recommended Products

• Journal
• Stencils
• Fine Point Pens
• Micron Fine Line Set Pens
• Tombow Fudenosuke Soft And Hard Tip Brush Pen
• Tombow Brush Pens
• Washi Tape
• Crayola Super Tips

Types Of Planning Spreads

There are four major types of planning spreads that get used in Bullet Journals. You have yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily spreads. Which spreads you choose to use in your Bullet Journal is up to you.

For a long time I used all four spreads. I filled up my journals quickly doing it this way but each spread gave me exactly what I was looking for in my journals.

It wasn’t until recently that I switched and started skipping my weekly spreads all together. When life became busy with work and an upcoming move I stopped using my bullet journal all together.

I would plan out the entire month, use all four planning spreads, and then forget to look at my spread for the entire month. My intentions were there but I just forgot to get into it.

Switching to the daily spread meant less paper waste in my journal if I needed to take a break with my bullet journal.

To learn more about the different types of planning spreads read on.

Yearly

The yearly spread is always a good one to have. You can plan out future events, birthdays, planned vacations to use as a reference when setting up additional spreads.

Monthly

The monthly spread allows you to plan out an entire month at a time. Fill in doctors appointments, school events, planned date nights, movie releases, and more.

The monthly spread is a must have for me in my bullet journal because I can plan out my entire month and leave space to plan for the following month if needed. My monthly spreads also allow me to plan out my monthly goals for every aspect of my life.

Weekly

The weekly spread is a great way to look at all your plans for the week and stay on top of your schedule. In the past my weekly spreads were used to plan out work, track appointments, track habits and set goals.

Of course when I stopped using my bullet journal so much I found myself not filling it in at all. I would set up my weekly spreads and then not use them. It was a complete waste of paper in my journals.

Daily

Daily spreads are usually set up the day before or the morning of. You can quickly plan your day, tasks, and keep notes too. Most people actually skip daily spreads because all they need is a weekly spread.

For those of us who use daily spreads, though, often use them as a sort of personal journal. The bullet journal is a personal whole life planner for most bullet journalers. It would make sense that we would use a daily spread as a form of a personal diary.

Using A Weekly Spread

Using a weekly spread is pretty easy they can be as simple as just the days of the week and a spot for the weekend. You can also add spots for goals, notes, habit tracking, and more if needed.

The weekly spread is great for all your productivity and planning needs. Of course the weekly spread doesn’t leave much for the personal needs of the bullet journal because space is usually limited.

Using A Daily Spread

A daily spread can do pretty much anything a weekly spread can do. It can help you plan your day, plan out your daily goals, give space for notes, and provide a space for a journal.

Using the daily spread means sitting down every night or every morning and planning out your day. Of course this leaves for one major downfall to using the daily spread as opposed to using the weekly spread, there is no future planning.

The Daily Spread vs. The Weekly Spread

For the planner in most bullet journals the weekly spread allows us to see the full week ahead and plan out the following week as needed. This means we are less likely to over book ourselves.

However, for the journaler in us we often like to have a good space to write out our feelings, our day, and any special memories that came from it. The daily spreads give us the space to fully plan out our days and track everything.

I’ll Stick With A Daily Spread

For me it boils down to catering to my natural schedule which changes frequently. Planning out my week rarely ends up working in my favor. When I switched to just focusing on the current day my productivity went through the roof.

The daily spread allows me to write down everything that happened in my day. Things I want to remember, things I want to do further research on, and things that I got done.

The daily spread works better for me paired with the monthly spread. I can remember all the important dates and appointments while also giving myself enough space to record my entire day.

Try Them All

You want to try every single spread at least once so that you can determine what’s best for you. Some people use all four types of planning spreads. Because that’s what works for them.

You should try out all the spreads and see what works best for you. Try different weekly spreads, try different daily spreads, even try different monthly spreads. You’ll find the best ones for you.

What planning spreads have you tried? Let me know which ones you like to use in the comments below. Follow me on Pinterest for more like this and pin this to your bullet journal boards.

Related Posts:

• 15 Monthly Spreads For Your Bullet Journal
• 19 Bullet Journal Ideas For Weekly Spreads
• 10 New Bullet Journal Weekly Spreads
• 21 Best Bullet Journal Future Logs