2020 is already halfway over, which is kind of hard to believe! If you haven't been working on your goals, then you still have half a year to get started or to keep working on them. For my July bullet journal layouts, I decided to do something which I have never done before. I went with a black and white minimalist theme, and I really like how it turned out! It is pretty much the exact opposite of my June bullet journal layout.

I just wanted to give you a quick definition of what a minimalist bullet journal is, in case you are new to the bullet journal system, and you don't know what it means.

Minimalist bullet journal layouts are usually black and white, but some of them have a little bit of color. They are also usually simple to create so they are great for beginners!

Why would someone want to do minimalist bullet journal layouts? The simple answer is time. Minimalist bullet journal layouts usually take less time to create, so they are ideal for people who are really busy. Plus, some people (me included) just like the look of minimalist layouts.

Obviously, my layout this month is very different from my other bullet journal layouts because I have never done a minimalist bullet journal layout before, but I also switched up some other things too.

You are probably wondering if this layout took me less time, than my other bullet journal layouts, and the answer is, "I don't know". I should have timed it to see how long it took to make, but I usually don't make my bullet journal layouts in one sitting.

It definitely took me less time to decide what colors to use! :)

• Crayola Super Tips - Crayola Super Tips are used on almost all of my spreads! They are great for beginners, really affordable, and there are tons of colors. If you are looking to buy some markers to use in your bullet journal, then I recommend these ones. For this layout, I used it for the thick black lines.
• Black Sharpie Pen - If you have read probably any of my other posts, then you will know that I always use a black sharpie pen for writing in my bullet journal.
• Tombow Fudesonuke Brush Pens - Another great option for beginners, the Tombow Fudesonuke brush pens come in a two-pack: one hard tip, and one soft tip. I used the hard tip Tombow Fudesonuke brush pen for the calligraphy on this layout.
• White Gel Pen - I use a white gel pen to mark out any mistakes I make on my layouts, and while it is sometimes still a little bit noticeable, it doesn't bother me. I have seen some other bullet journal layouts, where people used a white gel pen on top of black, so that is what I did for this layout.
• Mechanical Pencil - I used a mechanical pencil to sketch in parts of this layout, but I did all of the lettering freehand.

One of the biggest things I changed this month, is the setup of the sections. I did a two-column layout instead of a one-column layout.

The header I did with a hard tip Tombow Fudesonuke brush pen. Below that, I put 07/12 because July is the seventh month of the year, and then I put 01/07 - 31/07, just because I had a little extra space. I wanted the bottom of the header to line up with the bottom of the calendar. It might be obvious to you what the numbers stand for, but I thought I would explain them anyway, because I know I would wonder what they stood for. :)

I love how the mini calendar turned out! It was inspired by the mini calendar on Amanda Rach Lee's July bullet journal monthly layout. The numbering I had to do really tiny, but it was worth it, because I think it makes it look more minimalist.

I did separate habit trackers for each habit. I didn't have enough room to do mini calendars (I have six boxes in every row instead of seven), but as long as I fill in my habit trackers daily, I won't have to count the squares.

This month, I added two more habits, so I am now tracking six habits. I put three on each page.

Below the mini calendar, I put my goals for the month and my "Highlights" section. For the headers, I used a black Crayola Super Tip, and then I used a white gel pen for the lettering on top. I had to go over the lettering around two times before it was dark enough.

As usual, I am tracking five goals for the month and each of these mini goals, in some way helps me get closer to achieving my goals for the year.

Last month, instead of having a "Highlights" section, I did an "In Review" section so I could write down anything which happened. Favorite memories, the most important thing I learned, favorite books read, etc. I only wrote down highlights though, so I decided to switch back to having a "Highlights" section.

Along with the mini calendar, I use the "this month" section so I can see at a glance what I have going on for the month.

Below my other three habit trackers, I have a very small section where I can write down what I have going on in the month after the current month. I usually don't plan more than a month in advance, so I don't use it very much.

I still had a little bit of room left over, so I decided to add the quote, "Don't be afraid of being different, be afraid of being the same as everyone else". I like this quote, because if everyone was the same, then life would be pretty boring.

If you didn't know, I used weekly layouts last month, even though I hadn't, since the beginning of the year. I liked using weekly layouts in addition to my monthly layouts so much, that I am going to continue to use them. :)

I usually only write down my to-do list on my weekly layouts to avoid repetition. (So I don't have to write down the same thing on my monthly layout and my weekly layout.)

For July, I went with the same heading I used for my habit trackers. In the morning when I open my bullet journal, I write the header below my to-do list for the day before. As I complete things throughout the day, I put an "X" next to it.

I hope you liked seeing my bullet journal layout for the month! If you did, you might also want to check out some of my previous monthly bullet journal layouts.

• Plan With Me June Bullet Journal Layouts
• Plan With Me May Bullet Journal Layout
• Plan With Me April Bullet Journal Layout
• Plan With Me March Bullet Journal Layout

Have you tried a minimalist bullet journal layout? Did it help you to be more productive?

If you have a second, sharing is always appreciated. Thank you! :)