bullet journaling bullet journaling and planning

My 10 Most Helpful Bullet Journal Layouts of 2020

by The Productive Pixie - December 19, 2020

Well, it's the end of the year and 2020 sure went by fast for me! It's time to start planning for 2021 and I'm going to be starting a new bullet journal. Before I do start a new bullet journal though, I can evaluate which bullet journal layouts from my 2020 bullet journal were most helpful and effective. Basically, these are the layouts that helped me to be productive in 2020!

My 10 Most Helpful Bullet Journal Layouts of 2020

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Updated for 2024

Before we get into the actual layouts that helped me to be productive this year (they might help you to be more productive too!) you might want to check out the post How to Migrate to a New Bullet Journal, which contains tips that will help you smoothly transition into a new bullet journal.

First off, if you are interested, here are some specifications about the notebook I used for 2020, and the bullet journal supplies I used this year. If not, you can skip ahead to the subheading that says, "My 10 Most Helpful Bullet Journal Layouts of 2020".

What Bullet Journal Did I Use For 2020?

For 2020, I used the Minimalism Art Journal in the pink shade, and in the beginning, I really loved it because it has nice smooth paper, the dots aren't too light or too dark, the cover didn't get dirty and it was nice and hard, and it came with a good number of pages.

Sounds pretty good, right?

Well around halfway through the year, the binding broke in the middle of the notebook. It was fixable, with a bit of tape, and didn't bother me that much, but I wanted to be entirely transparent about this, especially since I didn't carry my bullet journal around very much.

I still think it is a great notebook, especially for under $10, but it is something to keep in mind if you are planning on trying out a Minimalism Art Notebook for 2021.

My 2021 Bullet Journal

I haven't received it yet, but for 2021, I am going to be using a Scrivwell Dotted A5 Hardcover Notebook in pink. :)

This notebook is a little bit more expensive than the Minimalism Art Journal, but it comes with 120 GSM paper, two ribbons, 208 pages, and a pocket in the back. I am excited to try it out and I am going to be giving a more in-depth review once I get the notebook and start setting up my layouts for 2021!

My Favorite Bullet Journal Supplies for 2020

This year, I didn't use washi tape very much but instead, I used a lot of different pens and brush pens, which really improved my calligraphy.

Here is a list of my favorite bullet journal supplies and my essentials.

Crayola SuperTips - Crayola SuperTips 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.
Ecoline Brush Pens - The Ecoline brush pens are the newest addition to my stationery collection and I really like them, but they are on the pricey side. The ink is really smooth and juicy though. :)
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.
Tombow Dual Tip Brush Pens - Even though these ones are a little bit expensive, they are double-tipped: one side is a brush tip, and the other side has a regular pointed tip, making them good for multiple purposes.
Zebra Mildliners - The Zebra Mildliners are also dual-tipped: a regular pointed tip, and a chisel tip. I bought them for color-coding, but I use them in my layouts too.
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.
Mechanical Pencil - I sketch in my layouts with a mechanical pencil first, and then I use ink afterward. Plus I use a pencil to sketch drawings in my bullet journal.
A Ruler - The stencil was used to draw all of the numbered circles.

That was a longer tangent than I thought it would be, but now it's time to get into the 10 layouts that I found the most helpful in 2020. :)

My 10 Most Helpful Bullet Journal Layouts of 2020

These are all layouts I am going to include in my 2021 bullet journal because they helped me to be more productive/I found them helpful. I will switch up the designs though for my 2021 bullet journal!

1. Year at a Glance

First up, this year at a glance layout was super helpful. I color-coded it and added symbols to it through out the year. I also used it to plan ahead, and to make my monthly layouts.

2. Best of 2020

As you can see, I haven't finished filling in this layout yet, but I am going to do it before the end of the year. :)

I think it's really important to remember the most important things that happened during the year and a bullet journal can be a journal as well as a planner. With a layout like this, you can be sure to not forget the important things that you want to remember.

You can also do a best of "the month" (January, February, etc.) if you have a lot you want to remember. I use a journal as well as my bullet journal, so I like to just have one layout for the entire year.

3. 21 Before 2021

This is my main goal setting layout for 2020 and it was really helpful to be able to flip to this layout quickly and see at a glance my goals for 2020 (and in an aesthetic way too, if I may say so myself).

I planned out the nitty gritty of how I was going to reach each of my goals on another layout, but it's handy to have a layout with all of your goals in one place too!

4. Bullet Journal Layout Ideas

Okay, maybe this is a little bit of a strange layout idea to include in my most helpful layouts of 2020 but hear me out.

I'm always having new ideas of layouts for my bullet journal, and I want to have somewhere to put them. I am definitely going to have one of these in my 2021 bullet journal because it will make the planning process of setting up my journal a lot smoother.

5. Blog Post Ideas

I know that this layout won't be a good fit for everyone, but as a blogger, this layout sure is a life saver for me! There is nothing worse as a blogger, than sitting in front of a blank screen and having no idea what to write about.

Even if you have done this for when you have to write a school paper, then you will know what it feels like.

6. My Capsule Wardrobe

Having an organized wardrobe and closet will make your life so much easier! In the morning when you wake up, you won't have to sit in front of your mirror wasting time, trying to decide what to wear because you can plan it out by using your bullet journal.

On this layout, I wrote down everything that was in my wardrobe at the time and the colors of my wardrobe so I can see what I need to buy.

7. My Daily Routine

Your bullet journal is supposed to help you be more productive and what better way to do that, then by using it to create a productive daily routine.

You can also make an actual daily routine before you make your new daily routine and then you can compare them to see what you need to change in your daily routine to make it your ideal routine.

8. My Weekly Schedule

When you plan out each day of your week, you can see where you have free time, and you can see where all the time goes to.

The next time you are feeling really stressed and busy, you can look at your weekly schedule, and realize that you spend too much time on your favorite app. Don't lie to yourself, you know which one I'm talking about!

9. My Favorite Monthly Layout

My layout for November was my favorite out of the eleven monthly layouts I created this year. I was sick in January so that is why I only made eleven layouts this year.

The habit tracker I did was really effective for me, even though I forgot to use my bullet journal for the second half of the month. Yes, I have times when I don't use my bullet journal too, and that is what makes the bullet journal such a great system because I can come back to my bullet journal after breaks without much wasted space.

10. Daily Layouts

I started using daily layouts just a couple of weeks ago and I like using them so much and it helps me to be more productive, to just make a simple daily layout like the one above.

My 10 Most Helpful Bullet Journal Layouts of 2020

Those are the 10 layouts that I used this year that I found the most helpful. They are definitely going to be in my 2021 bullet journal, which I am really excited to set up! I will most likely be doing a flip through, once I set it up, so make sure you come back in January for that, if you like my bullet journal style.