Ditched my monthly spread for a rolling weekly and it actually works

I spent like 6 months trying to make those fancy monthly calendars work in my bullet journal. They looked great but I never used them after the first week. Last month I switched to a rolling weekly setup where I just list tasks for the next 7 days and migrate what doesn't get done. Way less pressure and I actually fill in the boxes now. Has anyone else tried different layouts and found one that just clicked better than the rest?

3 comments

3 Comments

blake_bell2923d ago

Wait, does this mean I have to admit my perfectly color-coded monthly spread with hand drawn borders and washi tape was just a really pretty way to avoid actually doing things? My rolling weekly looks like a crime scene of crossed out tasks and coffee stains but at least stuff gets done. I used to spend so much time making those months look Instagram ready that by the time I was done I had zero energy left for planning actual life. The rolling format basically lets me be as messy as I actually am without the guilt of looking at last week's empty boxes. Is it bad that my favorite part is how easy it is to just scribble "meh" over something I clearly wasn't going to do anyway?

lucaslee23d ago

Rolling weekly isn't just for lazy people, but you're kinda mixing up two different things. The rolling weekly is actually a specific system where you plan only the next 7 days at a time and keep rolling forward, not just being messy with a normal weekly spread. If you're scribbling "meh" over stuff and crossing things out all over, that's just bullet journaling in general, not specifically the rolling format. The real trick with rolling weeklies is that they force you to constantly re-evaluate what matters today instead of looking at a month of empty promises. Don't get me wrong, being messy is totally fine and honestly more realistic, but the roll itself is about the moving forward part, not the crossed out tasks part.

karen_perry3824d ago

I totally used to be one of those people who thought rolling weeklies were just an excuse to be lazy with planning. I was all about the color coded monthly spreads thinking they made me look organized. But after a few months of staring at empty boxes and feeling guilty, I gave the rolling weekly a shot. Now I actually write down stuff like "call dentist" or "pick up dry cleaning" and it feels way more real. The best part is not having to redraw everything when life gets messy. Have you found certain tasks that work better in the rolling format than others?