New Spreads for Your 2025 Bullet Journal

Recreate these in any notebook or your favourite planning app

Notes from a Kindred Spirit is a bi-weekly newsletter about embracing curiosity, exploring hobbies, living with chronic illness, and finding contentment in the everyday.

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Hi friends,

I hope this letter finds you in holiday mode already or soon to be! I know I’m really looking forward to the way life seems to slow down around the holidays. Lots of time for reading, puzzling, and eating yummy Christmas baking!

As many of you know, I am a big fan of Bullet Journaling and I’ve been doing it since 2017. This analogue system helps me get things out of my head onto paper and helps me feel more in control of my tasks and time. You can read my Bullet Journaling guide here ⬇️

Every year, when November hits, I start to reflect on how my Bullet Journal® has worked for me over the past year and if there’s anything I want to change as I prep it for the new year. The beauty of the Bullet Journal® is that you can make changes to it whenever you want—there’s no need to wait for January 1st. But I think because I’m already in a reflective mood as we reach the end of the year, that naturally lends itself to reflecting on my Bullet Journal® practice.

So, today I’m going to share four collections you could try in your 2025 Bullet Journal®. And, if you’re not a bullet journaler, you could recreate these in any notebook or even with a digital app like Notion!

As a reminder, a collection is a page or several pages designated for related tasks or items.

Let’s dive in!

When Did I Last

This collection is incredibly handy for those infrequent little tasks that you often forget to do! For example, I use it to tell me when I last checked the tire pressure on my car or washed the dog’s water bowl.

To create this spread, I found a free calendar printable online and shrunk it to fit into my notebook. Then, I created a colour-coded key on the right page with the tasks I wanted to keep track of. That way, when I look for a particular colour on the calendar, I can see when I last completed that task.

When Did I Last collection in my 2023 Bullet Journal

2025 in Pictures

I’m pretty sure I learned about this collection from AmandaRachLee on YouTube.

Basically, I set as many pages aside as I need in my notebook to be able to fit 12 photos—1 for each month of the year. I use my HP Sprocket printer to print a small 2x3” photo at the end of each month and then I write a short description of it underneath.

I have been doing this in my notebooks for years now, and these collections are so fun to look back on! My husband and I will often flip through and reminisce.

2025 Must-Reads

This is a super straightforward list, but I find that it helps me to bring some focus into my reading life.

For my must-read list, I focus on non-fiction books about a topic I’m particularly interested in at the moment, and books that I already own but haven’t read yet. Who else is guilty of buying more books when they already have so many unread ones on their shelf at home? 🙋‍♀️

Must-Reads collection in my 2022 Bullet Journal

30-Minute Self-Care

I created this 2-page spread to both remind myself to practice self-care, and to function as a reference point for when I’m feeling burnt out and can’t think of a self-care practice.

I divided self-care into four categories: rest/relaxation, expression, companionship, and health/spirituality. Then, I listed self-care activities that would help me meet those needs. For example, I listed “text a friend” and “play or snuggle with Chewie (my dog)” under the companionship category.

I also opted to include Brene Brown’s AEIOUY prompts for cultivating a resilient spirit, a wheel of emotions, and a reminder of the 6 domains of self-care.

30-Minute Self-Care collection in my 2019 Bullet Journal

Now over to you!

What kind of planning system will you be using in 2025? Are you trying something new or sticking with tried and true? I’d love to hear from you! Reply to this email or leave a comment below.

And don’t forget to let me know what’s on your 2025 must-read list! 📖

Wishing you and yours happy holidays and a cozy start to the new year,

P.S. I have 3 digital products available in the Notion Marketplace!

📚 BOOK CLUB HUB for the book club host who wants to organize their club with ease so they can focus on the fun part—reading good books and chatting about them with friends! It’s perfect for small to medium virtual or in-person clubs.

📖 CURATED BOOK LISTS for the book club host or bookworm who doesn’t know what to read next.

🎁 GIFT PLANNER & TRACKER to help you organize birthday and holiday shopping and stay on budget.