I’m someone that doesn’t like using a traditional monthly calendar with boxes for each day. The boxes are too small to write more than one thing in and some planners split boxes in 2 when the month ends midweek (not a fan of this). So instead I tend to use a list format, or I’ll just skip dates altogether and just do a monthly planning page instead.

If you want to switch from the ‘traditional’ monthly calendar layout, here are a few layouts to try!

Some things to put on your monthly planning page:

Events (birthdays, anniversaries, parties etc.)
Meal planning (or just some meal planning ideas)
Cleaning
Routine tasks
Kids’ events
Random reminders e.g. flip the mattress
Seasonal tasks e.g. clean the gutters (stuff you don’t do every month)
Goals
To do (I like to organize by priority, should do and if I have time)
Little things e.g. find a new slow cooker recipe

Non-traditional

If you don’t like a box traditional calendar format with boxes for each day (which can take a long time to count dots and rule up), try list format instead:

You could also use traditional boxes for appointments, then add a second list page like this for meal planning.

Habit Trackers

If you do like using a traditional boxes per day format for monthly planning, use the bit of extra space for a habit tracker or notes for goals. I like to draw boxes for each day when I do a habit tracker but if you want to speed it up, just do the horizontal lines and not the vertical as there’s already the dots on the page to use as a guide.

Another time saving thing is to record how many dots across and down the page for the notebook you’re using (as they’re all different). I put this on a sticky note and keep at the front of the notebook.

If you use the same style calendar each month, you could cluster all of your month’s together and ‘trace’ past months (since most dot grid notebooks have thin paper that’s prone to ghosting).

Or create a reference page in your notebook where you list your preferred spacing for each type of page e.g. 2 page monthly calendar with habit tracker – 5 dots across, 6 dots down for each box.

Multi-Tasker

Bit of everything

Project Planning

I used one of those compass circle maker tools (like the ones you’d use in school) however We R Memory Keepers recently bought out a nifty journal guide tool that includes a circle maker.

I’ve also used large discs (ARC, MAMBI etc.) for tracing around to make a circle.