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Are you new to meal planning or need a refresher? If so, this simple bullet journal meal planning template is for you! As you know, I like to keep things pretty simple around here. If something is “pretty” yet is too complicated, then out.it.goes. In fact, this meal planner layout is not about pretty… it is about efficiency.

What is a bullet journal?

Technically, bullet journaling is a method designed by Ryder Carroll that focuses on your “what” (what you need to get done) and connects it to your “why” (the reason why you want to accomplish that task). So, while you don’t have to buy a specific bullet journal, I happily recommend this Dotted Bullet Grid Journal due to its affordability, portability, and quality.

Do you need a “bullet journal” for this meal plan template?

Nope! Good news, all you need is a sheet of paper or a digital notebook or spreadsheet to get started. Easy peasy. You can upgrade to a bullet journal later if that fits your personality.

What is meal planning and why is it important?

Meal planning is just that – planning out your meals for the week or weeks ahead. It is important because spending a few minutes planning now will help us not waste food or time later.

How do you organize a meal plan?

My bullet journal meal planning template was created because I needed something simple, fast, and aesthetically pleasing to me. I personally needed something that would allow me to (1 quickly plan out the week and (2 quickly allow me to “batch” similar activity days. This meal planner is so ridiculously simple because there are only two steps.

Step 1: Focus on the meal that stresses you out the most.

Which meal is the hardest to pull together for you? For me, it’s dinner. Breakfast is straightforward and lunch is the king of leftovers around here. But dinner? That, my friend, needs a little more thought. Instead of getting all complicated by planning out every single breakfast, lunch, and dinner, pick one and focus on mastering that meal plan.

Step 2: “Batch” similar days together.

You’ll see that my meal planner doesn’t look at the week ahead like a traditional calendar. Instead, it groups by the actual day of the week. That way if you know that every Sunday is hiking day or every Tuesday is soccer night, then you can easily schedule a repeat of what you did the previous Sunday or Tuesday. If it worked before, it will easily work again. Which means less time thinking (aka stressing) about what to make for dinner.

How do you make a weekly meal plan?

Ever hear the saying, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer is that you tackle it by taking one bite at a time. That’s my philosophy when it comes to meal planning. My bullet journal meal planning template allows you to plan a week at a time, all while keeping the big picture in mind. Our week days are usually on a pattern, so if something worked the Wednesday before, go ahead and write it down for the following Wednesday. Efficiency at it’s best!

Whether you are a party of one, two or six, this template works for both beginners and masters alike.

There you have it. I told you it was simple!

I hope this works for you and would love to hear of any enhancements you create on your own.

Happy planning.

Eat well, my friends. Eat well.

Lyndi

PS: I want to give a happy shout-out to Jennifer McCool of Organize This who led an inspiring session about how to use a bullet journal to manage your time. For me, that led me to think of a building a better mousetrap when it comes to meal planning. Thanks, Jennifer!

Updated post. Originally published on 08.2018