Project Life 2020 -Monthly suggestions?
 

I have done PL since 2013. I've got them all done and printed (except for 2019 -I'm waiting for a sale). I hate to stop now. But I'm fairly burned out. My 2 oldest kids are almost 16 and not very cooperative for photos.

I haven't started 2020. I feel paralyzed about what templates and what format to take this year.

Can somebody recommend some monthly templates? Any suggestions?

When you say monthly templates, is there something particular you have in mind that would make them monthly? I think most people use the same styles of templates that they would for weekly pages.

My kids are also older, ranging from 11 to 16. Between their reluctance to be photographed, all the times they're not with me, and me trying to be more intentional about my photo taking (so I don't get overwhelmed by the sheer number of photos anymore) I'm re-thinking my approach, too. I burned out in 2018 and am still trying to get through that year. When I finally manage it, I'm going to try switching to monthly pages. I've already tried switching to app scrapping, but even though it was faster I got bored doing it that way. I like the finished albums too much to stop entirely, but I need to find a way to make PL do-able and fun again. I think I'm going to use the LJS Designs Photo Focus templates this year. I need the 2019 version with more photo spaces, but you might like the simpler 2020 style. Here's an example of each.

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...pf-jan-700.jpg


https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...19-dec-700.jpg


Good luck deciding!

I started doing a two page spread for my monthly LO. I did PL for a couple years but found it very difficult to keep up, and some weeks there were no photos, and some weeks I had tons. So I made myself some templates for monthly scrapping.


https://scontent.fphl2-1.fna.fbcdn.n...ff&oe=5ED0BB6E

Thanks ladies. Good suggestions! I just looked at my photos so far for January and don't have many so I think monthly is probably the way to go.

I think monthly is a great idea... there are lots of multi photo templates that might work. I'm planning on a 2 pager for each month this year. I started PL with the intention of doing weekly pages in both 2016 and 2018. I never finished either... *sigh*. Determined to get those done this year while keeping up with monthly PL for 2020. :) Here's hoping lol!

If you're burning out, and the kids aren't keen on photos anymore, I'd totally change it up. Make your pages more journal focused, and pick a weekly theme that you journal about. Add in a photo or two max, and you're done. Keep it clean and simple. I've done this before and I loved the end result. Some of the weekly themes I used were:

How we show our love - what is everyone's love language etc
Family - journal about relationships within the family, or extended family etc. Include photos of grandparents, cousins etc. Could time this theme with a family gathering.
Our home - take photos of favourite places in your home, journal about the history of your home, or what you love about it.
Activities - what activities do the kids do? Sports etc? Include a photo of their sports team.
Hobbies - crafts, interests, things each family member does in their free time.
Service - does your family give service to anyone? Would you like to? Journal your thoughts and goals.
Grandparents - dedicate a whole spread to the history of your parents/grandparents. Include their photos.
School Holidays - how is the time spent? What do you & the kids do?
Health/fitness - What are you currently doing? What are you aiming to do etc. Do you attend a gym/bootcamp etc?
School - Journal about the kids current schools, how they're doing, your concerns and dreams for them.
Prices we pay - This is a good one to look back on years later. Take photos of your grocery shopping, or find google images of the places you shop. Include a list of prices for bread, eggs, vegetable, breakfast cereal, gas, toothpaste, apples, cheese etc.
Weekly routine - Do you have one? Do the kids? What does it look like?
The food we eat - What is everyone's favourite foods? Do you have picky eaters? What are your go-to meals? What foods does everyone hate? What do you generally have for breakfast or lunch etc.
Toys - When the kids were little I photographed and journalled about their favourite toys. With older kids, what is an object that they're never without? (Devices, spotify, mountain bike, etc)
Wardrobe - you can dedicate a spread per person here. What do they typically wear? Include photos of them dressed casually, for school, for a special occasion etc. Journal about their style or their favourite clothes, or the way they gravitate to certain colours.
In the news - What headlines are in your news right now? What are the breaking stories not just at home but around the world? What issues concern/worry you?
Family trips/events - capture a family event with journalling and photos.
Challenges - List the challenges your family is facing right now, and your plans to get through them.
Our wheels - take pictures of your vehicles, bikes, skateboards, etc. How do you get from one place to another? Do you use the bus system? Do you car pool? Are you looking to buy a new car in the future etc?
Self Improvement - What areas are you looking to improve on? what are your goals? What are your kids working on etc? (e.g. getting better at a sport, or being patient, or being more organised etc)
The games we play - board games, family activities, wrestling in the lounge, jokes etc.
Emergency preparedness - is your family ready for emergencies? Do you have go bags ready to grab and go? Do you have food storage etc?
Products we use - record the laundry and personal care brands you use - take photos of them. What shampoo/conditioner do you use? Deodorant, washing powder, cologne, perfume, toothpaste brand, facial care system, makeup brands, stain remover etc.
Books we read - what is everyone currently reading? What are their favourite genres?
Quotes - who in the family said something funny recently? What phrases do they say often, what funny stories could you share?
Spiritual - do you go to church? If so, what does that look like? Journal your thoughts about your relationship with God, or the people at church.
TV, movies, media, music - What do you watch or listen to? What movie have you seen recently? Your thoughts on media in general.
Social media - Facebook, snapchat instagram etc. Share some random photos or posts from each family member's account.
Our neighbourhood - Walk around your neighbourhood and take photos like a tourist. Include any greenspaces/parks, houses, corner stores etc.
A review of your children at the end of the school year - include photos of their friends and achievements.
Holidays - Easter, Halloween, Christmas etc

The joy of doing it this way, is that you can choose any theme for the week depending on what is going on in your life at the time. E.g. if you have family visiting, then make family your theme. If nothing in particular is happening that week, then journal about the prices you pay, or food you eat etc. It's super flexible.

You could have all you journalling justified in the middle of the left hand layout, then have your photos (even if it's just one big one) on the right hand page. Super easy. You don't even need to embellish it. Templates like the one below for the right hand page would work. If you don't have enough photos, fill some of the spaces with patterned paper.

https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...s6-preview.jpg

This is kind of what I mean. Your photo page has as many or as few photos as you want on it though:

https://i.imgur.com/Nbzumg2.jpg

Fantastic ideas, Jacinda! I have thought about doing this before and just haven't been organized enough to try it. Sometimes, though, my pages end up being mostly about the food we had that week, lol. . . so maybe that's a start!

Ohhhh, how come I never came across to that KCB's template pack?! Might be just what I was looking for for our travel album for next week!

Thanks, Jacinda!

I used Cindy's Universal Album one year for my monthly spreads:
https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...m6-preview.jpg

Each month I used the same kit for multiple pages, and since I was using one template album, the pages looked in sync. I really loved how it turned out. Here are some of the pages:
https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...b_11NovPG1.jpghttps://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com...anksgiving.jpg

I LOVE Cindy's templates!

I have used her templates in pretty much every layout I do. I have been known to use them multiple times in a book. I just turn them in different directions so that it is not as obvious :)

Thank you for the really thoughtful answer! I love all of your suggestions. And that album you show is gorgeous!

This is what I was thinking! I'm glad you liked the outcome! I'm a huge fan of Cindy's templates so this might be my solution.

I absolutely LOVE these ideas. Thank you!!

Oh wow! I've gotta say I'm super impressed that you've finished all of them since 2013 up to this year!! I've started many times, but never finished a whole year. I'm about halfway through finishing 2019 as that's my goal this year!

I personally just go with the flow and don't use a single format for all of my pages, but I know that drives some people crazy. I feel like I'd get super bored if I stuck to one template style for the whole month. Sometimes mine are block style template layouts, other times I just throw things on the page haphazardly, and other times are more art journal style.