How to Set Up a Simple Bible Study Notebook

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Lingering in Genesis

This year, I decided to do something different with my morning quiet time. Instead of rushing to read through the entire Old Testament just to check it off a list, I felt called to linger and dwell in Genesis for the entire year. Giving myself permission to not rush through the text has been incredibly meaningful.

To guide my study, I started with Jen Wilkin’s book Women of the Word to learn the basics of how to study the Bible without using a pre-written workbook. I recommend this book to everyone who wants to learn a simple framework for Bible study! Then I started using the wonderful blueprint from The James Method’s Happy Mapper course. It is a fantastic system for breaking down scripture, but I quickly realized something about myself: just like I need a specific planner layout to organize my week, my brain simply needed a different layout to organize my study notes. I found myself wanting more lines for certain reflections and fewer for others. Plus, remembering to turn on my computer and print the pages at 4:00 AM was slowing down my quiet time.

I realized I could take these beautiful study frameworks and set up a highly customizable, functional Bible study notebook to organize my 1-year Genesis study in a format that just works better for my brain.

Simple Lined Notebook Setup

How do you set up a Bible study notebook?

You set up a Bible study notebook by dividing your lined pages into simple sections for a book summary, an outline, and chapter notes. You can use printable sticky notes to add expandable space for prayers and reading trackers.

Instead of buying a specialty journal, I shopped my own stash and grabbed an Erin Condren 7×9 classic lined notebook. The lined pages give me the ultimate flexibility to create a layout that flows naturally with my thoughts, and it perfectly fits my favorite planner stickers if I ever want to use them.

To set up the pages, I use a simple waterproof Micron pen. I do not worry about perfect lettering or making the lines perfectly straight. In fact, completely surrendering the pressure of perfection is what finally allowed me to get the most out of my study time!

How I Map Out the Pages

I use a 2-page spread for the introduction to the book, and then a 2-page spread for every single chapter. I blend the context questions I learned from Jen Wilkin’s Women of the Word with the verse mapping prompts from The James Method.

Here is exactly how I divide the 28 lines on my pages:

• The Book Summary: At the very front of the notebook, I draw simple lines to answer 5 basic questions I learned from Jen Wilkin’s book before I start reading: Who wrote it? When was it written? To whom was it written? What is the genre? What are the themes?
• The Outline: On the right side, I write out a simple outline of the book (I usually use a simplified version of the free John MacArthur outlines on Blue Letter Bible) so I understand the historical timeline.
• Chapter Summaries: For each chapter, I draw simple sections for the characters, a brief summary, and a large 12-line block to write out my key verses in full.
• Insights & Application: The facing page is where the deep study happens. I divide this page to track cross-references, definitions, the context for the original audience, and what the chapter taught me about God’s character.

Adding Expandable Space

If my thoughts overflow a section, or if I want to write out a specific prayer that I can move to my planner later, I simply use my printable Bible Study sticky notes! I just stick them directly over the text on my notebook page. It adds instant, functional space without cluttering up my layout.

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What book of the Bible are you studying this year? Let me know in the comments!