There’s something about a paper checklist. You can tuck the pages into your Bible, clip them to the fridge, or keep them in the folder you take to church. Every box you tick is a small, visible yes, and on a hard week you can look back at a page full of them.
So we made one, and you can have it free. Actually, we made three, because people read differently, and the plan that fits you is the one you’ll still be using in March.
What You Get
Each checklist covers all 365 days, with every day’s chapters written out and a box to check when you’re done. It’s a simple, clean layout you can print at home on regular letter paper. All 66 books, using the Berean Standard Bible’s chapter divisions (they match any standard Protestant Bible, so you can read from the Bible you already own).
We also tucked in a few short notes along the way, roughly one a month. They’re there for the weeks when you fall behind, because you will, and we’d rather you hear “pick up at today’s box” than quit.
When you sign up, we’ll send all three checklists, plus the first five days of our guided journal for each plan so you can see what a fuller version of the same reading looks like. It’s yours to keep either way.
The Three Ways to Read
Every plan gets you through the whole Bible in a year at an average of three or four chapters a day, usually 15 to 20 minutes. Alternating Weeks evens out differently: heavier Old Testament weeks, lighter New Testament weeks. What changes from plan to plan is the order.
Bible in Order
Straight through, Genesis to Revelation, in the order the books appear in your Bible. Day one is Genesis 1 through 4. Day 365 is the last three chapters of Revelation.
This is the classic, and it’s a good fit if you like a clear, simple path and want to feel the Bible’s storyline unfold. Be ready for the law sections in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers to show up in late January and February. They’re worth reading slowly, but that’s where a lot of people stall. We wrote more about this approach in reading the Bible in order.
Daily OT + NT Mix
Every day you read two or three chapters of the Old Testament and one chapter of the New. Day one is Genesis 1 and 2, plus Matthew 1. You move through the Old Testament once over the year, and the New Testament runs alongside it at a gentler pace.
This is the plan we most often suggest to anyone who has started a plan before and stopped. Through Leviticus, Numbers, and Judges, the New Testament line is a Gospel, so when the law gets heavy, Jesus is right there on the same line of the checklist. (One small note: because the New Testament is paced slowly, a chapter sometimes carries over to a second day. It’s marked “cont.” so it doesn’t look like a typo.)
Alternating Weeks
One week in the Old Testament, the next week in the New, back and forth all year. Your first week is Genesis, about six chapters a day. Week two you switch to Matthew at an easier two chapters a day.
Readers who like to settle into a book for a while, without jumping between two every morning, tend to love this one. It has more variety than reading straight through and longer stretches in each book than the daily mix.
Not sure which one is you? We laid out the trade-offs side by side in our comparison of all three plans.
How to Use a Printed Plan So It Actually Works
Pick a time, not just a plan. Morning coffee, lunch break, the ten minutes after the kids are down. Reading that’s tied to something you already do every day is much easier to keep than reading that has to find its own slot.
Choose a catch-up day now. Decide today that Saturday (or whatever day is slowest for you) is when you catch up. Then falling behind on a busy Wednesday isn’t a crisis. It’s just Saturday’s job.
Don’t erase the gaps. If you skip a few boxes, leave them. A checklist with some blank spots that goes all the way to December is better than a perfect one that stops in February. Read I quit Bible-in-a-year twice if you want the long version of how we learned that.
A checklist in a drawer is a checklist you forget. Keep the current page tucked inside your Bible, since that’s already open when you need it, and keep a pen there too. Underline, jot a question in the margin, write the date next to a verse that stopped you.
Checklist or Journal?
The checklist tells you what to read. That’s enough for a lot of people, especially if you already have a Bible you love and a way of taking notes.
Some of us need a little more help with the hard chapters, though. That’s why we also make a guided journal for each plan. Every day prints the full Bible text right on the page, with some historical background, a short Hebrew or Greek word study, a few questions, and space to write. It’s the same reading schedule, just with company.
You don’t have to decide now. Start with the checklist. The five sample days we send with it will show you whether the guided version is something you’d want. If it is, the full journals live here.
Start Your Year
Print the plan, put it in your Bible, and read Genesis 1 tomorrow morning.
Send me the free printable plan →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the printable Bible reading plan really free?
Yes. Enter your email and we’ll send all three full-year checklists plus a 5-day sample of each guided journal. No credit card. You’ll get a short note from us now and then, never daily, and you can unsubscribe any time.
How long does it take each day?
About three or four chapters, which is usually 15 to 20 minutes. Some days are a little longer, some shorter.
Which translation does the plan use?
The checklist works with any Bible, since it just lists books and chapters. Our guided journals print the full Berean Standard Bible text on every page.
Can I start on a day other than January 1st?
Yes. The days are numbered, not dated, so day one is whatever day you begin. Starting in February or on your birthday works just as well.
What if I fall behind?
Pick up at today’s box, or use your catch-up day. Falling behind is normal life, not failure. The plan waits for you.