Hello all! Welcome back or welcome to my blog. As you can tell from the title in this post I will be setting up my 2021 planner.

This post is not sponsored. All items were purchased with my own money. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

THE PLANNER

I have been wanting to simplify my planning routine compared to my routine in college. When I was in college I used stickers, washi, etc to make the planner a lot more “fun” since I was so busy. Now that I am out of school, my planning has changed and centered around finances rather than tasks a lot more. I tend to use a lot of lists when planning and figured I should give simple bullet journaling a try. I decided to go with this 3.5 in x 5.5 in Dotted Journal by TruRed. I purchased this planner from Staples for a whopping $8.99! This planner is smaller than any planner I have ever used and I love that! If you are on a really tight budget I am sure you can find a pocket-sized notebook at the dollar store. If you go for that option, just be aware that your option will more than likely be ruled paper.

Cover Inside

There is nothing special inside of this notebook cover aside from this small space to add a small bit of information. I will of course add that information later on. Another interesting addition I made to this little book was that I added this sticky pen holder to the inside of the back cover. This small touch helped this little book feel more functional. After all, how can I use the book if I can’t carry a pen with it?

FIRST PAGE & KEY

I am thinking I may leave this page blank. I just like having a blank first page, but if I decided to add anything it may be a simple “2021”. I did add a small piece of black washi in case I decide to do that.

In prior planners, I have used a key before and I decided to bring it back! This is a simple key that reminds me of my highschool days. During highschool, I thrived planning off of a color-coded system. I just seem to organize better when my life is on paper and color-coded! Anyone else agree? As the year goes on, I may continue to add to this key. As you can see the yellow sticker is not marked, but I am sure I will find a use for that in time.

BILL TRACKER & SAVINGS TRACKER

I saw something like this on Pinterest and decided to implement in my current planner. I loved it so much I decided to bring it over to my new one as well! This little bill tracker does exactly what the name implies. I track my monthly bill payments here and check them off as I pay them each month. I always like to write down the amount of money I pay each month under each block as well.

My savings tracker is the same format as my bill tracker. As you can see I am saving up for a great deal of things, but this is a great visual of progress. I decided to make this page very colorful as well. You can see I went ahead and marked the corners with the appropriate color. I am excited to look back and see the progress I will make.

MONTHLY & WEEKLY SPREADs

The monthly spread is so different compared to what I am used to, but I think I will enjoy the change. Each month for the year is made like this one: a simple monthly overview with a list style of dates to write details, events, bills, etc. These events will be color coded with the appropriate symbol beside the date.

Weekly spreads are also very different compared to in my older planners. In my older planners I had a lot of unused space. In this planner, I have exactly what I need: a few lines per day. For each weekly spread I only used three things: a black felt tip pen, grey Mildliner and a lead pencil. Each weekly spread is clean and simple, which is perfect!

NOTE PAGES

Another feature I loved from my past planners was having a few pages for notes. I plan to leave a few blank pages in the back for detailed paycheck budgeting, passwords, and brain dumping. These pages are actually what has been the most important thing for me in my previous planners. What I am most excited about is the fact that this planner can be easily carried with me everywhere!

That is how I setup my new pocket bujo planner for the next year! I actually believe this planner will last me for the next two and a half years, so I am eager to embark on this new style of planning. Thanks for reading!