It’s time for my 2021 bullet journal setup. I did 2 setups in 2020 – one at the beginning of the year and one mid way through (you can check them out here and here). 2020 was the first time I did a big bullet journal setup and, well… I didn’t get that much use out of it. When things fell apart around March, so did my enthusiasm for the layouts I had created. (March was also when I did my bullet journal migration setup and didn’t use those either.) I’ll be sharing a big flip through of my full 2020 year, but most of those pages are still blank!
Regardless, I thought I would try again for 2021. This time I focused more on functional layouts, including another Future Log (the eternal optimist I am ?), Content Ideas for the blog and YouTube, a trash ton of activity-specific Kanban boards, Social Media Trackers, Budgets, a Theme page, a Courses page and a Wish List. I thought it would be fun to do some stamping again. Although it took a bit longer, it was a lot of fun to setup and create. For more help with stamping in your bullet journal, you can check out this blog post.
Let’s get started!
Supplies
- Scribbles That Matter 160 GSM Bullet Journal (STMLOVE gets you 10% off your purchase – and a small portion of the sale comes to me ?)
- Tombow Dual Brush Tip Markers in 192, 291, 679, and 837
- Tombow Mono Drawing Pens in sizes 05, 03, and 01
- Studio L2E Tall and Skinny Alphabet Stamp Set (Discontinued)
- Studio L2E Basic Alphabet
- Amy Tangerine Alphabet Stamp
- Brilliance Pigment Ink in Graphite Black
- Small pair of scissors
- Marvy Uchida Rounded Corner Punch
2021 Bullet Journal Setup Layouts
I ended up creating a lot more layouts than I intended to. As I mentioned, 2020 was the first time I set up catch-all layouts like this. I used some of them but ended up giving up. It was a great opportunity for me to see what worked, what didn’t and, most importantly, why it didn’t work. Through my review process, I determined that the following layouts were the way to go.
I do want to point out my FAVOURITE part of this setup and that is the tabs! I cut tabs into my journal and I am loving it. It is so easy to locate and flip to. It’s one of those things where you wonder why you hadn’t been doing this all along!
But, onto the layouts!
Future Log
I decided to go for a Future Log again. If you’re not familiar with a future log, its a page (or pages) where you have your year-at-a-glance and you’re able to note important dates. After things were being cancelled, I never went back to look at it. With lower expectations for 2021, I thought I would try again!
Content Ideas
These pages are a place where I can jot down ideas relating to my recurring themes – Reviews, Tutorials, Setups, Videos, and then Misc items that fall in between. I already have so many reviews to film and edits and I can’t wait to share them with you!
Kanban Boards
If you’re not familiar with the term, a Kanban Board is a project management tool used primarily by the tech industry. The concept is super simple to follow and is supposed to help stop things from falling through the cracks.
I decided to create 3 Kanban Boards. I have one for Videos, Blog Posts, and then a more generic one for everything else. The video and blog boards will just be check marks as I make my way through my process, but the generic board will follow the more standard process. Using sticky notes, I’ll write down tasks and projects that need to be done, and then move them under the appropriate heading. I’ve included:
- “To Do” – a catch-all column for project ideas
- “In Progress” – can only hold 2 sticky notes at a time so I make sure I finish at least one project before starting a new one
- “Ongoing” – projects that are either indefinite (and then may move to my weekly task list), or I’m waiting on someone or something else
- “Expedited” – needs to be done ASAP
- “On Hold” – because life happens and I want to be able to remember that I started some work for it
- “Done” – depending on the projects and how productive I am, I will be recycling the sticky notes from this column monthly
Social Media Tracker
This is just 2 pages with generic graphs on it to see overall how my different channels are doing. I am working on my Analytics outside of my bullet journal but this is just a fun overview to have.
Budgets
I’ve created 2 pages of budget information – one for work and one for crafts. Again, these are just an overview as I have an app tracking the more specific information. I wanted this in one place and condensed to easily reference. One of my goals for 2021 will be to stay on budget, so I’m hoping this will help!
2021 Themes
For 2020, I created a layout documenting all of the themes and it turned out really great. It’s really fun to see them all laid out together. So I decided to do the same for 2021. It’s a little more plain than the 2020 setup but I thought it would be fun to do more of a journal-type page. I may have to share updates every few months… ?
Wish List and Course List
Definitely felt like I had to throw in a Wish List again. That way I have a better idea of what to ask for birthday and Christmas. The problem is, I tend to get sucked into new and limited releases. It definitely will play a part in my budgeting goal but hoping to try this and see if it sticks.
I also wanted to include a list of courses. As mentioned above, I get sucked into the “limited time” and “discounted for…” shticks which has resulted in me registering in a number of courses. I have lost track of what I have and where I’m at (because apparently you can;t register for more time…), so I wanted to capture all of that in this layout. It will probably pop up again as I fill this one out but hoping I won’t need to.
I hope you found some fun and inspirational ideas in this post for your own 2021 bullet journal setup (if you’re choosing to do one). It was a lot of fun creating these and getting some stamping done again.
As always, reach out with any ideas or questions. I would love to hear them!
Thank you so much for your time today!
