2021 Bullet Journal Set Up

Welcome to my 2021 Bullet Journal Set Up! I hope that 2021 is treating you a bit better than 2020 did. For me, it’s about the same so far, but at this point, that is par for the course. I have been trying to stay positive and setting up my new Journal has really helped that.

This year, I switched it up again and got a journal from Tumbitri Meri. So far so good. The pages are thick and the dots line up. I did have a couple of pages in the beginning where they were bound weird but it wasn’t a big deal. I would definitely check them out. I love the metal bookmark/stencil/ruler that’s included! I’ve been on the hunt for a small metal ruler for a while and this one is perfect.

As you will see during the set up/flip through, my beginning pages don’t really have a theme. I like to keep them neutral or randomly colorful because I change my theme every month. They are functional and pleasing to the eye which is always the goal of these first few pages.

This blog post contains affiliate links to products. All of the products I share have either been items I have purchased myself and love, or items that come highly recommended and I would purchase in the future.

Taking a Closer Look

Grid Spacing Guide

Oh my gosh, guys! I literally cannot tell you how much of a lifesaver this page is. I’ve never done a grid spacing guide before and thought I would try it out this time around because I feel like I spend forever spacing out my lines. This thing already came in handy! I would totally recommend taking the time to add a grid guide to your journal!

Cover Page and Future Log

I tend to keep my cover pages pretty simple. This year I used my 2021 stencil to outline the year… I’m still debating whether I’m going to color them in or not. Then I did some simple fireworks in different colors using my Scribble Stuff gel pens. It’s like New Year’s Eve on a page.

I also decided to do a way simpler future log for my 2021 Bullet Journal Set Up. I feel like I always spend so much time on something I only look at maybe once a month. I made stickers for each of the months and just put them onto one page. Then, I used my gel pens from Scribbles Stuff to add a little color to each month. I may go back and circle or notate important dates on the actual month, I haven’t decided yet.

Important Dates

Since I simplified my future log, I had to create a spread to notate all of the important dates throughout the year. I used my “Month in Review’ stencil and made 6 large boxes on each page, one for each month of the year. I decided to do the whole year, instead of just the 6 months that this journal would last me, to make it easier to transfer into my journal come July. In each box, I will list anniversaries, holidays, and birthdays.

As you can see in the video I messed up the title… there is always something I am messing up. Luckily there is always a trick to cover it and make it look better. This time I used a piece of torn cardstock to cover up my mistake (or happy little accident). I love putting the raw edge facing up. It gives it so much more interest.

Books Read Log and Movies Watched Log

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These two spreads are staples in all of my journals. For my books read log, I used my “Books and Movies” stencil. After I decorate the bookshelf, I highlight 13 lines, one for the title of each column and then 12 lines for the number of books I plan to read.

For my Movies Watched Log I again used my “Books and Movies” stencil and drew out a bunch of movie film strips. In each box, I will record the title and the date of each new movie I watched. We tend to rewatch a lot of movies like right now we’re rewatching the Harry Potter movies, but this spread is only for NEW movies. Otherwise, I’d need a whole journal just for movies.

Body Tracker

The next set of spreads in my 2021 Bullet Journal Set up are my Body tracker spreads. On the left side of the journal, I have a chart to track my weight every week. I also have a chart to track my measurements once a month.

On the right side of the page, I have a list of reasons why I should be more active. I’m an analytical thinker so the listing of reasons really helps things resonate with me. I love how the list looks with each reason in different color ink. It hasn’t sparked much motivation yet, but I need to start learning discipline.

Word of the Year and New Year Goals

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Ideally, I would have liked my Word of the Year spread to be further up in my journal but I was having some issues deciding on a word of the year. Finally, I chose the word Self. I am a people pleaser to the point where I put myself on the back burner constantly. NOT THIS YEAR. I will be focusing on SELF. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. 2021 will be for me, for focusing on mySELF and doing things for ME.

My new year goals spread is essentially me writing down all of my new year’s resolutions. This is like an ideal list of basically every single thing that came to mind that I would want to be better at. Obviously, it’s a far-fetched goal, but I think one thing on my list of goals was to be more specific with my goals, so I’m definitely going to be doing that one this year.

2021 Themes and Kids Say the Darndest Things

The last two spreads of my 2021 Bullet Journal Set up are my 2021 Themes and a spread to keep track of the hilarious things Sydney says. I’ve seen a lot of people tracking their monthly themes with a spread like this and I am so excited to try it out. I think the thing that is most exciting for me is that I might actually be able to plan out my themes for the future. That will definitely help when making a new stencil.

I also made a spread for Sydney’s hilarious comments. I tried this in my last journal and failed miserably. This time around I hope to be more consistent. The basic idea is that I will write down Sydney’s quote and the date and then I can look back on it and chuckle.