As we get ready to dive into 2025, there’s nothing quite like the excitement of cracking open a brand-new planner (or planners, if you’re like me!). Whether you are setting up one or many planners, this post will walk you through getting your planner or bullet journal set up for the new year!
Using multiple planners might sound overwhelming, but for me, it’s the secret sauce to staying organized, productive, and creative. Each planner serves a specific purpose, helping me embrace my ADHD tendencies while staying on top of my goals and daily life. Ready to dive in? Let’s set up those planners!
One way I help myself before setting up any planner is jot down ideas for what I need and want to track. Once you have an idea of what you want to put in your planner, grab some small post it notes and start flipping through your planner. Write out your idea for each page on a post it and stick it on that page!
Weekly Planner Setup
Your weekly planner is your go-to for a bird’s-eye view of your schedule. It’s the first planner I set up because it lays the foundation for everything else. Many weekly planners have similar pages like a year at a glance, monthly dashboard, monthly and weekly views. They may be called or look slightly different but they all serve the same purpose.
Yearly Overview:
- Go through and mark paydays, holidays, events/appointments, birthdays, and non-monthly subscriptions (like annual memberships). You could even include rotating or quarterly home tasks. This is a great way to anticipate busy periods or budget fluctuations.
January Dashboard:
- Write down your top three goals for the month.
- Include key events like birthdays, appointments, and anything else worth noting.
- Track other things like books read, tasks, or workouts.
January Monthly View:
- Set up a big-picture overview of deadlines, events, and priorities for January.
When you go to plan your weeks, you can easily refer back to each of these sections to make sure you don’t miss something important!
Bullet Journal Setup
A bullet journal is where creativity meets organization. I use mine to dig deeper into my plans and create custom layouts that reflect what I need.
Annual Pages:
Start with yearly trackers and collections, like:
- Trackers and lists you want to cover for the year such as followers, or books to read
- Future Logs to note events or appointments you want to remember
- Year in Pixels you can track something all year such as mood, weather, symptoms, or get creative!
Quarter 1 and January Setups:
You can also set up your first quarter and January. You may not have anything that you want to track for the quarter and that’s ok. You can skip that and go right into January! That is the beauty of a bullet journal, you get to pick what goes in it and can adjust it every month if needed!
- Start with a cover page. It’s always nice to have a cute cover page to divide one section from the next
- Goals and tasks for the quarter that may not have a spot elsewhere
- For the month you may want a monthly calendar but if you use a different planner for that you can skip it
- You can include goals, things you want to watch or learn, workout info, content plans, and weekly spreads or task lists
- Other ideas you may want could be a wishlist, brain dump space, and end of month reflections
Embrace Imperfection:
Your bullet journal doesn’t need to be perfect! One of the things I’ve learned from my ADHD is that flexibility and imperfection are your best friends. Allow your journal to evolve as you do.
Budget Planner Setup
The budget planner is my financial accountability partner. It keeps my spending in check and ensures I meet my savings goals. Even if you don’t use the same budget planner, you can still use these ideas for your planner or journal.
First Steps:
- Finding Your Why: Why do you want to budget? Is it for savings, paying off debt, or just to track spending better? Write it down! Then refer back to it as needed.
- Goals: What are your short and long term goals? Are you saving for any large purchases?
- Subscriptions: Keep track of any annual, quarterly, or monthly subscriptions. Review these every quarter to make sure they are still serving you.
- Categories: Create spending categories and map out your yearly spending plan.
Monthly Setup:
- Use stickers (if you love a little extra flair) to decorate the January calendar.
- Fill in key dates like bills, paydays, and expected expenses.
- It’s also good to include any events that may have a cost associated with them like medical appointments or birthdays.
This planner helps me feel in control and stress-free about finances, and trust me, it’s a lifesaver when you’re juggling a lot!
Bonus: Memory Planner
Your memory planner is a creative outlet to reflect on your days and document moments that matter. I use an undated planner but you could pick up a dated planner or a dot grid notebook and make your own!
Setup:
- If you have an undated planner or plain notebook, date or draw out each week first
- Use leftover stickers, washi, or other decorative pieces to decorate spreads—there’s no right or wrong way to do this!
Jotting down a couple notes of each day keeps me connected to the little joys and memorable moments. I like to use a variety of colorful pens and markers to make each day fun and unique.
Conclusion
Each of these planners serves a unique purpose:
- Weekly Planner: Gives me a big-picture overview and helps me manage my time.
- Bullet Journal: Breaks things down into manageable tasks and fosters creativity.
- Budget Planner: Keeps me financially mindful and on track.
- Memory Planner: Captures daily highlights and reflects on life’s magic.
As someone with ADHD, I’d be lost without these “second brains.” They keep me focused, grounded, and empowered to tackle life’s chaos.
I’d love to hear from you—how are you setting up your planners this year?
Stay messy, stay magical, and keep shining,
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