For my very first YouTube tutorial, I will be showing you how I make my diaries. I have been designing and customizing my own diaries for almost 7 years now. This was due to not being able to find a diary that suited my needs. I like to take full control from choosing the notebooks used, to designing the layout to suit my needs.
Click on the pictures for links…….
- The dotted notebooks come in 3 sizes.
- The pages are very smooth.
- Ink does not bleed through.
- I have seen the A5 and B6 notebooks come in 2 versions. 1 version is just a notebook with plastic covers, and the other has plastic covers with an elastic string and plastic pouch/wallet for your loose notes.
When I discovered affordable Muji notebooks, I have never looked back since. The one I recommend to use come in 3 sizes. The pages come with a faint dotted line/grid printed on, great if you hate having lines in your books. The good thing is, you can draw shapes with the help of the dots. I used to use the larger notebook when I was working at the college. Now that I don’t work anymore, I have moved down to the B6 size. This notebook is about 128mm x 182mm. It costs under £4 for one. There’s 90 sheets of paper (180 pages), plenty of pages for a 2 year diary and extra for notes.
Recently, I came across a video on YouTube that another YouTuber also uses this type of notebooks for his Bullet Journals. I totally agree with him. The pages on this notebook is so smooth to write on! Another good thing about this notebook is the ink does not bleed through the pages. I found a lot of Diary/Journal making YouTubers out there make the mistake of buying the wrong type of notebooks to use.
Bullet Journals were never my thing. I don’t have time to draw Mandalas, track every glass of water I drink, my moods every hour of the day.
I have a 2 year old child!
I have created a generic diary/journal so that you could use it from January to December, or mid-year from August to July (Academic) in any given year. Just make sure you download the correct Calendar Year, Monthly Tracker and 1 Month View to use.
You could download the files and create the same diaries/journals/planners for free. This is a fully customizable, generic diary/journal/schedule/planner/sketchbook with notebook all in one. Just add your own finishing touches to it at the end to customize it to your own taste.
All you need to do is:
Buy a note book of your choice with a removable spine.
Print off the pages.
Follow the instructions
Put the book back together.
Fill in a few letters and numbers, then you are done.
Printing notes to remember:
Before you print anything, please take note of the name of the files. If it has A4 written next to it, it means I am suggesting you to print it in A4 so you have room to plan (not too important to use the correct size).
If no size is on the end of the file, then you will need to SETUP your printer to print to the size of your paper/notebook/diary/journal.
- Most of the pages are centred so you are less likely to print on the wrong side of the page.
- L means it is going to print on the left side of the page.
- R means it is going to print on the right side of the page.
- Print off a Test Print to check the orientation of your paper tray and how the pages are going to be printed out. This is crucial if you don’t know your printer that well, and to avoid wasting pages.
- If you are going to use the same size notebook as me (B6), do not assume selecting B6 size for your printer setting you will be printing onto B6 paper. You may need to manually input the setting 128mm x 182mm to actually get the right size.
- Always print FIT TO PAGE to avoid the print coming off the paper.
- Always double check the calendar dates on the 1 year overview calendar and the monthly overview just to be sure. Usually by looking at the first and last date of each month usually confirms it. I do it all the time.
update: 2021-2022 diary pages are here!
As promised, here are the zipped files for you to download, making it easier to choose what you want to print and put into your diary. Included are diary pages for 2021-2022, making this a 2 year diary until I upload in 2023. Click here to Download All the Zip Files at once or click the files individually at the bottom.
First page is printed on A4 international paper size (US Letter). The rest of the pages are printed on B6 paper. Muji note book paper settings are 128mm x 182mm. If you are using another size, input those numbers
You will need to print off 12 of this page at the back of the Month View pages. 12 for each year you are making. This is the left page. Spine should be on the right.
You will need to print off 12 of this page for each year you are making.
This is the right page. Spine should be on the left.
The month view & monthly tracker files are located in the same folder. All files will download together when you click the picture/download button. You can choose to use the monthly tracker on the left or the right page of the diary.
See you in my next blog.
Shan x
I have designed this generic diary to suit my own needs. You are free to use it or even print off and sell the diaries. Please, do not claim the design as your own or sell the PDF files. If you do use it, please state where you have got it from or link it back to my website: shanniemakes.com.
Disclaimer: Always double check before printing these files, in case there are any mistakes. Please notify me if you find any, I will try to rectify it as soon as I can. I do not hold responsibility if you messed up the printing or the diary/journal/schedule/planner you are making. I make the same diary before posting it for free for everyone to use. I usually find the mistakes before I release them to the general public. I am a busy mum, mistakes are unavoidable I’m afraid.
Hi Deena, sorry I have been very busy with schooling that I have been neglecting my website and projects. Sorry for the late response. I will be releasing a 2025 calendar since there’s been interest. Hope this helps? Shan
Hi Shannie, wondering if you were making a 2024 calendar? I’ve used yours every year since you started making them.
Hope it is useful for you. I will be making my 2 year diary soon. 10 months left until New Year!
i have printed dairy