Have you ever stumbled across one of those glamorous side hustle posts on Instagram and thought, “There’s no way that’s real”? Same here. For years, I thought that making significant money on the side required some extraordinary talent, like being a coding wizard or a social media influencer.
But what if I told you there’s a surprisingly simple—and admittedly boring—side hustle that’s quietly helping millennials pocket up to $5,000 extra per month? Better yet, you don’t need special skills or a huge following to start.
Here’s the scoop on this underrated opportunity.
Selling digital planners
When I first heard about selling digital planners, my initial reaction was skepticism mixed with confusion. Aren’t planners everywhere? Why would anyone pay money for a digital version?
Turns out, there’s a booming market for digital planners. According to Etsy’s marketplace insights, sales of digital products like planners and journals have skyrocketed, making them one of the fastest-growing product categories.
A friend of mine, Sarah, who swore she wasn’t creative, decided to test the waters. She used Canva—no graphic design skills required—to whip up a simple digital planner. Within a few months, Sarah was consistently making around $5,000 monthly.
Why digital planners?
You’re probably wondering, “Why planners, specifically?” Well, millennials, in particular, love the convenience of organizing digitally. With the rise of tablets and digital note-taking apps like GoodNotes and Notability, demand for digital products has soared.
Unlike physical products, digital planners involve zero shipping, no inventory, and extremely low overhead. Once you make the planner, you can sell unlimited copies.
Essentially, you’re creating passive income—set it up once, then watch sales roll in while you sleep.
Anyone can start
The best thing about this side hustle? Absolutely anyone can do it. All you need is a computer, internet connection, and access to free or low-cost graphic design software like Canva or Adobe Express.
My younger brother, Jake, who considers himself “artistically challenged,” followed a simple YouTube tutorial and made his first planner in an afternoon. Surprisingly, he made $200 in his first week.
No special training. No extraordinary talent. Just patience and willingness to experiment.
Keep it simple
When Jake first started, he went overboard, creating overly complicated planners that took weeks to finish. He learned quickly that simpler designs sold much better.
Millennials appreciate clean, straightforward layouts that make planning easy. Fancy graphics or intricate layouts aren’t required—in fact, they might hurt your sales.
Remember, simple means less work for you and more appeal for buyers.
How much can you realistically make?
The biggest question is, “Can you really make $5,000 a month from selling digital planners?” Absolutely.
According to Side Hustle Nation, many sellers consistently earn between $2,000 and $5,000 monthly from digital products on Etsy alone. This isn’t an unrealistic goal; it’s genuinely achievable with a strategic approach.
Market smartly
How do you ensure your planners stand out among thousands? Simple: market them smartly.
Instead of just listing your planners and hoping someone finds them, use keywords strategically. Terms like “digital planner,” “daily organizer,” and “goal tracker” attract thousands of searches monthly.
Use platforms like Pinterest to drive traffic. Pinterest is especially powerful because millennials actively use it to find organizing tips and planning templates.
Diversify your income streams
Once you’ve successfully launched your planner, consider expanding your product line. Budget trackers, meal planners, and fitness journals all cater to different audiences, widening your customer base.
My cousin, Lisa, started with one basic digital planner. After some success, she expanded into budget trackers and meal planners. Within a year, her earnings more than tripled.
Diversifying means you’re not relying solely on one product, reducing your risk and boosting your income potential significantly.
Embrace the boring
Let’s face it—creating digital planners won’t make you Instagram famous or land you magazine covers. But embracing this “boring” side hustle might be the smartest financial move you make this year.
It’s consistent, scalable, and doesn’t require extraordinary skills or a huge upfront investment. In a world obsessed with flash and glamour, sometimes the boring route is the one that quietly wins big.
As Jake told me recently, “I’d rather have a boring side hustle with exciting income than an exciting side hustle with boring income.”
So if you’re looking for a reliable way to add up to $5,000 monthly to your income, why not give digital planners a shot? It might just be the boring side hustle you never knew you needed.
