I like to pretend I am a very organized person. So organized that I have to know exactly what a notebook is for before I can even start thinking about. Which then leads to at least 4 notebooks stacked on top of each other in some corner of a room.
I have journals, sketchbooks, notepads, diaries, lined paper in a binder, you name it, I’ve probably got it. With each one I buy I make huge plans for it to justify that extra money being spent and then I come home and….
Nothing.
The notebook gets flipped through as I admire each empty page before putting it down, never to be touched again until it needs to be relocated to a new room.
I know this isn’t a new problem, plenty of people deal with new notebook jitters, but it can be frustrating doing all this planning in my head and nothing comes from it.
So I’ve decided to change that.
Any empty journal I have will be completely undesignated. No more waiting for that “perfect” idea, no more telling myself that the three journals on my bedside table are dream journals so I can’t write normal thoughts in there, no more limiting myself.
A notebook deserves to be used and I deserve to let my thoughts run free without trying to censor them based on the prettiness of the cover.
My current orange journal that I bought on sale from Michaels is my starting point. I tried turning it into a Bullet Journal (which I’ll go more into later because I do have a successful bullet journal), and I might try to keep that format, but it was $4 and had coffee spilled all over it in a morning rush to work.
No reason to try and keep it sacred.
I decided to put together a list of things I can do in my empty journals. If I get lost or I’m not sure what to do on a page, it’s good to have a list of ideas to fall back on.
So here are my
20 Blank Notebook Tips
1. Daily Journal
The most common thing I saw when researching ideas was keeping a daily journal, where you can write out the events of the day. This is a good way to let out stress and keep track of how your day, month, year has been going. You can also turn it into a Journal/Sketch book, where you write down your thoughts for a day, and then illustrate the events, your feelings about them, or even just a random thought.
2. Handwriting Practice
My handwriting is atrocious. I’ve gotten into calligraphy and handlettering recently, but it’s hard when your normal writing looks like a two-year-old who just grabbed a pen for the first time. The difference between this and other pages is spending the time focusing on how each letter comes out. When you journal, you want to focus on letting your ideas from through. With handwriting practice, it doesn’t matter what you’re writing, as long as you’re thinking of each letter.
3. Sketching
I like to pretend I’m an artist. I tend to designate 1-2 notesbooks as “sketchbooks” and then never doodle or draw anywhere else again. Which can stifle your creativity when you’re feeling an idea come on and you can’t find your sketchbook anywhere. So let any page in your blank notebook be your sketchbook!
4. Time Tracker
Do you lose track of time easily? Do you get to the end of the day and wonder what it is you even did? A time tracker page can help with that. Use it as a paper stopwatch between tasks and you’ll know what you’ve been up to!
5. Money Tracker
Having moved in with my partner recently, between buying new things for the house, paying deposits, and food, our money tends to go pretty quickly. Sometimes we get to the end of a week and have no idea where it all went! Money trackers can be good either to go into every transaction or just a general spending for the day. It lets you see at a glance what money is going where and how you can cut down some of your expenses.
6. Recipe Book
Having my own place means I cook a lot more and I love to try new recipes. Sometimes I’ll take another recipe as a base and then make my own adjustments so it fits for my family. It’s good to have a place to write down what I changed instead of saving the original recipe and hoping I remember what I did that made it better.
7. Good Thoughts
What good happened to you today? Sometimes we get so lost in the negative that we forget all the great things that happened. Having a place where you can remind yourself it isn’t all bad can help your outlook on life change greatly!
8. Quotes
Write down some good quotes! You can also turn this into handwriting practice and kill two birds with one stone. Positivity can go a long way.
9. Media List
Have a new book you’re reading and need to write out your thoughts? Need a quick reference for what season and episode you’re on for a new show? Tried a new restaurant and you want to make sure you never get a certain plate again? Having a place to write your own personal reviews can help you keep track of what you like and what you don’t. We get to choose what media we consume and if we know what we like, it can help us find even better things later.
10. Passwords
My general password is one set of letters and numbers and it gets changed depending on the websites requirements (capital letters and a special character? really?) I currently have so many variations of this letter, number, and special character combination that I’ve locked myself out of many sites trying to remember which password goes with which site. Taking a page (or two) to write them down can help save you a lot of time and headache of having to call customer service.
11. Lists
I’ve seen many variations of books where all you have to do is write lists based on the prompts. Why spend another 16.95 for a book when there’s plenty of empty pages lying around? Check out some of these prompts to encourage your list writing abilities.
12. Health Log
This can be good if you have a sick person in the house, or someone with certain medication/dietary needs. Write out when/what a person needs to take, what they can and can’t eat, or even just notes like allergies and blood types.
13. Writing prompts
Trying to get in more story writing? Check out these writing prompts from ‘Daring to Live Fully’ and start filling your pages. Don’t feel you have to limit yourself to a page either! Go as long as you need to get the story out.
14. Brainstorming
If you don’t like the idea of generated prompts, a good idea can be to brainstorm. Remember, no one else has to see this journal (or this page). Write down that crazy idea you’ve had in your head. Only coming up with a couple words? Write them down! See where your thoughts can take you.
15. Project List
Have a lot of DIY stuff you want to try? A project list can help you keep track of the materials you need, helpful tips, and planning out how big you need something to be. As you get done you can cross them off and move on to your next fun project!
16. Bullet Journal
This one will require a full notebook but I think it’s worth it. If you love planners, but can never find one to fit your needs, this can be great for you. Check out the Bullet Journal website to see it’s beginnings. It’s a good way to start or end your day by making notes and keeping up with life.
17. Grocery List
It doesn’t have to be your full list, especially if you hate tearing pages out of your notebooks. But sometimes, whether we’re at work, school, or just sitting on the couch, we’ll suddenly remember something we desperately need. I know I’ll make a list in my head all the time and then when it comes time to actually writing it out, I’ll inevitably forget something and have to plan a second trip.
18. One Sentence Journaling
If you don’t like writing or simply don’t know how to fill a page with a day’s activities, a one sentence journal can help you keep up daily writing while not taking up too much time. It can be small sentences like
- “I ate my favorite dinner today.”
- “My raise finally kicked in.”
- “The kids went to bed way later than I planned.”
Simple and easy. These can also be good stepping stones for writing prompts.
19. Doodles
Sometimes planning out a full drawing can put so much pressure on you, it makes you afraid to start. Or you know your drawing skills aren’t up to par, so full on drawings can be out. But doodles are fun and freeing. You can fill a page with eyes, random circles, or your rendition of fire hydrants. Whatever you put on there doesn’t have to be finished, or even an actual object.
20. Life Goals
My goals in life have changed as I’ve gotten older. The ol’ “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” has really come a long way. In the end, my answer always relates to being happy. Which means sometimes changing a life goal. I used to want to write the next great novel. And I still do. But in high school I discovered Photoshop and graphic design took over my life. Now I want to write the next great novel AND create the cover for it (and other books!) Writing life goals and checking in every few weeks or months can help you with your progress, but also show how our lives can change.
So buy your notebooks and live dangerously knowing that you can put whatever you want in it without “ruining” your book. Switch ideas per page, journal on one page, write some quotes on the next, and then doodle through the night. Remember that your journals are for having fun!
Do you have the same problem? Let me know in the comments how many empty notebooks you have.
With Courage 
Hi Ash, thanks for including my article as part of your list prompts. I look forward to checking out your site more. I just subscribed.
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Thank you so much! Your article was so helpful to me, I had to include it in my list.
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