Blank notebooks are exciting, but also intimidating.
I used to worry so much about what to put in them.
I’d want to make sure that I put the right thing in there so that I didn’t waste it’s pages..
Well, there is no right thing to put in a notebook so needless to say, most of those pretty notebooks just sat on my shelves collecting dust, remaining empty.
But that’s not what notebooks are meant for, they’re meant to be filled!
So here are many creative ways to fill a notebook that you may not have considered before.
Quick Access
Goals Log
Writing out your goals forces you to articulate them specifically.
Once they’re down on the page they become more real.
You’re scientifically proven more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down – so why not do it?
Break down your big goals into smaller goals.
Measure your progress daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly.
Check off or cross out your goals as you meet them.
Look back to see just how far you’ve come. Too often we just move on to the next goal without taking a moment to reflect and celebrate ourselves.
Don’t forget to celebrate yourself!
Dream Journal
My partner Ryan and I are split when it comes to this.. I like to think that even the strangest dreams have some small hidden message from our subconscious, some meaning.
He does not agree.
But while I rarely can remember my dreams upon waking he remembers almost all of his…
If you are more like me and believe that dreams can have hidden meanings, you can use one of your blank notebooks to record your dreams.
I recommend keeping it near your bed so you can scribble down any details before they fade.
You might notice a pattern or you might notice nothing.
Either way, it’s an interesting experiment, don’t you think?
Lists Book
I love lists.
Judging by the amount of Listicles (list articles) out there, I don’t think I’m alone.
You can write lists of just about anything.
It could be as simple as a list of things that you need or want to buy or as involved as a list of all things you want to achieve in your lifetime.
Write lists of all your favorite things: movies, books, foods, drinks, smells, songs..
It doesn’t just have to be your favorite things though.
Instead it could be a list of things you want to do, watch or read.
Try making a list of your strengths and your weaknesses or all of the things that you’re good at.
Make lists of all the places you’ve visited and all of the places you’d still like to go.
Make all the lists, fill your notebook up. Your lists can be as long or short as you like.
Gratitude Journal
Gratitude is incredibly underrated.
Studies have shown that the more you practice gratitude, the happier you are.
It is a truth in life that what you focus on tends to grow because what you choose to focus on, you will notice more of.
If you focus on the good things, more good things will come to you.
Why not fill a notebook with all of the good things in life that you’re grateful for?
Help increase your positivity if you’re someone others might consider a pessimist.
There is no wrong way to write down things you’re grateful for but I recommend that you try to be very specific.
Also try to actually feel the gratitude as you write.
It’s so easy to take the little things for granted or to turn on the news and feel like only bad things are happening in the world.
But there’s a reason the saying is count your blessings not count your burdens.
Studies support that a conscious focus on the good can have actual emotional benefits.
Morning Pages
The concept of morning pages is from the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.
These are pages that you write first thing in the morning in freeform stream of consciousness style.
Three pages of whatever comes to your mind.
If you find three full pages difficult, just stop when I run out of things to write down, regardless of the length.
Idea Pad
Keep a separate notebook for brain storming, brain dumps and mind maps.
A space for ideas that are both big and small.
Blog post ideas, short (or long) story ideas, photo concepts, potential inventions, things to look up.
Let your creativity flow and try to not censor yourself within your own journal.
We are often too critical of our own ideas.
But the more ideas that you have, the more likely you are to have a great idea, so keep the ideas coming!
Habit Tracking
I’ve found this to be the best way to stick to new or existing habits.
It’s a visual measure and reminder of your consistency and progress.
It’s surprisingly motivating to tick off a box each day and watch your streak grow unbroken.
Just quantifying a habit can motivate you to continue. What gets measured gets managed.
I know that I mentioned habit tracking in How to Keep a Journal as well, but I felt it was worth mentioning again.
I track an amount of habits that would probably be overwhelming if you have never habit-tracked before.
While habits are most commonly tracked daily, tracking weekly habits can also be useful.
Here are a few examples:
Alternatively you can track habits that you want to stop doing.
I recommend putting a positive spin on this though: Instead of saying no alcohol, no junk-food, no tv – try saying dry, healthy, mindful instead.
I actually have a habit tracker in the printables vault, just sign up for my weekly newsletter to gain access!
Financial Ledger
Tracking your expenses means knowing exactly where your money goes.
It’s as simple as that.
The act of recording every dollar your spend can reveal issues you didn’t realize were there or opportunities to save.
It can also help hold you accountable and help you better stick to your budget.
If you’re recording everything that you spend, it may even help you cut back on impulse buys.
Be sure to include all of your bills as well as your subscriptions.
Make sure the subscriptions are really worth the amount you’re spending.
It doesn’t all have to be about money going out though.
It can also be helpful to track your savings.
If you’re saving up for something in particular, it can be nice to have a visual reminder of your progress or to make sure that you’re adding to the fund on a regular basis.
If you don’t have a regular job or you’re a freelancer, keeping track of your income would definitely be useful as well.
Of course there are apps that can do all of this for you automatically, but writing them out yourself forces you to really look at what your hard earned money is going to.
Level 10 Life
This concept is from Hal Elrod, author of The Miracle Morning.
Basically, you divide your life into 10 different categories and then rate your level of satisfaction with them on a scale of 1 to 10.
You can customize the categories to suit your own needs of course, but the most common ones are:
Health / Fitness
Finances / Wealth
Relationships / Family / Friendships
Love / Romance
Spiritual
Community / Giving
Environment
Career
Personal / Self-Growth
Fun / Recreation
After you’ve divided your life into each of these categories it’s time for reflection.
On a scale of 1 to 10 – How well and fulfilled are you doing in each of these different aspects of your life?
You may find that while you are dominating certain aspects, others you’ve been neglecting.
The key to living your best life is Balance.
Think about the steps that you want to take to achieve better balance in your life and write them down.
Revisit and repeat quarterly, monthly or as often as you need to.
Bullet Journal
I have enjoyed keeping a bullet journal for many years so of course it’s on my list for creative ways to fill a notebook.
When I first discovered bullet journaling many years ago, I understood it as lying somewhere between a to-do list, a planner, a diary, a notebook and a sketchbook:
A bullet journal is so many things.
If you were to do a web search for bullet journals, you would probably come back with some beautiful artistic spreads.
So it may surprise you to learn that the original system for bullet journaling doesn’t require artistic ability at all.
It doesn’t involve doodling, drawing or anything like that.
The only two things you need to start your bullet journal are a blank notebook and a pen.
The best thing about bullet journals (or BuJos) are their flexibility and how it can change and evolve with you.
Everything is entirely customizable and unique to you!
Inspirational Quotes
I happen to think that quotes are awesome.
A really good quote can motivate, encourage and even inspire you.
Quotes can influence your feelings and even help you come up with new ideas.
Sometimes quotes just slip our minds though..
That’s why you would want to keep a journal with all your favorite and most impactful quotes.
what’s one of your favorite quotes? I’ll share one of mine:
Sketchbook
Sketchbooks are a place to explore your imagination and mediums.
Draw and design whatever inspires you.
Having a sketchbook on hand is very useful for sketching things out in the moment that inspiration strikes.
Having a dedicated sketchbook can also help motivate you to draw daily.
The more you draw, the better you get at drawing.
Sketches are meant to be spontaneous and rough, not fully thought out or detailed designs.
Heartsong Journal
Your heartsong journal is a journal of you and the things that you love.
Of course everyone’s heartsong will be different and unique.
I actually wrote a whole post about this.
Click that link above if you want to learn more.
Travel Journal
Keeping a travel journal can help you remember all of the specific wonderful details of your trips.
You can record the names of destinations you visited and the people you met.
You can even start your travel journal before you arrive by writing out your itinerary and plans.
Vision Journal
A vision journal is basically a vision board, but inside your journal.
For some it’s easier to visualize and for others it’s easier to explain in words.
Writing out the things that you want your life to be can be an influential tool.
Why? Well your brain is very powerful and your perception is naturally biased.
By choosing to focus on certain things, you can train your brain to focus on the things that serve you instead of the things that don’t.
Not to mention, like I said before, writing down your goals makes you much more likely to actually achieve them.
Take some time to get really clear on the vision you have for your life and then write it down.
Creative Writing
How could I write about creative ways to fill a notebook and not mention creative writing?
Creative writing is basically writing that isn’t professional or academic.
This could be short (or long) stories, lyrics, poetry or so many other things.
This type of expressive writing has even been shown to improve your communication skills.
Nature Journal
Keeping a nature journal can be done in so many different ways.
You may want to include drawings of plants, animals, birds or bugs.
You could also do leaf etchings and press flowers.
Keeping a nature journal will encourage you to not just spend time outside by actually observing.
While observing the natural world you can cultivate a relationship with it.
Planning
Some events in life are so important or big that you might need to dedicate an entire notebook to the planning.
The first thing that comes to mind is wedding planning.
I have not participated in the planning of any wedding, but I understand that there are a ton of details involved.
Having one place to keep all of your information may help you stay better organized.
Things To Do
Our daily busy lives can sometimes make things turn into a blur.
We have so many thoughts and interactions, it’s only natural that some things slip your mind.
Try filling a notebook with all of the things that you want to do or experience.
I’m talking about things like restaurants or new cuisines you would like to try, books you’d like to read, movies or shows you’d like to watch or anything else you want to do.
This is one of the best creative ways to fill a notebook because this notebook can serve as a reference for you.
When you have those times where you don’t know what you want to do, take a look in this notebook.
Scrapbook
A scrapbook is a creative collection of a personal history and can be made in any number of ways.
It may contain writing, letters, photos, ticket stubs, magazine clipping, stickers, stamps or any other small memorabilia.
A scrapbook usually tells a story.
What that story is and how you tell it are entirely up to you.
Health Journal
It’s good to keep track of both your physical and mental health.
Here you can track how you’re doing on a daily basis as well as any symptoms or any issues.
This can be one of the most creative ways to fill a notebook, because it can look like almost anything.
There is no wrong or right way to keep a journal about your own health.
To give you some ideas, you can keep track of the medications, vitamins or supplements that you take and how often you take them.
This can help you more accurately track their effects.
You could also just keep a journal of the things that you’re going through, writing down your feelings has been shown to help you cope with them better.
Spiritual Journal
What goes in a spiritual journal is based on how you feel spiritually.
This may be a journal where you write your prayers, hopes or bible verses.
This may also be a place where you record your horoscopes, moon phases or tarot readings.
Self Care Journal
Self care is so important to practice.
Sometimes when we need self care the most, we just can’t think of how to care for ourselves.
That’s why it can be good to have a journal that you can reference.
You can also monitor your own progress over time, helping you notice different emotional patterns and maybe even discover new solutions.
Holiday Planning
If you are someone who has a lot of big events around holidays, it might be useful for you to dedicate an entire notebook to planning.
You can start by creating a budget, or writing down some gift ideas.
Or maybe you can start by focusing on plans for the decor, dinner and events.
Reading Log
Or maybe different trends in the genres you enjoy.
You could also keep book notes to jog your memory on what you’ve read without having to go back through the entire book.
Personal Diary
I couldn’t write a list of creative ways to fill a notebook without including keeping a diary.
Keeping a personal diary can help improve your self awareness as well as build resilience and eveb boost your memory.
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by starting to keep a diary.
Why not try it?
Well, those are all the ideas I have for creative ways to fill a notebook! I hope at least one of them inspired you.
How many blank notebooks do you have at home? Do you need even more ideas?
Let me know in the comments below!
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