I love a fresh new notebook. When I’m out shopping, you can always find me checking out the notebook section, looking for the prettiest one with a gorgeous cover and smooth thick pages. I love notebooks! However, when it comes time to actually use them, I’m stuck! I don’t want to ruin my brand-new notebook! So, I am always looking for ideas for how to fill an empty notebook so I don’t make mistakes.
I don’t know what causes this anxiety around using new notebooks, but I do know that it’s a habit I am actively trying to break. I have always been the type of person to not use things until I feel like it’s the right moment.
This leads me to constantly save the best of my possessions for a time that never comes. I never find the perfect time to wear my new dress or the perfect evening to burn my candle. So, why do I even have these items then?
When I realized this about myself, I set a goal. I want to live a life enjoying the little things. I want to eat those nice chocolates and use the nice lotion! Why wait for some imagined more worthy time to use these items when I can enjoy them now?
So when I was cleaning my office the other day and I came upon my huge stack of unused notebooks I decided, I need to start actually using them! No matter how gorgeous they are, I should use them now, or I may never find time to enjoy them.
I figure I will never regret enjoying the little luxuries in life, I will only regret missing out on the joy they bring!
I urge everyone to do the same! Romanticize your life a little bit, you never know what can come from it. You never know what amazing ideas can come from those doodles and notes you jot down!
How to Fill an Empty Notebook
1. Keep a Diary
Write down all of the thoughts and emotions that come up throughout the day. If you can’t think of what to write, look up some journal prompts to help!
2. To-Do Lists
Keep a running log of all the things you need to do. You can break your lists up by weeks, or have one long list that you add to.
3. Write a Story, Fictional or Non-Fiction
Whether you write a story that happened to you or something completely made up, it is always fun to get creative.
4. Art Journal
Get even more creative by turning your empty notebook into an art journal! Using any mediums you have around, like paint, glue, markers, crayons, and more, you can express your thoughts and emotions through art!
5. Observe the World Around you, Keep a Log of Everything You See
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was to spend some time observing the world around me. Doing so helps you feel a little less alone! Without being too creepy, spend some time in a public park or cafe, observing the behaviors of others and writing them down in your empty notebook.
6. Write Letters to Your Future Self
Writing a letter to your future self is a great way to reflect on your life and think introspectively. Fill an entire notebook with letters to your future self! Give yourself dates when you can reread the letters. For example, write a letter and tell yourself you can’t read it until 2030 or you can’t read it until you turn 45.
7. Bucket List
Fill your next empty notebook with all of the things you want to do and learn before you die!
8. Write poetry
Do you have a creative side? Write some poetry about the world around you or the people in your life!
9. Log Your Favorite Poetry and Quotes
I am no poet, so I love filling my empty notebooks with others’ words. I pull poems from my favorite authors and quotes from my favorite books and write them down! It is nice to have a place to look back on and see all the words that have impacted me.
10. Log of the Candles You Burn
I am a massive candle fan. My collection is huge, and sometimes I like to remember all the amazing candles I have burned and enjoyed. So I have a notebook that I fill with the labels of the candles I burn. I also include a small rating and my thoughts about the candle.
11. Log the Wine you Drink
Although I don’t personally drink, I feel this would be similar to my candle log! Rip the labels off the wine you drink and write a little review in your notebook.
12. Create some Collages
If you still get the newspaper or have any magazine subscriptions, this is a great idea for how to fill an empty notebook! Cut out your favorite pictures and create some collages.
13. Sketchbook
Even if you don’t have an artistic bone in your body, sketching is a great way to connect with the world around you. Grab an empty notebook and a pencil and go outside and draw what you see! Or get creative and sketch something abstract from your mind!
14. Track the Books you Read
Write down all the books you want to read, the books you want to buy, and more! Fill your notebook with reviews of the books you read and lists of your favorites. Mixing art journaling with this is also super fun!
15. Respond to Some 5-Minute Writing Prompts
You can find thousands of quick writing prompts online! Some are creative, and others are closer to journal prompts. But either way, if you want to fill an empty notebook without spending too much time, 5-minute prompts are a great place to start.
16. Bullet Journal
Bullet journals boomed in popularity almost a decade ago, and they are still going strong! Filling an empty notebook with a bullet journal is a great way to be creative while also scheduling your life!
17. Gratitude Journal
Fill your notebook with a list of everything you are grateful for. I have a gratitude journal that I like to write in every day, picking at least three things from my day that I appreciated. It adds a little joy to even my worst days.
18. Interview People in Your Life
Do you have anyone in your life you look up to? Or anyone you find fascinating? Come up with some questions to ask them and write the answers in a notebook! Fill the notebook with a wealth of history and knowledge you can gain from others.
19. Garden Planner
If you are a big gardener, use your empty journal to plan what plants you want to care for and what they need to survive! A garden planner is a great place to plan where your vegetables will be in your garden bed or how often you need to water your houseplants.
20. Crow Journal
This is a concept I saw on TikTok. Are you like me, and have trouble throwing away pretty packaging and fun stickers, things that most people get rid of, but you think are too beautiful? Then don’t! Collect them into a journal like a crow collects shiny things in their nest!
21. Dream Journal
Unfortunately, I don’t dream all that often, but when I do they are so beyond strange I immediately want to write them down. Keep an empty journal next to your bed to write down all the strange, funny, and scary dreams you have!
22. Practice Your Handwriting
I know we all did this when we were younger, and it is still a great way to fill an empty notebook! Practice your penmanship, including your cursive! An empty notebook is also a great place to perfect your signature so you’re ready when you get famous.
23. Budget Your Life
As times get tougher and inflation continues, budgeting your life isn’t only advisable but necessary. Write out your monthly and weekly budget so you can make sure you don’t go over your limit.
24. Habit Tracker
Do you want to drink more water or read more books? Track the habits you want to add to your daily life. You will be way more motivated to actually stick with your habits when filling out an aesthetically pleasing habit tracker! Search “habit trackers” on Pinterest for a lot of great ideas!
25. Goals Journal
Making goals is a great way to improve your life and achieve everything you want! You can fill an empty notebook with all the goals and dreams you want to achieve!
26. Recipes
Use your journal to write down all of the recipes you have tried and love! This is also a great way to pass these recipes on in the future!
27. Travel Journal
Do you love to travel? Use an empty journal to document all the places you have been, are going to, and want to travel to! This will also end up being a great keepsake at the end of your travels.
28. Brainstorming Log
It is always when there is no pen or paper around that your best ideas come. So grab your smallest notebook, one that fits in your packet, and fill it with your most exciting ideas! Who knows, the next big business idea or invention could end up in that notebook!
29. Mind Mapping
A great way to get your ideas organized is to put them in visual mind maps! For more information on this, click here!
30. Scrapbooking
With the presence of social media, not a lot of people print physical pictures anymore. However, if you do like having a physical photo you can hold, turn your empty notebook into a tiny scrapbook. This is also a great way to get creative!
31. Movie Log
Write down every movie you watch and what you thought of it! There is definitely an app for this, but it’s way more fun when writing it down physically!
32. Song/Music Journal
If you are a music lover, spend some time writing your favorite songs and albums in an empty notebook. I personally love getting creative with this, using art to express the vibe and feel of a song.
There are so many more ways to fill a notebook, the possibilities are practically endless! And the best part is, in the end, you either get a notebook full of ideas and stories you can keep forever, or something you can throw away and never think of again. There is definitely a purpose to both of those options!
Feel free to comment with your ideas on how to fill an empty notebook down below! I am always looking for more ideas!
