7 Things to Do with an Empty Notebook
So you’ve got a bunch of empty notebooks, or you just bought a new one and don’t really know what to do with it.
This is something I’ve encountered many times. I love writing, and there’s something special about the feeling of writing with pen on paper, isn’t there? Being a frugal person, I rarely want to spend a lot of money on the things I buy, but recently I treated myself to a beautiful new soft cover Leuchtturm1917 notebook. It really boosted my interest in writing, and I’ve decided to just allow myself to write whatever I feel like in it.
But sometimes you want your notebooks to have their own specific purposes. That’s why I have composed this neat little list with ideas for what to do with an empty notebook.
1. Morning pages
If you know anything about journaling you might’ve heard the term “morning pages”. This technique essentially means you use your notebook as a journal every morning in a stream of consciousness way, just letting the words come to you and writing down whatever pops into your head without overanalyzing it. This might sound pointless to some. You might think that you have nothing to write down after just waking up and maybe it feels a little awkward to write when you don’t know how to start. When I tried out morning pages that’s how I felt, but I was surprised to notice that after a little while the thoughts came easily to me and when I was done my mind felt clear and refreshed.
When you write your morning pages, it can be a good idea to decide on a number of pages to write, or to set a timer for when you want to stop. Maybe you want to write three pages or just one, for 5 minutes or 15? Do what feels best for you.
2. Habit/mood tracker
This especially is a good idea if you’re trying to quit a bad habit or implement a new one. You can also track things like your day to day mood or even your menstrual cycle. By using your notebook as a tracker, you can easily check in every day, and at different times during the day if you’d like. This makes it easier to notice patterns in your mood or behavior that can give you a deeper understanding of how your progress is going, if anything needs to be done differently or what you’re doing especially well.
When creating any type of tracker you might want to create a sort of grid in your notebook so that you can check a box every day, or you might opt for a classic type entry. In a tracking journal I like to use different symbols when I track my progress. For example an O could mean you had a good day and successfully implemented your new habit, while an X means you didn’t manage that day. Pinterest and Google have lots of ideas for habit tracker layouts to try.
3. Manifestation journal
A manifestation journal is a great idea for anyone who wants to try manifestation techniques but don’t really know where to start. Writing down what your heart desires in a specific journal for that purpose only makes it feel more special, and you end up putting more energy and positivity into your manifestations.
Remember to write your manifestations in present tense, as if it already exists and you already have exactly what you’re wishing for. Avoid using words like “I want”, “I hope”, “when”, etc. Write your manifestations as detailed and vivid as possible, even if it feels silly to write your goal as if it’s already achieved. That’s how you get your manifestations to work best.
4. Gratitude journal
Practicing gratitude is something I think everyone should be doing. Not only does it make you appreciate your life and the smaller things in it more easily, you will start to see more positivity and beauty in other people as well. I’ve kept a gratitude journal for many years, although for a while it was in digital form. But as I mentioned earlier, writing things down on paper always feels more special and meaningful to me.
When you keep a gratitude journal you should try your best not to overthink about what to write down. For this type of journal, you only need to write a few lines, but you can of course write more if you’d like. I like to go for 1–3 things I’m grateful for that happened during my day. If you’ve had a bad day it can be hard to think of something to be grateful for, and we often tend to think that it has to be something grand and special, but it doesn’t. It can be something as simple as “I’m grateful for the flavor of my first cup of coffee this morning” or “I’m grateful that I woke up today”.
5. Therapy/mental health journal
This one is great if you’re in therapy and would like to keep track of your sessions — what was said, how you felt and if you had any particular revelations or gained new insights. But even if you don’t go to therapy, keeping a journal to track your mental health is valuable for anyone. Many of us struggle with mental illness, and when we have particularly bad days or episodes, writing down your thoughts and feelings can be incredibly helpful and can release some anxiety, especially if you’re not able to/don’t feel like talking to anyone at the moment. I always feel better after I’ve gotten my thoughts and feelings out.
In your mental health journal you can also incorporate a tracker if you’d like, you might notice patterns in your wellbeing that you otherwise would’ve missed. Maybe draw a smiley to describe how you’re feeling in a particular entry.
6. Daily journal
Keeping a classic daily journal you write in every evening can never go wrong. A daily journal is great if you often feel like you have a lot of “clutter” in your head at the end of the day. You can write down your thoughts, what you did and what happened during the day, what you’re looking forward to tomorrow and if there’s anything that’s worrying you or that you can’t seem to let go of. This is the type of journal I kept during my entire childhood, and it feels very special to me. Every night before sleeping I’d get into bed and write down what happened that day and how I felt. I seriously couldn’t sleep without doing it first.
For a daily journal I think it’s important to always add date and time to your entries. You could also make several shorter entries during the day if you feel like there’s something you want to get off your chest or remember before the day is over.
7. One sentence a day
This is the best type of journal for people who don’t like to journal, but still want to. Or maybe you’re just getting into journaling and don’t really know where to start. Maybe you’re feeling tired and don’t want to dive deep into a full journal entry. You simply write down one single sentence to summarize your day. That’s it. Sometimes that’s all you need. By doing this you are still keeping up your habit of daily journaling even if you don’t really have the energy for it. Writing just one sentence takes a few seconds and still adds value.
These are my seven tips on what to do with empty notebooks. I hope you have found some inspiration in this list. Maybe you have more ideas to recommend to me. What do you use your notebooks for?
