25 Creative Empty Notebook Ideas to Inspire You

Here are 25 creative notebook ideas to fill up those empty pages!

---

It feels like every time I go to the store, I inevitably end up with a new cute notebook in my cart. There is just something so appealing about cute stationery supplies… but actually finding ways to fill those empty notebooks is a bit of a harder task.

I don’t know when it happens but one day you end up realizing just how many notebooks you have with nothing in them. (Or notebooks that are half-filled with random things and never used again). Yikes!

It can feel like you’ve wasted your money shopping for these cute notebooks… but you haven’t!

Luckily, there are a lot of super simple, creative, and unique ways to fill empty notebooks. All it takes is some time, patience, and knowledge of what to fill those blank pages with!

If you clicked on this post, I’m guessing you’re like me and have a pile of empty notebooks lying around, asking to be used. I have you covered.

Here are 25 fun ways to fill empty notebooks!

20 Creative Empty Notebook Ideas

1. Gratitude Journal

Even though they can be really nice, you don’t need a specific guided gratitude journal to practice gratitude. You can turn ANY journal into a gratitude journal.

I actually started doing this with one of my bright, cheerful notebooks at the start of the year.

Starting a gratitude journal can actually be really simple!

All it takes is a little extra time and BOOM! Your seemingly simple empty notebook has turned gratitude journal!

2. Creative Writing Journal

I took a creative writing class in college (two, actually) and I really rediscovered my love for creative writing. I’m also more of a pen and paper writer than a laptop writer (aside from my blog of course 😉 ). So this was the perfect way to fill empty notebooks fast!

You’ll be surprised how quickly the pages fill once you get into it. It’s such a great creative outlet for you mentally too!

You can find creative writing prompts online OR in this creative writing book. This was actually the textbook for my last creative writing class in college and I highly recommend it for ideas!

3. Daily To-Do List Notebook

Quick, simple daily to-do lists are a great way to fill empty notebooks AND a great way to stay productive.

I actually do this every day in my planner but a notebook works just as well! All it takes is 5 minutes in the morning to lay out a rough plan to start a productive day!

Jot down your top to-dos and plans for the day so you are sure to not forget!

4. Daily Highlight Journal

I love this idea because it really forces you to look at all the positives in life! Take a moment at the end of each day and write for 5-10 minutes about the highlights of that day.

It can be something as simple as your morning coffee or something as monumental as a major anniversary or birthday. No matter what it is, write about something that made you smile that day.

Noticing the simple things that make you happy adds so much positivity to your life and helps boost your mindset before bed. Not to mention, it is so much fun to look back at these and smile!

5. Dream Journal

Have you ever had a really weird dream and looked up the meaning only to find that it TOTALLY relates to your life? It’s crazy!

I love the idea of keeping all these dreams in a dream journal as a way to fill up empty notebooks.

Write about your dream first. Include as many details as you can remember.

Then, if you’re interested, look up the meaning of a dream like yours. Write the meaning and write about how (and if) it resonates with you!

6. Drawing Notebook

Whether you’re a talented artist or not, drawing can be an excellent hobby. I’m not particularly artistically gifted but I really enjoy drawing when to calm down and center myself.

I like to have an empty notebook in front of me during long classes or meetings. Being able to sketch and doodle in it actually helps me stay engaged and focused in the meeting. It keeps my brain active and alert!

Give it a try with one of your empty notebooks you are trying to fill up!

7. Handwriting Practice

I think this is so funny because I used to HATE doing this in elementary school… and now I love it!

Whether you’re practicing cursive, mastering calligraphy, or just tightening up your own handwriting, having a notebook dedicated to handwriting practice is actually really relaxing.

Give it a try… don’t knock it till you try it!

8. Bucket List Journal

Bucket lists are often seen as one-time lists that you make. People view a bucket list as a “thing to do before you die” list… but it’s not necessarily just that!

You can make fun bucket lists for almost any phase or time. There’s no shortage of bucket lists that you could fill an empty notebook with.

Here are some examples:

• Bucket list for your 20s
• Summer bucket list
• Relationship bucket list
• Life-long bucket list
• Travel bucket list
• December bucket list
• Book bucket list

Your options are endless!

9. Travel Journal

Have lots of travel experience?

Great! You can fill your empty notebook with all your favorite travel destinations and experiences.

Don’t have much travel experience?

No problem! Fill your notebook with dream travel destinations, activities, etc. You can even go as far as making dream travel itineraries for your future travel goals. Manifest it!

RELATED POST: Does Manifestation Actually Work?

10. Nightime Thoughts Notebook

You know those nights when you are tossing turning and just can’t get your mind to shut off for the day? We all have them.

Writing down these thoughts that are keeping you up can really help you release them from your mind. You can use this notebook as a free-for-all thought journal where you can dump all your thoughts or you can use guided nighttime journal prompts if you want more structure.

11. Mental Health Tracker

Mental health is such a critical part of our health, happiness, and well-being. Using your empty notebook to start a mental health tracker is a great way to use a notebook.

Instead of buying a mental health tracker, you can utilize an empty notebook and make your own. This post from Mental Health America helps explain how you can start your own mental health journal in your notebook.

12. Physical Health Tracker

Much like the mental health tracker, you can use your notebook to start a physical health tracker.

Some ideas for a physical health tracker may include tracking:

• cups of water
• hours of sleep
• exercise done
• energy levels
• how you felt
• veggie/fruit intake

I don’t personally recommend tracking your food, calories, etc. since I know how harmful that can be for mental health, but if that’s something that benefits you, that is an option as well!

That’s the best part about this notebook idea: it’s entirely customizable, unlike storebought health trackers!

13. Budget Notebook

Starting a budget notebook is a super productive and useful way to use a notebook. Even if you don’t think you need a strict budget, having some form of budget can help you better understand your finances.

Using your empty notebook to sketch out a rough budget plan can help you make better financial decisions, control your spending, and allow you to save more money.

14. Goal Notebook

Goals, goals, goals! I LOVE to set goals!

Goals can be super beneficial for self-improvement, motivation, and productivity. Without setting goals, it’s easier to lose motivation and feel unclear on where you are heading in life.

{RELATED POST: 101 Goals for 1001 Days}

Obviously, one page of goals isn’t going to fill your empty notebook… so you should think about setting goals for different categories or times in your life!

Some great times to make a goal list:

Goals of all types can be made! You can have a bit of fun with this. Get creative and think big!

15. Recipe Notebook

There’s nothing worse than trying to find a favorite recipe and not being able to! So frustrating!

If you can relate, starting a collection of recipes may be a perfect notebook idea for you!

Whether you chose to take the time and handwrite all the recipes or simply print and paste them in is totally up to you! The important part is that all your favorite recipes are in one place for easy-finding and safe-keeping!

16. Quote Notebook

I’ve actually used this as a way to fill my notebooks myself! I think it’s one of the most creative notebook ideas out there.

Think of a quote notebook as like a physical Pinterest board filled with all your favorite quotes. These can be heartfelt, emotional, meaningful, motivational, etc. It’s up to you!

If you are artistic, you can have even more fun with this. Make the quotes your own by adding fancy lettering and creative artwork to your quotes. This can be a great outlet.

17. Lettering Notebook

This creative notebook idea ties in with the last notebook idea. Practice your handwriting or lettering!

Lettering and calligraphy are things that can be learned and mastered with time, patience, practice, and an empty notebook or two. 😉

This book about learning how to do simple lettering and calligraphy walks you through it all and will get you started!

18. Positive Affirmation Journal

Another great use for your notebook is to start collecting and jotting down positive affirmations.

Affirmations are positive statements that can be used as a tool to overcome negative or limiting thoughts. By collecting positive affirmations that resonate with you in your notebook, you can create a go-to guidebook for your affirmation practice. Whenever you’re looking for an affirmation, you can simply open up your notebook and find one that fits.

For positive affirmation examples, check out this affirmation deck.

19. Reading Notes Notebook

The first time I voluntarily took notes while reading was when I was reading The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k for the first time. Now, this is pretty common for me when reading self-help books that really speak to me.

By taking notes while reading (self-help books specifically), you really push yourself to engage more with the book, remember more of the lessons, and give yourself an overview to look back on. I often look back on my reading notes to refresh my memory or gain the inspiration I need.

20. Habit Tracker

Having good everyday habits is one of the most essential parts of building your dream life… and keeping a habit tracker is one of the best ways to stay on track with those habits.

You can buy habit trackers online for a pretty reasonable price, but if you are looking for ways to use notebooks, let’s work with what you already have.

Habit trackers work especially well with bullet journals but can be adapted for any notebook.

This video is super helpful for learning how to make your own habit tracker:

21. Memory Journal

Reflecting on good memories is something I don’t think we do enough of. Starting a happy memory journal may be one of the most positive notebook ideas on this list.

This is something I actually did with my best friends in middle school and have recently picked back up. There are so many little moments that are filled with such joy and bliss that we forget about.

By making a memory journal, you can help keep these moments alive and remember the joy when you look back on them.

22. Self-Care Planner

Self-care is a key aspect of keeping ourselves well, mentally and physically.

With busy schedules, it can be easy to overlook self-care for extended periods of time. Developing a solid self-care plan can help you stay on track with tending to your needs and preventing burnout.

This notebook idea was inspired by my FAVORITE self-care planner on Amazon. I highly suggest looking at it for inspiration on how to build your own self-care planner in your notebook.

Take some self-care ideas, choose ones that feel most suited to your preferences, and schedule them into your daily life. Hold yourself accountable here! Self-care is essential!

23. Writing Prompt Notebook

One of the simplest notebook ideas is to dedicate it to various random writing prompts that you want to explore. You can find these online for free!

My Favorite Prompt Ideas:

Find a writing prompt that you feel drawn to and free-write on it! This is a great way to use notebooks because if you get in the flow of writing, you’ll fill up those empty pages FAST!

24. “To Try”/”To Do” List

This notebook idea is kind of like a form of a bucket list. With this, you can dedicate a whole notebook to all the things you want to try, do, see, taste, etc.

For example, you may want to make lists of:

• Restaurants to try
• Books to read
• Places to see
• Dinners to make
• Movies to watch
• TV Shows to binge

All of these lists can be combined into one notebook. That way, if you want to go out on a date with your significant other or start a new TV series, you can flip through your notebook for ideas!

25. Diary Notebook

Last but not least, one of the most basic notebook ideas of all… a simple diary-style notebook.

In other words, this notebook is whatever you want it to be. It’s your special place to write about anything and everything.

Feeling angry? Write about it.

Have a crush? Write about it.

Got a story idea? Write about it.

There’s no pressure with this notebook idea. It’s simply a place for you to explore writing in whatever way you choose!

There you have 25 creative notebook ideas.

It’s time to start filling up those empty notebook pages with some of these notebook ideas. Grab your notebook, a pen, and get to writing!

Which notebook idea will you try first?