7 ideas to put your notebooks to good use

7 creative ideas to use up your pretty blank notebooks

7 ideas to put your notebooks to good use

If you are a regular here at Productive Happiness, chances are that you are a stationery aficionado.

Do you have a tendency to collect blank notebooks, just because you find them pretty? I certainly do. At any given time, I might have a dozen notebooks lying around, most of them still empty.

In today’s newsletter, I’ll share a few ideas to put your blank notebooks to good use.

1. Diary

This is the most classic way of using your lined notebooks.

During my Miracle Morning, I use a fancy notebook by Paperblanks that holds up to my fountain pen ink beautifully. I write about the previous day and about anything that’s weighing on my mind.

I write for only a few minutes but it helps me process any difficulties I might encounter and find perspective in the midst of chaos.

We’ve discussed how journaling can help you deal with stress in a previous post.

2. Gratitude log

Keeping a gratitude log is becoming very popular nowadays.

Positive psychology has popularized the idea that we tend to experience more of what we focus on. By writing a few things each day that you are grateful for, you tend to notice the great things in life and feel more at peace with the tougher stuff. I like to write three great things that happened in my journal every morning.

Simple things such as a cuddling session with my kitten Alfred, or the warmth of a soft blanket on an autumn morning tend to make me feel so happy when I take time to appreciate them.

3. Home/Work Bullet journal

You’ve seen my personal Bullet journal numerous times on this Substack.

But since I’ve decided to get a regular day job, I thought it would make sense to use a separate journal just for work. I bought a beautiful Leuchtturm1917 in black, as well as a coordinating black Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen to leave at work.

I like that my personal and blog stuff remain separated from the day-to-day stuff that I leave at work.

My work Bullet journal is very minimalistic, with black and white spreads, and no fluff. I use it for daily logs, notes from meetings and lists, such as office supplies to buy.

My home/blog Bullet journal

4. Hobbies planner

I am a big fan of Magic The Gathering trading card game.

I use a composition notebook to keep track of my playing decks, the trades I’ve been doing with my hubby, and I keep a wishlist of cards I want to buy. I’ve seen girls keeping planners for crochet/knitting projects, and even some dedicated Bullet journalists keeping a separate book just to plan layouts and spreads.

Any hobby could have a dedicated notebook or planner. The Reset Girl YouTube channel is a great resource to learn how to keep different planners for different projects.

5. Commonplace Book

Popular in the 1800’s, a commonplace book is a notebook used to store notes, quotes and thoughts about reading materials.

I’ve been keeping one for a few years now and I like to jot down relevant information I want to be able to refer to in the near future. I tend to do all my research for the blog in my commonplace book, and I use an index to be able to find information quickly.

I also use it to take notes from conferences and webinars I attend. The Reset Girl has started to promote a crafty commonplace book, incorporating stickers and washi to make notes pretty. That’s quite a lovely idea!

6. Business ideas

A few years ago, my father gave me a promo notebook for his company.

I started using it to jot down business ideas. Nowadays, I whip up this notebook when I want to have a great brainstorming session. I like to go back and read some of the great ideas I had in the last few years. It’s like a nice time capsule!

7. Creative journal

My creative journal

This is perhaps my favorite notebook, but the one I neglect the most.

I handsewn this little notebook using copy paper and scrapbook as a cover. I use it with stickers, stamps, washi, pictures I printed with my Canon Selphy, etc. I like to journal and decorate my pages with bits and pieces.

It is a very relaxing hobby and Pinterest is an endless stream of creative journaling ideas.

One of my latest pages in my creative journal

Do you collect pretty notebooks? How do you like to use them? Let me know in the comments below! If you’d like to see more pictures of my journals, take a peek at my Instagram page!