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31+ Fun and Creative Blank Notebook Ideas

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Looking for a way to use that cute blank notebook that’s gathering dust on your bookshelf? I know I have quite a few.

But that’s true; sometimes, we have more journals than we need. However, it’s sad to leave your blank notebooks just gathering dust on your bookshelves. So let’s find a better way.

Here are 31 creative, fun, and useful blank notebook ideas on how you can actually start using your cute journals.

Do you have any blank notebooks lying around the house? Chances are, you probably do if you’re reading this post.

I bet you, and I share a love for all things stationery, and that means that you probably couldn’t stop yourself from buying that cute but maybe unnecessary notebook.

Or maybe somebody gave it to you as a present, and you want to show your love and gratitude, but you don’t really know what to do with it. Whatever your situation is, I’m here to save us all! Captain Masha to the rescue!

Here are 31 fun and creative ideas on how you can use that brand-new notebook and actually turn it into something valuable.

As a bonus, in the end, you can also see a video by amazing Jashii Corrin with her list of 100 ideas for your empty journal, as well as some free printables.

This post may contain affiliate links. They will be of no extra expense for you, but I receive a small commission. Please see my Disclosure for more details. Thank you for supporting Masha Plans!

Blank Notebook Ideas

Blank notebooks can provide an ideal canvas for unleashing the inner artist or writer within. From creating a personal journal overflowing with stories, thoughts, and ideas to experimenting with various styles of artwork–the possibilities of what you can do with a blank notebook are endless.

Here are some inspiring ideas about how you can use a plain notebook as an outlet for creativity in numerous ways!

Blank Journal Ideas: Start a Bullet Journal!

This is a bonus entry because, of course, I had to recommend it, considering how much it absolutely upgraded my life!

Chances are, you might already be Bullet Journaling in another notebook so I won’t count this one as a proper entry to the list.

Gratitude Journal

A gratitude log helps you to see life differently, to notice more of the wonderful things around you, and to be more appreciative and mindful. Starting a gratitude journal in your cute notebook might be the little happiness boost you need.

Morning Pages

Journaling is a great exercise. Putting your thoughts on paper helps you to clarify your life, organize ideas and see the why of your behavior.

There is no better time to journal than in the morning when your brain is in this perfect state of being alert and creative but not yet overwhelmed with your daily responsibilities.

It’s also super simple – just wake up, and the first thing you do is write three pages of text in your journal. Don’t analyze or overthink it; just let your thoughts flow on the paper.

Obviously, you can always tweak this to your needs. You can journal any way you want, and that empty notebook you have will finally become useful.

Doodling Journal

Are you learning doodling or something else that requires you to do drills for? Why not use your notebook as a practice journal?

Lettering Journal

We already talked about creating a doodling journal, but the same idea would work for a lettering journal since mastering brush lettering is all about practicing those basic strokes.

Book Summary Notes

I LOVE self-help and personal development books! So much to learn and so many great new techniques you can master from them. However, as time went by, I realized that less than 10% of all information available in the book stays with me.

Of course, you can reread the book, but that’s not always possible. I mean, who has the time to read the same book every few months?

My solution – book summary notes, college style! I love to make them straight to the point and very visual.

If you don’t care about self-help books, well, try doing the same kind of notes for any other book, be it fiction or non-fiction.

Plant Care Journal

Plants are something I haven’t figured out for myself yet; most of the ones I have to die an early death of heroes.

So I can only imagine if you’re a plant mama, you’d want to have several pages to help you keep track of your babies and keep them happy and well-watered.

Brainstorming Notebook

Brainstorming is a great way to solve problems and come up with new creative ideas. Just sit there with pen and paper and start writing anything that comes to your mind on the topic you are trying to brainstorm.

Some ideas will be complete rubbish; others will need some work to be properly functional. Yet, a few ones… a few will be real gems! It’s a great way to bring out that one genius idea hiding somewhere in the back of your brain!

It’ll be so useful to have a separate notebook for that! Every time you’re low on inspiration or feel like you need some fresh ideas – you can always just read through your old brainstorming sessions to get that spark of creativity.

Recipe Journal

I know a lot of things are digital now, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a physical journal with your favorite recipes?

Maybe you can even ask your family for some of their signature dishes and make it a legacy thing.

Cute Notebook Ideas: Memory Book

Preserving your memories is so important! I know I totally sound like my grandma now. She used to encourage me to take more pictures, fill out my photo albums, and keep significant mementos. Yet, time has taught me she was absolutely right.

We forget 90% of our cherished memories! (that figure might not be entirely accurate, though) THE POINT IS! Now that I started doing monthly memory pages, I can totally see it.

Putting your memories on paper helps you to be more appreciative of your life and actually save forever those little moments of happiness that otherwise would’ve been lost in time.

Food Log

Do you plan your meals? Are you on a special diet or have any food restrictions? Just adding those to your weekly spreads might take up too much space.

Why not create a special food-related journal?

Small Business Journal

If you have a small business or maybe just a side hustle, you might want to use your cute notebook for that.

There are a lot of things you’d need to organize to stay on track, so a complete journal for that purpose is definitely a must.

I actually have a separate journal for Masha Plans just to work on all the projects.

Affirmations

Our brain has immense power; it controls and influences everything in our life.

Affirmations are the best way to harness that power and use it. That way, you can shape your life to the way you want it to be and become the best version of yourself.

Writing down your affirmations in one journal every day gives you a boost of positivity every morning and is a crucial step towards improving your life and yourself.

If you want to learn more about the power of affirmations, I can’t recommend enough the Miracle Morning book. Truly, give it a chance; it might change your life.

Lists Journal

Are you addicted to making lists (or, I guess in Bullet Journal terms, you can say collections)? I totally am – My favorite books, movies to watch, TV shows, the list goes on and on.

Travel Journal

Tell me if this sounds familiar. You came back from a fantastic vacation and took millions of pictures on your smartphones.

And we never go back to see any of them. I know I barely ever do!

That’s why the best way to preserve your travel memories is through a travel journal! Add there your pictures and little memorabilia, and do some journal entries – anything you want!

Collections Journal

Usually, you’d add collections to your everyday journal, but if you have a lot, you might consider moving them to a whole separate journal.

I think it’s especially useful if you use your journal a lot and switch to a new one often. With a separate one just for your collections, you won’t need to redo these pages every time you start a new one.

Sketchbook

No matter what kind of lining you have in your journal, you can always use it as a sketchbook.

It will be a perfect space to practice some new techniques and jot down some creative ideas.

This also is a great idea if you have a notebook without lines since you don’t really have to have lines to sketch.

Bucket List

I’ve been meaning to go ice skating for a few years in a row. The problem is, I usually remember I wanted to do it only when the summer has already arrived here in Beijing, and I’m melting like ice under +40 C.

There are so many things we want to do in life, or even during certain seasons, and often, these things are forgotten among our daily responsibilities.

An easy way to make sure you have your head straight and you’re actually making time to do the things you want is to create a bucket list and make sure to visit it now and then.

Things That Make Me Happy

We all need a little pick-me-up sometimes. Why not create a special journal dedicated only to things that make you happy?

Things that make you smile, perfect morning routines, favorite places to eat, compliments you received from others. There are so many things you can add!

Language Study

Are you studying a foreign language? Having a separate study journal might be very useful.

Write down new words, interesting expressions, the best resources to use for studying, and so on.

Blank Notebook Ideas: Health Journal

Your health should always be your priority. Your success starts and ends with your health.

There are so many things you can track and plan to stay healthy and in your best shape that, honestly, a separate journal can be a good option, especially if you’re on some workout plan or a diet.

Dream Journal

Dreams have a lot of interesting keys to us and our inner thoughts and worries.

And pretty often, you also can get some interesting ideas on how to actually help you out with whatever you’re struggling with.

It might be helpful to and fun to keep a journal of your dreams and ideas you come up with while sleeping.

Master Task List (Brain Dump)

Feeling overwhelmed? One of the best solutions I could come up with is unloading your brain with a Master task list. Basically, that means you just sit down and write everything (and I mean  EVERYTHING) you need to do.

Creating those master lists helps you to lower the pressure from keeping everything in your head and to concentrate on just completing these tasks. This is an exercise you can do any time you feel like you have too much on your plate.

Quotes Journal

You need a place to practice your lettering and create beautiful quotes – your cute blank notebook will work perfectly.

It’s a good idea on your way to becoming better at creating lettering pieces to have a whole journal to practice and sketch the ideas.

Baby Journal

Becoming a parent is a huge thing and an incredible milestone. Chances are you’ll want to commemorate every simple step of this incredible journey.

Dedicating a separate journal for your little miracle and all the things they make sounds like the sweetest idea ever, wouldn’t you agree?

Goals Journal

Never be afraid of dreaming big! Repeat after me: I need A WHOLE NOTEBOOK to write down all the things I want to accomplish! Yes!

You might have many goals or just a few big ones, but never let anyone tell you they are not important!  

They need all the attention and care you can bring to them.

You can write down your advance and accomplishments towards your goals, your plans to accomplish them, and many more things, so many that surely one notebook might not be even enough.

Financial Journal

Keeping track of your finances is no easy task. There is just so much to it, especially if it’s not just you but the entire family.

So maybe creating a separate journal for all the family finances is not a bad idea. Having it all in one journal can help you see better what’s going on.

Routines Journal

A good routine is a key to being more productive. If you have a routine already established, you won’t need to spend your mental energy on making choices, so you’ll be able to save it for more important things.

Take some time and create a journal for all your routines – morning routine, evening routine, planning routine, study routine – any routine you need in your life! (I bet the word routine now sounds funny to you after all that ha ha)

Event Planner

If you need to plan any events, using a separate journal can be really beneficial. Whether it’s your friend’s birthday party or your wedding – you’ll always need to think of so many details!

Dates, catering, clothes, guest lists, etc… A whole new journal can provide you with enough space and focus on planning that perfect event everyone will enjoy.

Or it can be just a journal where you plan little things, like a dinner party with friends or the next branch with your girlfriends.

Vision Journal

Do you know how to create a vision board to manifest your dream life?

Well, you can do the same but with the entire journal. That way, you can go with more details on every area of your life.

Hobby Journal

And finally, I wanted to end with one of my favorite alternatives, your very own personal Hobby Journal! It doesn’t matter if it’s stamp collecting, rock climbing, or D&D.

Write down some ideas you have, supplies you need or want, and some deadlines (in the case of gardening, for example, there are deadlines on when to plan what).

Create collections for your dream hobby project and start working on these. You know your own hobby better than anyone, and the list of things to write about is ENDLESS!

100 More blank Notebook Ideas

As I promised, here is a video from Jess with her list of 100 ideas (including examples from tons of creators).

With all of these, I’m sure you can find something you’ll love for your blank journal.

More Resources

If you want more ideas, I’ve got you covered!

Starting with these posts, which also contain a few general Bullet Journal page ideas since they can definitely inspire you to fill out the entire journal:

But you also might want to learn a little bit more about all these ideas, so here are a few more detailed posts:

A lot of these were also about developing different skills, so here are a few posts that will help you with that:

Free Bullet Journal Printables

Not sure yet which of these ideas would fit you?

The best way to do it is to try out some of these pages and figure out if they work for you first before committing to creating an entire journal.

Thankfully, I’ve got you covered with 100+ free Bullet Journal printables that you can use right away to see how it fits your needs and your lifestyle.

You can already find them in the Resources Vault.

If you don’t have access yet, you can always sign up in the form below.

Once you confirm your subscription, you’ll get the password to get 50+ free Bullet Journal printables, stickers, and worksheets to use right away.

If you’ve never used printables before, be sure to check my post How To Use Printables In Your Bullet Journal.

It’s pretty basic, and you can find all the supplies you need in my post Supplies For Using Bullet Journal Printables.

These are my 31 ideas and 100 ideas from Jess, but how do you use your blank journals? What are your favorite ways to turn those cuties into something fun and useful?

Share with us in the comments!

I hope this post was interesting; if you find it so, please share! If you enjoy my content and want to show your appreciation, please consider supporting me with a cup of coffee.

And remember: Keep Bullet Journaling, and Don’t Be a Blob!

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