13 Productive Ways to Fill up a Notebook

woman writing in journal.

The immense potential of an empty notebook cannot be exaggerated. You don’t have to default to a diary when there are plenty of other exceptional uses for a blank notebook.

If you have an empty notebook, you can use it to improve productivity and enhance your life. We know that sounds dramatic, but depending on how you use it, a notebook really can enrich your life. Use one of these ideas to turn your empty notebook into a force of productivity and organization.

Bullet Journal

Bullet journal open on self care healthy habits layout pages with hand holding pen. Over shoulder view, fresh white table background, flowers, positive mental health message.
Image Credit: Diana Parkhouse and Shutterstock

If you love to feel organized, you can turn your empty notebook into a thoughtful bullet journal. Bullet journals combine planners, to-do lists, diaries, and calendars into one place.

This can make it easier to track your goals, visualize your schedule, and stay on top of everything. These journals use symbols, abbreviations, and shorthand techniques, so they remain concise and simple despite containing a wealth of information.

People who bullet journal are often emphatic about its productivity and impact. It might change your life.

Fitness and Food Tracker

Workout planning. Young woman making her workout schedule in notebook indoors, above view.
Image Credit: Prostock-studio and Shutterstock

So many of us want to eat better, exercise more, and just live healthier. Trying to do this without being attentive to your habits is futile. If you want to be successful, you need to track your eating and exercise habits.

You can use your empty notebook as a food and fitness tracker, helping you adhere to your health plan. Seeing all your habits on paper helps you better understand what must change and how you progress over time.

Recipes and Meal-Planning

Barman accessories and ingredients on counter. Bartender holding a grapefruit on to the chopping board with another taking down notes. Men experimenting with creating cocktail drink.
Image Credit: Jacob Lund and Shutterstock

More and more people complain about the mental exhaustion of choosing what to eat and cook every single day. It seems like something that should be enjoyable, or at the very least, simple, but it takes cognitive effort.

Your notebook can be your meal planner and recipe book, taking some effort out of deciding on dinner each night. We recommend you keep a running list of recipes that suit your lifestyle, whether that means easy, healthy, or cheap, and create weekly meal plans you can reuse.

Gratitude Statements

woman writing in journal with sunrays.
Image Credit: SeventyFour and iStock

Gratitude and appreciation are things we must practice. They’re not inherent. The more you practice gratitude, the more enjoyable life can be.

An excellent way to flex your gratitude muscles is to write gratitude statements routinely. Take your blank notebook, write the date at the top of the page, and write down one to ten statements (choose a number that works for you) expressing gratitude. Repeat daily or weekly.

Your gratitude statements can be about anything, from your family to your favorite TV show to the cold slice of pizza waiting for you in the fridge.

Mindfulness Exercises

Pensive young female study by desk using mobile internet distracted from making notes create new idea.
Image Credit: Fizkes and Shutterstock

Mindfulness is increasingly more important as we navigate the chaos of modernity. Practicing mindfulness can boost productivity, improve mood, and enhance perspective.

Mindfulness journaling looks like reflective writing, creative writing, word dumps, affirmations, and many other things. Anything that makes you feel grounded, connected to yourself, and connected to the world is mindfulness. Browse mindfulness prompts online to get started.

Brainstorms and Ideas

Flatlay of women's hands writing in a notebook sheet. Comfortable home office workspace interior design. Work at home. Laptop computer, notebook, pampas grass bouquet on table. Flat lay, top view.
Image Credit: Floral Deco and Shutterstock

For folks who always have a lot going on in their heads, an empty journal can become the perfect place to “brain dump.” Use your empty notebook for all your random ideas, brainstorming sessions, stray thoughts, and more.

For example, we know a writer (yes, it’s the writer writing this — surprise, surprise) who has a notebook dedicated to spontaneous article ideas, new vocabulary words, and general inspiration.

Long-Term Life To-Do List

To do list, organize plans, projects, checklist, Productivity Works. Woman writing to do list. Close up of female hand writing check note in notebook. Selective focus
Image Credit: Iryna Imago/Shutterstock

You probably already have a to-do list with “buy toothpaste” and “pay rent” on it. But here, we mean a long-term to-do list with all the things you want to do in your life. This is somewhat like a bucket list, but it’s not quite as light or fun.

This list should be dedicated to your meaningful goals, like getting married, reaching a certain level in your career, having children, publishing a book, buying a home, or moving to Hawaii. Having this serious to-do list keeps your most meaningful goals at the forefront of your mind.

Words of Wisdom

serious woman writing in notebook paying bills at computer.
Image Credit: Ridofranz and iStock

We love a clever quote and inspiring remark. Have you ever heard someone say something and think, “Wow, what a great expression”? Before you forget it, write it in your Words of Wisdom notebook!

Sometimes, the right quote or expression can change how we approach life or give us a wonderful ah-ha moment. Collect these bits of cleverness and return to them for guidance or encouragement. It’s like a personalized book of sageness.

Budgeting

couple working on budget together.
Image Credit: Liudmila Chernetska and iStock

Budgeting isn’t the most fun idea for your empty notebook. But it’s one of the most productive and responsible.

When you diligently track your income and spending, it’s easier to understand your finances and make wise financial moves. Of course, it’s also way easier to save when you know where your money comes from and goes.

There are endless budgeting techniques to consider, including the 50/20/30 budget, zero-based budgets, and more.

Enrichment To-Do List

Man writing notes at desk.
Image Credit: fizkes and Shutterstock

As we said, you probably already have a mundane to-do list that tells you to buy more trash bags and fix your garden hose. An enrichment to-do list is much more exciting — and enriching.

This list should include things you want to do that will better your mind, body, and soul. The key is these should be things you want to do, not things you feel like you should do.

It can include reading lists, vacation destinations, gardening ideas, and more. It’s like a bucket list, but the items don’t need to be as dramatic as “go skydiving” or “climb Mt. Everest.” Enriching activities like “meditate daily” or “spend an hour outside” can be simple but valuable list items.

Specific Planner

Close-up Of A Businesswoman Making Agenda On Personal Organizer At Workplace.
Image Credit: Andrey_Popov and Shutterstock

If you have anything important coming up, you can dedicate your notebook as a planner for that occasion. For example, it could become your wedding planner and feature vendor information, guest lists, to-dos, and more.

Other things you could use a planner for are vacations, pregnancy, work projects, holiday schedules, parties, athletic competitions, work conferences, and graduations. Whether you’re training for a marathon or planning an extravagant birthday party, an organized planner never hurt anyone.

Habit Tracking

Woman cross off day with routine in her Habit Tracker in a Bullet Journal.
Image Credit: Iryna Imago and Shutterstock

Our habits define how we live our lives, good or bad. If you want to get a better handle on your habits, lifestyle, and productivity, start with tracking your behavior. Habit-tracking can reveal significant behavior correlations.

The habit notebook can be about eliminating or curating a specific habit or about your general habits and lifestyle. For example, you could track screen time if you want to cut it down, or you can track everything from food to time outside to bedtime to mood.

Morning Pages

woman writing and journaling.
Image Credit:Rsedlacek and Shutterstock

Morning pages are an interesting concept developed by Julia Cameron in her book The Artist’s Way Morning Pages Journal. They are three pages you free-form write after waking up. That means you simply write down your stream of consciousness without judgment or goals.

This is a sensational way to get your creative juices flowing and ignite your mind at the beginning of each day. It’s geared toward creatives, like writers and artists, but it can boost cognitive activity in anyone.

+ posts

Veronica is a lifestyle and culture writer from Boston, MA, with a passion for entertainment, fashion, and food. She graduated from Boston University in 2019 with a bachelor's in English literature. If she's not in the kitchen trying new recipes, she's binging the latest HBO series, catching up on the hottest trends in Vogue, or falling down a research rabbit hole. Her writing experience ranges from global news articles to celebrity gossip pieces to movie reviews and more.
Her byline appears in publications like The Weather Channel, The Daily Meal, The Borgen Project, MSN, Wealth of Geeks, and Not Deer Magazine. She writes about what inspires her — a stylish Wes Anderson film, a clever cleaning hack, a surprising fashion trend. When she’s not writing about life's little joys, she’s keeping her dog away from rabbits and spending too much money on kitchenware.

Similar Posts