Do you have a pile of empty notebooks and don’t know what to do with them? In this digital age where there are apps for almost everything you can imagine life can feel even more overwhelming. Do you need these notepads anymore?
You have finally got around to organising your home. Maybe you have cleared out the pile of books and paperwork that have been lying around or you have emptied out some boxes of things you threw in there to keep out of sight.
Whatever the journey to get there you stand back and look at the stack of notebooks you have in your pile and wonder what was I actually planning for?
A writing convention?
Did you buy one or two (or possibly more) because you liked the cover and the idea of using this one notebook.
Collected some as gifts over the years.
When you were younger you used to write a diary or journal and hope you would start it up again. Well why not start now?
I am still a pen and paper person. Yes I love the whole writing and using notebooks, journals and planners. I will always love using my notebooks for various everyday things. If you want to find some ideas on how to use these note pads then check out the list.
First sort them out into sizes. The small or tiny ones that are perfect for your handbag or having with you.
The A5, A6 or Half Letter size
The A4 or Letter size
This will help you figure out what size would work best for you.
Positive morning affirmations
The best way to start the day is with a positive frame of mind. Using some morning affirmations is ideal.
Check out the list here. Find some inspiring ones for you and you are off.
It is up to you how you use it. Find the one that speaks to you for the day and jot down some words to boost your mood for the day. Just add whatever comes to mind for the day and how you feel. Looking back on the days that you faced some challenging situations and how you coped with them could be the motivation you need for the next challenge in your life.
Collect your favourite quotes
How many times have you heard a quote and it just hit home and you think yes I want to remember that.. Ha more than likely it has already gone from your mind. Well why not add it quickly to your Quotes notebook and have them in one place.
When reading a book and the author has managed to summarise a situation or phrase something that resonates with you, then why not write it down in your favourite quotes journal and have it easy to access.
Make some book notes
Reading books has always been a wonderful source of information and before the age of computers or the internet people made their own notes. They used a pen and paper and wrote down the important things they wanted to remember from the books that they were reading.
Create your own summary of the facts from the book. All of the information may not be relevant to you or are things that you already know. The best way of keeping track of the new things is to record them. Keep those ah ha moments in one place. Ready to access when you need them.
Write down what you were thinking as you were reading the book or how this applied to you right now.
A notebook of ideas or goals
We all have so many ideas throughout the day and some of them are easy to achieve and others may even need a lot of time, energy and money. Ok climbing Mount Everest may be a goal for some but not for everyone.
Writing down your ideas as you think of them may be the inspiration you need to carry it through. When you go through the notebook of ideas and find that you have added a certain one many times or different versions of it then it is something close to your heart and a very important one for you. Why not work on how to follow it through.
Now is the time to break it down into easy to achieve steps to reach that goal.
Things you have learned and experienced
We have all gone through hard times or tough situations and may have felt so low and down. How to get out of this spot? Have a notepad just for you to keep track of how you are feeling when you are going through it, what happens if you hit rock bottom. What did you do to get out of it? How did that make you feel? By writing down these emotions as you are living through them the art of writing down things is a form of therapy in itself. Keep these notebooks and when you feel like things are going pear shaped again grab the book and read through how you got through it and the tips you used. Learn from past experiences and focus on your recovery.
A wish list book
Wishes are sometimes what we need to get through the day. It is not only for kids to wish upon a star. Sitting in traffic we may wish for the lights to turn green or for traffic to run smoothly. Simple things throughout the day. Having a book just to write down the things you wish to do.
Have a page or two for things to do on a rainy day. Or books you want to read. People you want to meet again or get in touch with. Letters or emails you want to write. Places you want to go to. Shops you want to visit and what you want to check out in those stores.
Maybe a spa night at home you just need to get the items you need to make it happen.
Habit tracker
This may work better if the notebook has grid paper or a bullet journal.
What better way to write down the habits you want to implement and track your progress.
Online course notepad
Why not do that course you have been thinking about and use the book to take the notes from the course.
Diary
No need to buy a fancy diary or journal. Just use an empty notebook and write today’s date on the top of the page and write down your thoughts, feelings or what you did that day.
If you are using a smaller notebook it may be easier to fill a page. Use a page for each day. You don’t even need to write every day whatever works for you. Maybe only once a week for a weekly update.
Time tracker
Have you ever wondered what it is that you do in the day and how you are constantly behind in that to-do list? Why not list the things that you did during the day and keep track of the tasks you did. It may surprise you that you are more productive than you thought. Time is just lost by doing simple things everyday when you could batch things together.
Address book
Yes we all have phones and devices but do we have the names, addresses and details written down in case we lose the devices?
Shopping lists
Keep track of the things that you need to regularly buy and from where .
Add any details of the size or quality. Group things that you buy from the one store.
Make your purchasing more efficient and streamlined.
Recipe book
Find the perfect size notebook you have to write the recipes down that you want to keep. Trying a new recipe and loving it then why not add it here. Whenever you make some adjustments to the recipe just add it to the recipe book.
Meal planning
Thinking of what to cook is hard sometimes. Fed up with the same old things on cycle. Why not use a book to write down meal ideas that you have heard or come across and may want to try. If you found the perfect recipe and it works for you then add it to your recipe book.
Make one your grocery list notebook
Writing out the list of the items you need when you go grocery shopping helps keep the cost down and reduce food waste. It may also help you keep track of things and if you can’t find something this time you can just add it to the next list.
Think you forgot something this trip then looking back over previous lists may jog your memory.
Household journal
Use one to keep track of any repairs and maintenance down in your home. The name and details of the tradesmen you used and the cost of the whole thing.
Keep track of heating expenses or contact details of people who can do certain jobs e.g. roof repair. You may forget when you really need the information.
Track the dates of when things were serviced and how much they cost.
Keep a list of the tradesmen that cheated you or did shoddy work so you don’t end up back with them.
A list of the good ones and the others they recommend. Word of mouth is the best advertisement.
Dream journal
Have a dream notebook journal beside your bed so you can write down what you remember from a dream.
Breathing journal
Use the notebook to write down what you see, feel and think as you are practising your deep breathing exercise. Want to know more about this then click here.
Important information
Keep all important information about your family, home, life etc together in one notebook.
If anything happens to you or your partner it can be so helpful for other family members to have this book with the details especially if you have children or pets.
Health tracker
We all need to be more aware of our own health and listen to our bodies. Using a personal health tracker or one for each member of your family and even your pets helps keep the information all in one place. Why not use the back of the book to keep contact information of the doctor or people who have helped or advised you.
Things that you have read or heard from other people then note it down in one place.
It may surprise you looking over it.
Gift ideas
Write down the ideas that pop in your mind during the year. Think of something for that person in your life that would be a perfect gift then keep them all in one place. It makes shopping or organising presents so much easier. If you have already bought or made the gifts then add that to the list of things done.
More ideas for empty notebooks
Budget and savings tracker
Password and Login details
Bucket List
Garden Ideas
Home Ideas things to improve or renovate
Creative writing prompts
Mind maps
Blog post planner
Side hustle ideas
Scrapbook
Fun facts book
Jokes you want to remember
Sketch book
Fitness tracker
Date ideas
Vision or mood board
Travel Planning
Journal Ideas
Prayer Journal
Wedding planner
Pregnancy journal
Baby’s first year Journal
Childhood milestones journal
Therapy journal
Gratitude journal
Recovery Journal
Bullet journal
Astrology Journal
Fashion journal
Self improvement journal
What you can do with empty notebooks
Of course there are to do lists. There are so many things you can add to these lists.
Either one note pad and a page for each topic or why not two pages? Maybe even a book for each topic. The possibilities are endless.
There are so many things you can do with all those notebooks you have lying around your home. Maybe you have started one or two and no longer use them. Then change what you are using it for and try something else.
They can also be perfect gifts for someone else. If you find one that would be perfect for someone in your life why not make it extra special and gift them.
I hope this has given you some inspiration to breathe some life into the empty notebooks you have. It is up to you how you use them or reuse them. Who knows how they can simply your life.
Maybe you have thought of other ways. Today could be the start of new beginnings and new habits.
Enjoy the journey.
