If you opened up one of Leonardo Da Vinci’s notebooks, the Codex Arundel, you’d see a variety of things including ideas for mechanical objects, observations on how water flows in a river, studies of celestial objects, and theories of bird flight.
In his Renaissance contemporary, Michelangelo's, you’d find this hand drawn grocery list for a herring, tortelli, two fennel soups, four anchovies and “a small quarter of a rough wine.”
A notebook can hold anything you can imagine
If you are staring uncertainly at the empty pages and wondering what you should fill them with, here are ten ideas to get you started. Maybe you’re the next Leonardo da Vinci? Maybe you just need to keep track of your food, or you are asking yourself how to organize notes for work. Starting can be intimidating. It needn’t be. We’re here to help with our guides and with our stone paper notebooks for eco-conscious writers.
10 ideas to help you fill an empty notebook
1. Start a diary
One of the most famous uses for empty notebooks is for keeping a diary. A diary is a lens for truth. It’s where you can be honest about the things you observe going on in your life. It can be as detailed as you want, touching on whatever you decide, because it’s a tool tailor-made for you. We all need to unload, and doing it in a diary can have a positive effect on how you see things. Getting your thoughts down on paper can clear your mind. For more on this, here is our ten step guide to starting a diary.
2. Start taking notes
According to Itamar Shatz of self-help website Effectiviology, “research shows that taking notes by hand allows you to remember the material better than typing those notes on a computer.” This is because the act of writing by hand forces you to actually process the information. “People tend to give more consideration to which parts of the material they should write down.” If you want to attain a more thorough understanding of a subject, open up your notebook and get writing. As a bonus, you’ll never have to carry around a charger or hunt for a wall plug.
3. Plan your life
You might immediately be thinking, “whoah, wait a minute. That’s a bit of an undertaking.” And you’d be right. You don’t have to plan out every single activity but having a plan for some of the things you want to achieve is helpful. At the end of the first chapter of Meaningful Work: A quest to do great business, find your calling, and feed your soul, author Shawn Askinosie says to “step away from the book” and start writing. He charges you to write down defining moments in life that gave you pause or charged you up. Considering those events and how you felt about them is the first step on the lifelong journey that is your life. We highly recommend the book, if only so you can put it down and start writing.
4. Start a travel journal
If you own journal and you are out of ideas, a travel journal might be just the right idea. There’s an old Icelandic proverb - Heimskt er heimaalið barn - which when translated means “a child needs to leave the shelter to learn.” It contains the Icelandic word for stupid - heimskur - which isn’t so much about a biological defect as it is about the notion of willful ignorance, of “never having sailed away from home.” Travel gives you a greater understanding of the world. This doesn’t mean you need a passport and a plane ticket. It means getting a little bit out of your comfort zone and seeing someplace new and maybe meeting different people.
5. Record your dreams
Your brain is always on. During the day it’s working more or less under your control. But when you sleep it’s still going. Ever sleep on a problem? You wake up the next day and the solution that eluded you 24-hours ago appears before you clear as day. Dreaming is the way your brain works out problems and attempting to recall them can be pretty interesting. Recording dreams and reflecting on them can be fun and may inform you of new ways to tackle problems during the day. Note: some dreams are just kooky and leave you scratching your head. That’s OK too, write them down in your new dream journal.
6. Set life goals (daily ones count)
What do you want to achieve in a year? In a month? Even a day? Setting various goals and achieving them can give you a real sense of satisfaction. Maybe you want to write a novel. "Start setting goals. Maybe you want to get healthier (more on that later). Start setting goals. A big goal is great but smaller readily achievable ones are just as helpful, probably more so." Shawn Askinosie quoted above was a high profile defense attorney before he gave it up to start a fair trade chocolate company. He set and changed goals. It’s OK for you to ditch old goals for new ones too. Do what’s right for you.
7. Start a quote collection
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” That’s by the American author and satirist Mark Twain, and we put it here to reiterate the importance of (sustainable) travel along with the usefulness of having a good quote at your disposal. If you're looking for inspiration for your next adventure, check out some insightful Mark Twain quotes about travel and life.
8. Collect aha moments
Ever come up with a clever turn of phrase or fun idea? “Oh, I’ll remember it later,” you thought to yourself. And then when you went to recall it, blank. Write it down! Our stone paper pocket notebooks are great for this particular use.
9. Exercise track via your notebook
Record how many miles you walked, sets of weights you’ve lifted, or the number of protein shakes you’ve drunk. If you bite it, write it, daily food diaries are the best way to help you maintain a healthy weight. Throw in a little activity and you’re on the road to health.
10. Pass down wisdom to your family
I will share with you a bit of wisdom I gained at a young age. Do not microwave an egg that is still in its shell. But if you do, do not open the door until after it explodes. Not as enlightening as the Family Sagas of the Icelanders, but a useful pearl of wisdom nonetheless. You are sure to do better.
In the end, fun is what counts. Enjoy the task!
Whatever you decide to do with your new notebook or stone paper journal, we ask only one thing, that you do not use it to prop up a crooked table. I mean, we’re proud of our products and want you to use them. Not so that you eventually have to buy another one but because our products are meant to be used and will last you a long time besides.
Other empty notebook ideas
Storytelling
Storytelling is a great way to kickstart your creativity and inject some life into an empty notebook. To get started, think of an interesting character or situation and write down the details. Then use your imagination to start creating a scene involving the character or situation you came up with. You can start with something as simple as describing what the character looks like or what environment they are in.
Poetry
Writing poetry is another good way to unlock your creativity and let your imagination run wild. A great exercise for this is taking something from everyday life and turning it into an expression of beauty through words. For example, try walking around outside and picking out something ordinary like a tree or a street corner and then think about how you could transform it into a journal dedicated poem.
Short Story
Short stories are also a great way to kill time while still being productive with your writing. All you have to do here is come up with an idea for a story that would only take one paragraph at most to tell. Once that’s done, expand on the idea by adding more detail and characters until the story grows into something larger than what you had originally intended.
Journaling
Journaling is another excellent method of filling empty notebook pages without having to feel overwhelmed by big projects or long stories. Instead, simply use the space as a place where you can express yourself freely without worrying about structure or perfectionism too much – just let your thoughts flow onto the paper as if no one else were going to ever read it!
Drawing/Sketching
Drawing or sketching out ideas can be useful for sparking creativity when faced with an empty notebook page. This works especially well if you aren't naturally drawn towards creative writing but would still like to create something meaningful within the notebook's pages. Try using different colored pens, pencils made with grass, markers, etc. And draw out whatever comes to mind - shapes, patterns, scenes, etc.
So there you have it, ten ideas to fill up your hardcover stone paper notebook and maybe become the next Da Vinci. These are just a few ways that can help fill up those empty pages in your notebook when staring at them feels too daunting! Whether it's storytelling, poetry, short stories, journaling OR drawing - experiment until you find which one works best for YOU!
And remember, while you're filling up your notebook, why not make it sustainable with some stylish and eco-friendly stationery? Saving the planet is just as important as writing down your dreams and goals. Plus, who knows, maybe future generations will one day open up your notebook and marvel at your brilliant ideas...or your really detailed grocery list.
For further reading on notebook ideas...
If you're seeking to explore the realms of self-discovery, business, and literature, we've gathered a collection of resources for you to delve into. If you're fond of physical copies, we recommend you to visit your nearby library. On the other hand, if you're inclined towards online shopping, you can find outgoing links to the books on Amazon below. Additionally, if you're looking for inspiration for cute and aesthetic notebook ideas, or if you want to get your hands on cute empty or blank notebooks or notes pages, we've got you covered as well.
- The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Guevara
- Meaningful Work: A Quest to Do Great Business, Find Your Calling, and Feed Your Soul by Shawn Askinosie
- Keeping a Dream Journal - Psychology Today
- Sagas of Icelanders - Wikipedia Entry
- Hrafnkel's Saga and Other Icelandic Stories is a good entry point into saga literature. This translation also contains the story of Hreidar the Fool which isn’t a saga but is a hoot to read.
