Notebook Journal – 5 Reasons to Start One

When I was in fourth grade, my older sister was starting her freshman year in high school. One of the items on her list of must have school essentials was a planner. In the planner she would write down her assignments, work schedule, soccer schedule, and whatever else was important to remember.

I so badly wanted a planner of my own. I wanted to plan my days just like she was. But my mom said I didn’t need one as I wasn’t busy enough to have a schedule. I tried to make the argument that I could jot down all of my homework assignments, remind myself of my piano lesson on Wednesdays, and my mandatory 45 minute daily piano practice. On a side note, practing/playing the piano for 45 minutes every single day was treacherous for me. As an adult, I can hardly sit at my desk for 45 minutes. Sadly, she said no and shut me down and that was the end of it.

When I started high school, I finally got a planner. I loved planning out my week then and I still love it now!

Which brings me to my current DIY planner/notebook/journal. Here are my top reasons for starting one:

Creating – I love to create. There is nothing more satisfying then to see a blank page turn into something pretty. And better yet, making my own layout provides the flexibility for me to choose any colors and designs I want to do.
To Do Lists – I’d say I’m old school when it comes to ‘To Do Lists.’ Yes, some may say I can plan my entire schedule on my phone, but I’d rather not spend my time looking at my computer or my phone to jot my lists and schedules. I’m more of a tangible person when it comes to my ‘To Do List.’ Placing a check mark next to a completed item is somewhat gratifying…or satisfying.
Memories – Not only is my notebook a ‘To Do List’, but it also serves as a diary. It’s easy to write in a couple sentences about a memorable experience and glue in a picture, ticket to serve as a significant moment I don’t want to forget.
Organization – My home is organized and so is my time. I’m not a fan of tardiness, even if it’s only five minutes. I hugely rely on my notebook to keep me on schedule.
Meal Planning – It’s so easy to pick up fast food or visit a restaurant, but I’m also not a fan of spending money like that, it gets expensive. So, my husband and I plan our meals for the entire week. Creating a meal plan in my notebook is easy, it’s cheaper than going out, and we only visit the grocery store once a week. See my reusable meal plan layout here.

This entire notebook process doesn’t take too much time either. It really depends how basic or extreme the design is. I choose to design mine with stencils and stamps. Majority of the time it takes about 20-25 minutes to create my layouts. I respond well to colors, circles, and straight lines.

Last but not least, creating layouts, or just creating in general is relaxing. That is reason enough!

With that said, here is my layout for the week…and it’s purple, check it out.

Supplies

Step One

I started this layout by placing circles on both sides of the notebook. I placed removable adhesive on the bottom side of the circles so they wouldn’t move. The adhesive I use does not damage the pages whatesoever.

Step Two

Then, with a blending foam tool, I covered the entire layout with a light purple distress ink. Once the page was covered, I placed my stencil on top, and added a layer of dark purple distress ink.

Step Three

After removing the circles, I colored my blending palette with the darker shade of purple (636) and then picked up that color just by coloring right on top of darker purple with the lighter shade (665) and lettered the month. I outlined the month and wrote in the date with the extra fine tip side of the purple/pink marker. Then, I added a bit of details with a white gel pen.