20 Creative Journals To Start In Your Spare Time
While you're home, it's a great time to flex your handwriting, folks. Put that cursive you learned in third grade to use.
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1. A writing book if you don't know where to start or what to write about. This'll give you over 600 prompts that range from incredulous to witty so whenever you need a spark of inspiration, you can turn to it. No more writer's block!
Get it from Amazon for $11.17.
2. A whimsical dream diary so whenever you have a dream that you don't want to forget, you'll have somewhere to put it (and no, the Notes app isn't the same). This has space to write and draw, guided prompts, checkboxes, and fun illustrations to help you remember and ponder your dreams!
Get it from Amazon for $12.79.
3. Burn After Writing, a secret journal filled with private prompts that'll help you reflect, explore, question, and learn new things about yourself. It's a book truly about you so when you're done, you can keep it, bury it for your grandkids to find, throw it in the trash, or, ya know, burn it.
Get it from Amazon for $8.40.
4. A gorgeous cloth-wrapped fabric journal that you can write away in to your heart's content. And honestly, it just looks so enticing you'll want to write in it anyway.
Get it from Rifle Paper Co. for $24 (available in five patterns).
5. A bucket list book so you can make a list of all the things you want to do as soon as the world is back to normal. This isn't just to write down your wishes and record your adventures — it also helps you plan and budget said wishes, and has smaller sections dedicated to things like movies you want to see, food you want to eat, and skills you want to learn. So cool!
This has room for 65 trips and experiences.
Get it from Amazon for $11.52.
6. A sunny and bright Two Minute Mornings gratitude journal so you'll have this to remind you of things to be thankful for, even if staying home indefinitely is wearing you down.
Get it from Amazon for $11.42.
7. A witchy hardcover journal to write in if you want to cleanse the day's negative energy before bedtime.
Get it from Redbubble for $20.51 (available in three paper types).
8. A travel journal so you can remember all the memorable places you wander to — even if it's just the new sushi place down the block. This even has space for you to note what the weather was like when you went ☔ .
Get it from Amazon for $10.42.
9. A family recipe book for all those new dinners and desserts you're trying to make because you can't really be ordering takeout seven days a week. Whenever you or the fam makes something good, jot it down here instead of on your phone!
Get it from Amazon for $5.09.
10. A neat and no-nonsene Muji notebook if you're all about that clean Japanese minimalism. They're easy to carry on the go — and easy to hide from nosy family members too!
11. A vintage-looking five-year journal for some self-therapy. Jot down your thoughts, clear your head, and have a little something to look back on when you're reminiscing on yourself (and this global pandemic) five years from now. And if stars are more your thing, the starry version is sure to enchant you!
Promising review (for the vintage-looking journal): "I used to journal and I've been wanting to get back into it. I just don't have the time. And it intimidates me, writing so much every day. This eliminates both problems. I write only a couple of sentences per day. It forces me to be creative and concise. I really have to think about what was most important for the day to write down. What will I want to look back and remember in the coming years? I find it thought provoking. This is just a great system. The book is quite small. It's very attractive looking. I love the ribbon bookmark, which is very functional." —Boxman
Get them from Amazon: the vintage-looking one for $11.79 and the starry one for $11.98.
12. A fun reading journal so you can always remember what you read and how you felt about it. You can even get creative with sections like ''Literary Places I'd Like to Visit" and "Books I'd Like with Me if I Were Stranded on a Desert Island."
This reading log holds up to 67 books! It's also small enough to carry around in your bag.
Promising review: "This journal is so great — not only does it help me to keep track of what I have already read, but it can also keep track of what you want to read, what you've loaned out, and there are lists of books to give you ideas of future books to read. When I go back and look over the entries I've made, I can see how much I enjoyed an author, a book, or even an entire series. It really gives me a unique perspective on what my frame of mind was when I read the book. My tastes are constantly evolving so it can be interesting to go back and see what I was reading and why. As such, my journal is deeply personal to me and is so much more than just a list of what books I've read." —Liz
Get it from Amazon for $9.95.
13. A set of these fairytale-like stitched notebooks for all your dreamy writing needs.
Each set comes with three notebooks.
Get it from Rifle Paper Co. for $15 (available in four patterns).
14. A happiness journal because we all need to remind ourselves about things we can be happy about, especially during these trying times. For me, sometimes it's as simple as the sound of the rain 🌧️!
Get it from Amazon for $10.22.
15. A nautical refillable leather journal so aesthetically pleasing you'll feel like you should be filling it out while on a sea voyage to some obscure island no one's ever heard of.
Get it from Amazon for $7.99+ (available in two sizes and 12 colors).
16. An illustrated listography that acts as an autobiography for your literary life. It has more than 70 list topics from standard things like books that made you cry to unconventional things like fictional crimes you've witnessed. It's super fun and guaranteed to keep you busy during the long days at home!
Promising review: "If you're an avid reader, this is absolutely awesome! I can tell it might take a while for me to fill mine out, but looking through it I know I'm going to have fun. The lists make you think and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the artwork! This would be a great buy for a gift or just for yourself, but it's worth the money!" —Monica
Get it from Amazon for $13.82.
17. A couple's journal so if you're stuck home with your S.O., both of you can get in on the journaling fun! No need to get sick of each other. This has one question a day, spiraling one year, for you both to answer so you'll have new things to talk about and learn about each other.
Get it from Amazon for $5.82.
18. An art book that'll give you little things to draw to inspire your imagination whenever you feel stumped. Or you can go for a traditional sketchbook and dive right in.
19. A plant and gardening book so you can document how your little plant babies grow throughout the weeks. It has tips and suggestions too!
Get it from Amazon for $9.85.
20. A bullet journal because sometimes you just need a place to scribble down quick notes, all your to-dos, numbers, and ideas but in a fun, entertaining way of course!
If you're totally lost, here's your starter pack to bullet journaling and why you should start one!
And if you're just a little uninspired, check out our Bullet Journal Ideas For Literally Every Occasion!
Get it from Amazon for $8.93+ (availlabe in three colors).
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Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.