20 creative ways to use a personalised notebook

May 23, 2023

When you’re buying a personalised notebook as a gift for a milestone birthday, a present for a teacher, or as a treat to yourself, there are lots to choose from. 

At Betsy Benn, our bespoke notebooks and custom journals feel so much more luxurious than your average notebooks. That’s because they’re laser engraved in our Cotswolds studio, to feature hand-drawn or typographic designs created by our founder, Betsy. Or – even better – they can feature designs created by you! That’s right, we can engrave your personalised notebook with your child’s drawing, some special handwriting, or a business logo.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll be an avid collector of notebooks and journals. Of course, there’ll be some notebooks you’re saving for best (i.e., you have zero intention of ever using them!). 

That new notebook smell!

But, for the ones you do want to write in, there’s nothing like cracking open the cover for the first time, taking a deep inhale of that wonderful new notebook smell (surely there’s a word for that? Scriptaroma? Papernoscent?), feeling the smooth paper inside and wondering what the heck you’re going to write on those beautifully clean pages. 

But notebooks are made to be written and doodled in! So, if you’re planning on buying a beautiful personalised notebook from Betsy Benn – whether for yourself or as a gift to a friend, partner or colleague – here are 20 ideas of how you can use it.

Use your personalised notebook for journaling

There’s been a growing trend for journaling recently, and it’s easy to understand why. Far more than merely recording the events of your day as you would in a diary, keeping a journal allows you to write down your feelings, ideas and observations. Journaling is an intimate process, which is great for exploring and reflecting on your emotions. It can also be a helpful, healing way to support you through stress, anxiety, depression or medical treatment.

That’s why our And Breathe journal is so perfect for self-gifting or as a present for someone you know who is going through a hard time. Personalised with a name and available in a range of jewel-like colours (the mustard is my personal favourite), the And Breathe notebook reflects that feeling when you catch a moment to yourself, or you come home after a tough day and collapse on the couch. 

Take a deep breath, reset yourself, get all of your thoughts down on paper and exhale. Let go. Encouraging you to let your feelings take flight, the tactile vegan leather notebook cover is laser engraved with a flock of soaring birds, along with the words And Breathe, plus your personalisation: your name, or the name of the person you’re gifting the journal to. 

For even more inspiration, our Living Your Dreams journal is a beautiful, adaptable notebook which could be used to write affirmations as part of your manifesting practice, as a place to record your nightly dreams, or somewhere to write down your goals and life plans so you can start making them a reality. 

“Fantastic quality and a lovely gift. Very personalised and paper quality great.” (Rachel E, reviewer)

A journal for all of baby’s ‘firsts’

I don’t know about you, but my son is 16 and I’m still in the habit of recording his milestones (date of first GCSE exam, when he started shaving - that kind of thing!) on a never-ending note on my phone. When you have a newborn, it’s great to have a dedicated place to write down all of those firsts – their first bath, their first trip to the park, the first word they said, or how they’d say ‘futterdye’ instead of ‘butterfly’… Instead of storing those special moments in a place you’ll never see them, write them in a special place – a special personalised journal. This From Day One journal is the most thoughtful gift you could give new parents on the arrival of their newborn, or to celebrate an adoption. 

Expectant parents and pregnant mamas are often deluged with some pretty samey presents. So gift them something truly personal for their baby shower or blessingway, like Betsy Benn’s Bump, Baby and Beyond bespoke notebook. 

The best thing about these personalised baby notebooks? They can be gifted to the child once they’ve grown up! What an incredible, sentimental gift for your child to receive a book detailing important moments in their life on a special day like their 18th birthday, their wedding day, or the day they welcome their own first child into the world! Oh, I imagine there would be tears! 

A notebook to record life’s amazing moments

It’s been said that life is the greatest adventure, and it’s true – there are so many adventures to be had! Whether it’s for an outdoorsy couple on their wedding day, a student heading on their gap year or celebrating a graduation, or a retirement gift, our Adventure Is Out There personalised notebook is a great reminder that life is about collecting moments, not things. 

I always imagine this notebook being crammed with handwritten reflections on exciting adventures and achievements, along with physical memories like train tickets, boarding passes, Polaroid snaps and napkins from that magical beach bar where you sat with sundowners after a day making memories in an amazing new place… You can use this adventure notebook as a really special record of a really special time, something to look back on which will bring those memories and feelings flooding back. 

“A beautiful gift. My friend was delighted with it!” (Claire, reviewer)

A planning tool for your business

It’s all well and good having ideas of what you want to achieve in life, but handwriting those goals down in a beautiful personalised notebook really elevates your plans. It’s the same for business – every great business needs a plan! If you’re a business owner, or you have a friend who’s just founded their own venture, then our bespoke business logo notebook is exactly what you need. 

You can have your business logo laser engraved on the cover, and choose the notebook colour that best matches your branding. You can use it for quarterly or annual business planning, make a note of client wins (perfect to cheer you up on a low day!), journal on your achievements, challenges and lessons each month, or plan your social media content ideas.

“Such a good quality product and it worked really well as a gift, I couldn't recommend enough! I might end up getting myself one next.” (Conor F, happy notebook customer)

A personalised notebook for a special occasion

When your child draws you a special picture, don’t just stick it on the fridge to get tatty, or shove it in a drawer with the rest of them. Turning your child’s drawing into a practical, useful notebook is a great idea, and the perfect way to enjoy their cute artwork for longer. 

With Father’s Day coming up, name me a better gift than a personalised notebook for dad featuring their own child’s drawing... I can’t think of anything! This custom child’s drawing journal is easy to order, and makes the perfect present for grandma or granddad, for adoptive parents, or godparents. And there’s all sorts they can use it for – like day-to-day notes, a gratitude journal, lettering practice, a parenting journal… You could even ask your child to draw a special picture for their mum, dad, teacher or sibling so you can have it engraved on a Betsy Benn vegan leather notebook and gift it for a birthday, special occasion or even for going away to university. 

“Beautiful personalised notebook that arrived much earlier than expected, fantastic service that will allow me to give it to my friend for her 50th birthday at the weekend. Definitely recommend.” (Lesley, buyer)

With such a useful, beautiful collection of personalised notebooks available from Betsy Benn, why shop anywhere else?

How can I use my personalised notebook?

1. Journal your emotions and reflect on your feelings, write your daily gratitude list, or use it to look back at the end of each month, focusing on your achievements, challenges and lessons.
2. Write affirmations as part of your manifesting practice.
3. Record your nightly dreams – do you notice any patterns?
4. Write down your goals and life plans so you can start making them a reality. 
5. Keep a pregnancy journal, recording your growing bump, your feelings about your unborn baby, any useful advice you receive or positive birthing resources you love. 
6. Create a journal for all of baby’s ‘firsts’, or start a record book for your child’s, godchild’s or grandchild’s amazing milestones.
7. Plan your travels, next big trip or adventure.
8. Keep a diary or scrapbook of your days out and holidays.
9. Make plans for your retirement.
10. Record your experiences while at university or on a gap year.
11. Make plans for a big birthday – list ideas for 30 things to do when you turn 30, for example, or arrange your dream party.
12. Fill it with goals for your business, or use it to plan social media content ideas.
13. Keep a business diary and make a note of client or work wins, things that went well, and lessons you’ve learned – perfect to look back on if you’re having a low day or you’ve got the Sunday scaries! 
14. Use it as a keepsake family recipe book, saving handwritten versions of all those favourite family meals and specialities. 
15. Turn it into a book of all your to-do lists – better than having scraps of paper everywhere!
16. Use it for lettering practice.
17. Share your thoughts about your parenting journey… One day, you could have enough material to write your own book!
18. A leavers’ book for someone leaving school or work (filled with your classmates’ or colleagues’ memories!).
19. Journal on your experiences of going through medical treatment or chemo, for example. 
20. Create a reading log, keeping track and writing reviews of what you’ve read.

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