Discover how journals can help turn your goals and desires into reality. Simple, powerful, and proven to keep you focused, inspired, and on target.
The ideal journal balances structure and freedom, making it simple and inviting to capture fleeting ideas and deeper personal thoughts alike.
What Makes a Great Journal?
A great journal, whether you are tracking daily ideas and personal thoughts, jotting down answers in a gratitude journal, or writing reflections about any given topic, it has a few key qualities:
1. Flexible Layout: It should have enough open space or a versatile format that encourages both quick jotting of ideas and deeper reflection. For example, daily affirmations combined with blank, lined, or dotted pages to use for reflection about that day’s affirmation.
2. Easy Organization: Sections or prompts for dates, topics, or categories help users easily find and revisit past entries.
3. Encourage Creativity: Space for sketches, mind maps, and free writing invites creativity beyond just text.
4. Personalization: A journal that feels personal—whether through a customizable cover, prompts tailored to your needs, or inspirational quotes—helps maintain motivation to write daily.
5. Portable and Durable: Easy to carry around and built to withstand daily use ensures consistent journaling anywhere. This can be a physical journal or a digital one to use on a tablet with GoodNotes, Xodo, etc.
6. Privacy Considerations: A design closure (like a band or lock) that gives a sense of security encourages honest, open expression.
7. Prompt Support: Some people benefit from daily or weekly prompts to jumpstart their thinking or reflection.
Types of Journal Layouts
The following examples of journal layouts work well for tracking daily ideas and personal thoughts:
Daily Pages Layout:
- Date at the top
- A section for “Today’s Ideas” with bullet points or quick notes
- A “Reflection” section for personal thoughts and feelings
- A small space for doodles and sketches
Two-Column Layout:
- On the Left Side of the page ~ Capture an Idea—quick, free-form notes, mind maps, or brainstorming
- On the Right Side of the page ~ Personal reflections, emotions, or detailed journal entries
Prompted Layout:
- Date and day
- Daily prompts such as “What inspired me today?”, “One challenge I faced”, or “A new idea to explore”
- Free space for additional notes and sketches
Grid or Dot-Grid Layout:
- Blank or dotted pages that allow for flexible writing, drawing, and organizing ideas visually
- Perfect for mixing text, sketches, charts, and mind maps
Bullet Journal Style:
- Use symbols to mark ideas, tasks, and reflections
- Index page to organize content
- Monthly and weekly logs to track ideas over time
Example Bullet Journal Page
Split Page Layout:
- Top half for listing ideas, tasks, and goals
- Bottom half for personal thoughts, gratitude, and emotional check-ins
How to Make One
There are several ways to make journals, depending on whether you want them to be handmade, digitally created, or professionally produced.–
1. Handmade Journals
Perfect for personal use, gifts, and small-batch creations to sell.
- Materials: Blank or printed pages, heavy cardstock or chipboard covers, decorative paper, binding thread or ribbon.
- Binding Methods:
- Staple binding (easy, quick)
- Saddle stitch (thread through the spine)
- Coptic stitch (lays flat, decorative)
- Ring or disc binding (easy to rearrange pages)
- Customization: Hand-painted covers, washi tape borders, stickers, or fabric wraps.
2. Printable / Digital Journals
Great for Etsy, online shops, and personal iPad and Tablet journaling.
- Design Software: Canva, Adobe InDesign, Affinity Publisher, or Microsoft Word.
- Formats:
- Printable PDFs (A4, Letter, A5 sizes)
- Hyperlinked PDFs for digital planning (clickable tabs)
- Features: Custom layouts, prompts, habit trackers, coloring pages, mood charts, sticker packs.
3. Professionally Printed Journals
Best for selling in stores or online in bulk.
- Services: Amazon KDP, Lulu, Blurb, IngramSpark, and local print shops.
- Cover Types: Softcover, hardcover, or spiral-bound.
- Paper Options: Lined, dotted, blank, or mixed-format.
- Extras: Elastic closures, ribbon bookmarks, embossing, foil stamping.
- Services: Amazon KDP, Lulu, Blurb, IngramSpark, and local print shops.
4. Hybrid Design
- Design digitally, then print at home or at a print shop, and then bind by hand for a personal touch.
- Allows full creative control while keeping production costs manageable.
Sources for Both Planners and for Supplies to Create Yourself
The following are sources where you can get digital journals, printed journals, and supplies, plus where you can find PLR (Private Label Rights) and MRR (Master Resell Rights) content to customize and resell.
Digital Journals
Marketplaces for ready-made or customizable digital journals:
- Creative Fabrica – Thousands of planners, journals, stickers, with commercial use.
- Etsy – Huge variety of printable and hyperlinked journals.
- Creative Market – Professionally designed templates and graphics.
- Design Bundles – Affordable bundles, including commercial use rights.
- Template.net – Wide selection of templates for personal or business journaling.
Software for creating your own digital journals:
- Canva
- Adobe InDesign
- Affinity Publisher
- GoodNotes, Xodo, etc (for testing hyperlinked journals)
Printed Journals
Print-on-Demand (POD) Platforms:
- Amazon KDP – Print and sell paperback or hardcover journals worldwide.
- Lulu – Wide range of sizes and binding options.
- Blurb – High-quality printing, great for image-heavy journals.
- IngramSpark – Global distribution with professional finishes.
- Printify / Printful – Spiral-bound and hardcover options (connects to Etsy, Shopify).
Wholesale & Custom Printing:
- Vistaprint – Custom journals in bulk.
- Moo – Premium notebooks and journals.
- Local print shops – Faster turnaround, hands-on proofing.
Journal Supplies
- Stationery Stores: Staples, Office Depot, Michaels, Joann Fabrics.
- Art & Craft Stores: Hobby Lobby, Blick Art Materials.
- Online Retailers: Amazon, JetPens, NotebooksTherapy (for unique inserts & accessories).
PLR & MRR Journal Sources
NOTE: Always read the license terms carefully — some require modifications before resale.
PLR (You can edit, brand, and sell):
- PLR.me – Health, self-help, and mindset journals.
- CoachGlue – PLR workbooks, planners, and journals.
- Content Sparks – Business-focused PLR planners and journals.
- PLR Beach – Stylish lifestyle and productivity journals.
- PLR Planners – Huge library of journals, trackers, and planners.
- Sue Fleckenstein’s Createful Journals – Ready-to-edit Canva templates.
MRR (You can resell as is, sometimes without editing):
- IDPLR.com – Large digital library of MRR products.
- BuyQualityPLR.com – PLR & MRR journals, planners, and templates.
- Tools for Motivation – Personal development journals with MRR.
From Inspiration to Creation — Your Journal Journey Starts Now
With the right tools, resources, and creative spark, your journal can be more than just blank pages — it can become a daily companion, a creative outlet, and even a product others will love.
Whether you’re designing a digital journal, crafting a handmade notebook, or sourcing PLR/MRR content to customize and sell, you now have the roadmap to bring your vision to life. The possibilities are endless — all that’s left is to start turning your ideas into pages.
Your Dreams Deserve a Plan—Let’s Find It
Passion starts here.
Unlock the life you’ve been dreaming of with the Find Your Passion Journal & Workbook – your guided path to discovering what truly lights you up inside. Packed with thought-provoking prompts, interactive exercises, and space for reflection, this PLR digital download makes it easy to inspire, motivate, and connect with your audience. Whether for personal growth, coaching programs, or as a resale product, this ready-to-use resource empowers users to uncover their passions and take action toward a more fulfilling life.
