I just had one of those weekends where you go somewhere not expecting much but it turned out to be much more fun than you imagined and went home on a high.
Then the next day, I hyped up expectations about another place, but it turned out to be a total let down. How did I deal with this roller coaster of a weekend?
I wrote it in my journal this morning of course. It doesn’t solve all of my problems, or the world’s for that matter, but it sure felt therapeutic to pour out my well of thoughts & emotions into it.
I’m so thankful that I had my journaling tools to help me release & vent, and I’m excited to share this mini guide on must-have tools for journaling with you.
I only recommend things that I love. I might earn a commission if you finalize a purchase. Read privacy.
Essential Journal Tools.
1. Journal Notebook
I picked the notebook as the most essential tool because you don’t need a pen if you’re using a digital journal. With that being said, I am a paper journal type of girl, so I’m going to talk about paper only journaling from this point.
I wrote about how to choose a journal in great detail, but I just wanted to mention that you don’t need anything fancy, especially if it’s your first time journaling.
You can go to a discount store or your favorite department store and grab a journal that looks and feels right for you. Once you get the hang of journaling, you can either finish the journal or upgrade to one that has better quality and features.
2. Journal Pens
The second most important tool is the journal pen. You can read about my post on journal pens in greater detail here, but I will briefly share my favorite pens as of right now.
They are the BIC intensity clic gel pen and 4-color pastel and original retractable pens. I love the vibrant color and smooth flow of the gel pen. It dries quickly and doesn’t smudge or bleed through paper. I use the multicolored pens for highlighting words on the pages for easy reference.
I use both of these pens every day and they make journaling that much more fun and enjoyable.
Journal Accessories.
These extra tools for journaling are accessories rather than must-haves, but they’re worth sharing because they are like icing on the cake when it comes to journaling.
3. Ruler
I have a ruler that I use every day because it helps me make perfectly straight lines when I want to highlight titles and words in my journal.
I chose a clear, plastic, 6 inch one because it’s light, small enough to fit in the back pocket, and gives me an unobstructed view of the paper. You can get one practically anywhere and it’s a very affordable tool that enhances the journaling experience.
4. Pencil
I always say it’s okay to make mistakes when it comes to journaling, but I also don’t enjoy seeing too many of them on my pages. To avoid this, I use my mechanical pencil to sketch doodles, fancy letters, or borders.
Then I erase the pencil marks, after going over them with ink and waiting for it to dry, to give my writing and drawing a clean look.
5. Eraser
I use a white, polymer eraser to erase my pencil marks. It doesn’t smudge pencil marks or make the paper wear too thin.
7. Ephemera
My ephemera are pieces of paper I save as keepsakes like receipts, brochures, or photos. I’ve also purchased ephemera for scrapbooks and to embellish my journal pages for spreads of my mini travels on weekends and short breaks.
8. Scissors
I use scissors to cut ephemera, tape, and even journal pages. You probably have a pair lying around at home, but if you don’t, I like the brand Fiskars that I purchased from Target.
9. Glue
Glue is essential if you like making journal spreads with your ephemera, keepsakes, and photos. I use Elmer glue sticks that I’ve purchased from Target and Walmart.
10. Stickers
Stickers bring back memories of my childhood, but they are so much fun to use in journals now that I’m a grown up. I use them when I get bored with just seeing words on my journal pages or for journal spreads.
They’re a quick and easy way to add beautiful or cute pictures on my journal pages.
11. Washi Tape
Washi tape is a fancier kind of tape. I use it to both attach my ephemera, keepsakes, & photos, and to add color & interest, to my journal pages.
I’ve purchased them from craft stores and they come in all kinds of shapes, colors, and sizes, so you can pick one, or many, that match your style and aesthetic.
The Takeaway On Journal Tools.
If there’s only one tool I recommend for journaling, it’s the notebook. You don’t need a pen nowadays because there are apps and digital tools that you can journal with.
But, if you’re a hardcore paper journal fan like me, then the pen is the only other tool I recommend for journaling because you don’t need anything fancy or extra.
All the others I mentioned: the ruler, pencil, eraser, ephemera, scissors, glue, stickers, and washi tape, are icing on the cake and make journaling that much more enjoyable.
More Tools To Help You Journal
If you’re a beginner to journaling, check out my posts on how to start journaling and morning pages.
I hope you found this guide helpful. I will take a mini break because I have to work next Monday, but will be back with a fresh new post, so stay tuned!
