Simple Helpful Journal and Planner Accessories: Reviews

Journal accessories (like repositionable tabs, DIY ribbon page bookmarks, no-bleed markers . . .) can add ease, efficiency, and enjoyment to the use of journals and planners. I tested a bunch to review and let you know what works and doesn't work.

Repositionable tabs turned out to be as advertised and very useful. DIY ribbon bookmarks are supper easy to make. But some of the so called no-bleed markers were too-much-bleed for me. 

What's in This Post

Repositionable Tabs for Planners and Journals

Love using these tabs! You can place them anywhere you want to mark the pages you want to find your way back to quickly and you can move them!

Repositionable tabs come in different sizes depending on your personal preference. Add them to the edge of pages to mark different sections in your journals or planners. They are inexpensive, can be written on, and are repositionable and reusable. 

	Avery Ultra Tabs, 2.5" x 1", 2-Side Writable
	Post-it Tabs with Dispenser

Colored Pencils for Journals and Planners

Colored pencils are a great choice for no-bleed coloring in journals and planners. 

After sorting through reviews on Amazon, I tried two brands: Amazon Basic and Prisma. 

Prisma colored pencils are a premier brand so may not be the cheapest option, but I've also noticed Amazon running sales at times that make them closer in price to more inexpensive brands. I gave them a test drive. I enjoyed using them--but not as much as the Amazon Basic pencils. You can purchase them on their own or in sets with sharpeners, etc.

I tried the Amazon Basics colored pencils after the Prisma pencils. Color me surprised! I actually like the Amazon pencils better! They seem softer than the Prisma pencils. It seems like the color goes on smoother. The testing of these two brands showed me that I prefer the feel of coloring with the softer pencils.

Journal and Planner Accessories: No-Bleed Markers

It can be fun to add a little color to your journal and planner pages with markers but you don't want the color to bleed through and ruin the next page.

Highlighters can serve the purpose but even some of these leave too much color and bleed through. 

I tried 3 brands with mixed results. 

Sharpie highlighters were promising but some of the darker colors bled through.

Dual Markers Brush Pens by Sutoroo that claim to be no-bleed have a brush tip and a fine point on each marker. The fine point lived up to the no-bleed promise but the brush tip tended to supply too much ink and was too difficult to use lightly.

Zebra Pen Mildliner Double Ended Highlighter Set is a winner! It has a broad point end and a fine point end for each highlighter. It provides a nice amount of color and if you use a light touch (which is pretty easy to do with this brand) it doesn't bleed through. It comes in different pack sizes so you can decide how many colors you want and how much you want to spend. 

Zebra Pen Mildliner Double Ended Highlighter Set, Broad and Fine Point Tips $15 - $34 depending on number of markers in set

Stickers to Make Journaling and Planning Fun and Organized

Add a splash of creativity and functionality to your journal or planner with stickers!

Highlight, Categorize, Motivate: Using Stickers in Planners

Stickers are more than just decorative—they can serve as helpful tools to streamline your planning and keep you motivated.

• Highlighting important dates (e.g., deadlines, appointments, birthdays).

• Categorizing tasks to organize priorities (e.g., work, personal, fitness).

• Tracking habits like hydration, exercise, or spending.

• Adding motivational quotes to keep you inspired.

• Marking milestones or progress toward goals.

• Creating visual reminders for recurring tasks or events.

• Bringing a fun, creative touch to personalize your planner.

Using stickers can turn planning into a fun and motivating activity!

A Pop of Personality: Using Stickers to Enhance Journals

Stickers can bring creativity and functionality to your journaling, making it more engaging and inspiring.

• Decorating pages to make your journal visually appealing.

• Highlighting key thoughts or memorable moments.

• Marking sections to easily navigate themes or topics.

• Adding prompts to spark ideas for writing or reflection.

• Tracking moods or emotions with fun, expressive designs.

• Incorporating inspirational quotes for encouragement.

• Recording milestones or achievements in a creative way.

With stickers, your journal becomes a vibrant and personal space for expressing and organizing your thoughts and feelings.

I sorted through journal and planner stickers on Amazon. These were my favorites: 

	Planner Stickers - 28 Sheets, 1378 Stunning Design Accessories for Journals and Calendars, Essential Planner Accessories by Tullofa
	Ultimate Design Elements Planner Stickers Set - Value Pack of 24 Sheets - Clear Stickers, Banners, Arrows, Mandala Coloring
	Bloom daily planners Inspirational & Motivational Quotes Planner Stickers

Elastic Band Page Keeper for Planners

Note: I'm thinking that I prefer the book weight that I talk about in a minute as a method of keeping my planner open to the page I'm working on, but I still included this elastic band idea for you to consider. 

I hunted around a bit to find a large rubber band for holding my journal and planner open on the page I'm using. Some items that are made for this purpose seem too wide for what I was wanting them for. I want them to be holding the page I'm using but not take up a bunch of space.

I found that the Alliance File Elastic Bands work great for my 6" x 9" books. They start out at just over 7". No doubt there are other similar products that would also do the job. While they're inexpensive, I ended up with a lot of them. It will be interesting to see what other uses I find for them.

UPDATE: Using these rubber bands holds the page you're on open, but tends to make the book resist closing when you want to close it. You can then use the band to keep the book closed, but it does make the book bulkier. 

Alliance Rubber Non-Latex Brites File Bands, Colored Elastic Bands, 50 Pack (7" x 1/8", Assorted Bright Colors in Resealable Bag)

Weighted Bookmark for Planners

Weighted bookmarks are another useful accessory for keeping your planner open on the page you're working with. I only recently discovered these handy page keepers.

I see that there are lots of different ones on Etsy, so I'm guessing that they are quite popular. 

This one from Amazon is the one that I tried out with good results. It's flat in the middle and weighted on the ends. It holds the open planner pages flat for viewing and making entries while the flat part in the middle makes it easy to write my to-do's in my planner. 

DIY Ribbon Journal and Planner Bookmarks 

I've been adding ribbon bookmarks in my planners and journals for years. There are some DIY videos out there for gluing ribbons into the spine of hardcover books, but I have found that they stay put by simply tapping them inside the back cover on the last page. 

Supplies:

• 3/8 inch satin ribbon (i.e. LaRibbons Satin Ribbon in assorted colors)
• scissors and tape
• optional: a candle for melting the end of the ribbon 

1) Make a diagonal cut to a piece of ribbon that is about 6" longer the the length of your book. (Long enough to hang out the bottom of your book by about 3" and a few inches for insertion on the back page.)

2) The diagonal cut will help the ribbon not fray, but you can add additional assurance by lightly melting the cut end. Bring the end close to a candle flame -- barely touching it as you quickly swipe back and forth for a few seconds. When the end is melted, you'll see a slight bead form on the cut edge and a slight darkening in color.

3) Tape the non-diagonally cut end inside the back cover on the last page of the book.

Place the ribbon satin-side up on the last page inside the back cover.

Use one piece of tape along the length of the ribbon and place another piece of tape across the top. 

That's it. You're done!

Silver Lining Journals, Workbooks, and Planners 

Through the work I've done helping my counseling clients, I've created a series of journals, workbooks, and planners to help make your life better. 

(I may receive commissions for purchases from links on this site, but they don't impact your cost.) 

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