How To Keep A Commonplace Book - 2022 Edition
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- An updated edition of how to keep a commonplace book for artists, writers, and students of life. Practical tips and why I decided with write with pen and paper.
My new course on keeping a writer's diary:
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The Scrapbook Project (Insights on creativity, art, reading):
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If you've enjoyed the video, you'll also like:
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My Skillshare course on how to write an essay in the humanities: www.skillshare....
My collaborative novel about Melbourne: There's A Tale To This City:
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My short story collection Passing Tales: rcwaldun.com/p...
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"There's no point in keeping your own version of Google." This quote really hit home for me and might be the first thing I write into my new analog Commonplace book. After searching for different digital ways to store my ideas and not finding one, I see why. As you said, it is deeply personal and that feeling is totally lost when you input it in a digital way.
That's so true, it was a great line that I should definitely not forget, I agree with you so much!
I agree
I also agree, but I do think it’s possible; just a lot harder when it comes to that personal touch.
I think I would have agreed ten years ago, but now it seems like Google is useless for finding anything that's not an ad. It's hard to re-find things you saw before.
Have heard about software like Notion however there is something special about a personal journal. I have an handmade artisan journal too, it has a really nice aesthetic.
I used to keep everything on paper but after a few years I ran into this problem “what notebook did I put that in?!”
I tried switching to computer programs but I ran into the problems you described in your video. What works for me is keeping a paper notebook but every few weeks, extracting the best ideas from my notebook and putting them into my digital system.
That way, I have the benefits of both systems.
Similarly, after WAY too long, I've finally started looking back at my old journal entries. Wow, journals are wonderful especially when you take time to look at your old posts. It's eye-opening. I like the idea of taking those ideas and expanding on them or creating some online bank.
I just use tabs in my notebooks. Works for me
Ive come to realize that having table of contents helps me in my journals. I dont put everything in there but if I wrote something I think I want to look back into I wrote page xyz topic: _____ so now when I look at my recent journal I see easily at a glimpse what is in that journal. Instead of my old ones where I have to scim through the entire thing to know if what I am searching for is in there
That’s genius lol thank you
My solution to that problem was using a full notebook and turning it into an index. Not perfect, but helps me keep track of the things I have written. Like an analog irl ctrl + f.
I initially clicked on this thinking "what the heck is a commonplace book?" but I've actually been doing a version of this for years I have so many notebooks and random scraps of paper that I've scribbled my notes and ideas on that I have accumulated. Although my problem is that it's all so disorganized and so many of my notes have been sitting for years untouched. I've been thinking about organizing them but I've been putting it off because it's such an intimidating task, so I think I'll take this video as a sign to revisit and organize my old notes and hopefully make a better organizing system so I can actually find my notes.
Thank you 🙏
That is me too, I need to organize my many notebooks and loose papers. I’ve stared by going through and organizing by category then moving only the still relevant ideas into one common place notebook! Good luck to us both!
Same. My notebooks are uncreatively titled “Book of Stuff” and the volume number. In them is content just like this vid describes
you can do it! good luck! it doesn't have to be intimidating if you make a plan and move forward one step at a time
Couple of suggestions for you: First, there’s a Japanese notebook hack that I’ve found extremely useful. On the very last page of your notebook, make a list of the general topic areas of the notes in your book, one key word per line. On the edge of each page where a key word was discussed, use a marker to darken the paper at the level of the line where you wrote the key word on your back page. Do this for all your topics. When you turn your notebook over and fan the pages, you’ll now see very easily where in your notebook you talked about each topic.
The second method of organization I’d suggest is “threading.” Let’s say you talked about mindfulness on page 4 of your notebook, and then you talked about it again on page 37. On the bottom of page 4, write the number 37 and an arrow pointing to the right. On the bottom of page 37, write the number 4 and an arrow pointing back to the left. This will allow you to step through your notebooks and see the evolution of your thinking over time on a certain topic, which I think adds valuable context. These are a couple of things you can do that aren’t quite so intimidating as digitizing all your notes, or rewriting them all in some sort of order.
I also clicked wondering what a commonplace book was... only to realize over the course of the video that there were currently 3 of them sitting next to me on my desk.
I've never heard the phrase "commonplace book." I've always thought of a journal as being very multi-disciplinary but I think most people think a journal is just a diary. So I like this new phrase and it describes what I've been doing. I recently decided that I'm done with all the digital journals because I can't keep track of things. It's too much and I end up feeling more like a hoarder, and everything feels less personal. Whereas a commonplace book allows me to have more creative input. It allows me to feel like I'm participating in my ideas rather than just collecting them (or more accurately, collecting other people's ideas with none of my own spin). The physical nature helps me feel like I'm actually part of the work.
Additionally, it also allows me to feel like I'm in control of the system. What I mean, and I'm just thinking about this now, is that when you collect things on Pinterest, it flows into their system. Whereas, when I use my commonplace book, I have so much more creative control. It feels like a space that I can manipulate.
Anyway, thank you for the video.
A commonplace book is a very old idea, going back centuries. :)
Yu
I think you've touched on an important point. Pen and paper have a physicality that is indeed more personal than the digital media. I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately. I feel no enmity towards my digital stuff, but neither do I feel like they're friendly companions, while pen and notebook do feel companionable and personal.
I'll pretend I *didn't* just scrawl the phrase "Find gold in the pile of shit" in my own commonplace book. 👼
When I first started mine a few years ago, I worried about not keeping it "in order" with quotes or ideas or article references or things I wanted to research in specific sections. I thought that it had to be organised meticulously in order to be useful and that that somehow made it more meaningful. But that quickly became a source of stress so I had to learn that there's really no wrong way to keep a commonplace book and that anything I added to it had inherent value to me. Now I keep it as the glorious kaleidoscope of knowledge that I always intended it to be. It's messy, sometimes non-sensical but it is so, so beautiful. I adore it.
:^)
"The glorious kaleidoscope of knowledge that I always intended it to be."
I've had similar issues to the ones you mentioned, and this urge to make it "neat and functional" has gotten in the way of beginning a physical commonplace book. Ironically, in my attempt to counter this using my phone's notes app, I've discovered that I'm gunna be chaotic & messy anyway (I can use the find function, but I hardly use folders despite how helpful they'd be). Your comment really helped me counter this mistake in my logic, and embrace the beauty in "cluttered thoughts".
Same ! I’m a messy person but I always wanted it to be properly divided into sections and it was blocking me. If anyone is reading this I found a compromise between this and the kaleidoscope you guys are talking about.
I can’t remember where I found this system but it doesn’t come from me. I think it’s from Japan or something like that.
On the first page I write down categories of things I write the most. It has to be in a list form and one above the other. At the end I just write « others ».
Then on the edge of the page, I put a little tiny round sticker (I’m sorry I down know the name in English, we call it « gommettes » in French). You don’t even need stickers, you can color a little square riiiiight on the edge but my pens would leave ink on my hands when I manipulate the book.
Then every time I write something and I feel this urge to organise it, on the edge , on the same level as the category in the first page, I put a little sticker (or color it)
When you keep doing this you’ll start seing blocks of colour on the edge of your book. And it’s a bit like these alphabetical order books where you switch to a letter to find an adress or whatever. If you know you want to find a quote for example, you just look through the pages that have Color/stickers on the level of « quotes »
I hope it makes sense!
@@eallae Thank you so much for your comment! Im surfing on youtube, trying to find an answer if i should make everything organized, or just put anything i was thinking that time without divide it. Since i hate having several notebook to use, i just want to keep 1 at a time.
And i stumble at your comment, and it makes me have an idea! Thank you so much!! Now i know what to do with my book
I also have years of spiral notebooks with every thing written chronologically. Zero organization, but I need to retrieve this golden art, inventions, solutions, thoughts, research, plans, whatever. The solution may be the Pile File system by Rob’s Productivity Tips. Old video and he uses a binder. This is easily modified to any notebook. Liberating! It is similar in many ways to the description by commenter Lae. I am implementing it now.
It will also work when scanning the pages for an archive to be stored on the computer.
I don't keep a commonplace book, but I do compose my poetry in a stalogy notebook with a fountain pen. Among the scratch outs, odd lines, and handwritten monologues, the true lines of my poetry are found. Thank you for giving your viewers the permission to use paper again.
At fourteen, I began a practice that continues to this day, "thinking on the pad." What always fascinated and often delighted me was how I could commit to paper an infant thought that seemed, at least at first, to be an orphan. Once on paper, there began an expansion that frequently flowed rapidly. This coaxing of thought, if you will, has always been the most singularly fruitful way for me. Over the years I have filled many pads with ideas that, when refined and actualized, became the very incubator for nearly every meaningful refinement in my thinking. I agree that writing one's ideas often produces elegant conceptualizations that would be difficult to produce by other processes. I think this is for the simple reason that writing is, as you say, deliberate and requires focus and time. I think another positive of coupling note taking with contemplation is it acts as a kind of calisthenics for one's attention span. Slowing down, focusing in the here and proceeding deliberately.
I really love what you've said and I think I'm going to take up this practice but I just wanted to say that I'm especially appreciative of how you've said it. That was so well written, I commend you for being so well spoken ...well, written I guess :)
@@arisandoval7306 Thank you! Best wishes in all your creative efforts.
In terms of story creation or general ideas? Writing down your thoughts is fruitful even if no end product is generated, but do you specifically use this method for narrative writing? I can imagine that it's beneficial for drawing or other forms of art as well. Love your point on slowing down and processing what you wrote. When you think about it, creative work and education is resistance training for the mind.
Vocab 👍👌
@@toniodejimi3905 Hi Toni. Without question, both story creation and general ideas. I have found this method is equally useful in both spaces.
just a note: you don't need an expensive iPad pro for sketching, a cheaper iPad and a cheap stylus will suffice and could be a valuable alternative to physical notebooks for minimalists. With the right screen protector (such as paperlike), it allows you to hand write and draw, while keeping it all super portable. I've been a hardcore paper notebook fan all my life (I'm in my 40s, so I grew up with paper before digital options were available), but I am now transitioning to the iPad alternative as the number of the moleskines I accumulated is becoming a bit unmanageable 😅
How do you find that transition? I'm the same age and on the fence on buying into it.
Some tips:
- buy refurbished. e waste has now reached environmental impact levels worse than fast fashion. it's also much cheaper. resellers like back market for example give you a 1 year warranty (making sure you keep things working for a long time helps save money and the environment)
- any matte screen protector will do, paperlike is overpriced imo
- if you have the cash, I recommend getting a better pen. it'll honestly have the biggest hand in determining your transition to digital
@@clifforddean232 started this with a samsung and it is an enormous boon. I bought hyperlinked pdf notebooks on etsy, I found one with 12 tabs, and a second one with 120 tabs. I love that I can use handwriting, and photos. It is liberating to be able to photograph pages, images, my environment, or scraps of paper and then I don't have to keep the clutter. The tabs help me find things quickly.
Yes, I have a cheap iPad and an Apple Pencil and keeping my journals handwritten in this way helps with the cognitive benefits of handwriting but also maintains the digital benefits of not needing to continue to buy, store, and organize physical notebooks and pens.
Minimalists dont have iPads. Ruins the whole idea of Minimalism
RC commonplace book deep cut. Cinematic and clean. I recently made the same decision to return to paper. Hemingway wrote by hand then transferred it to his typewriter. This was how he got through the difficulties of refining drafts. Obviously he wasn’t the only one lol. But there is something symbolically potent to be said about initially writing by hand imo. Great video as always. Cheers.
Thanks, Samuel. :)
Exactly - even David Foster Wallace in the 90s hand-wrote his first drafts. It's the best way. See also the Nabokov method, writing on index cards to write in whatever order you please and then rearrange, with the added bonus of making the dreaded blank page tiny! - certainly helped me do a first draft.
Neil Gaiman writes by hand also
@@BillNessworthyPhotography theres something to be said about the value of moving more slowly. Nabokov’s notecards is an interesting way for me to think about crafting a narrative, but I’m not sure I could ever do it. He was a genius. I can’t even imagine how he kept it all straight. Love the idea of keeping the blank page small though. Great. DFW cared so much about language, how the momentum of his sentences compounded. I think that’s one of the big values of writing by hand: it forces us to move so slowly that we can better control the rhythm of our ideas. Great insights!
@@Shmyrk kind of surprising tbh. Writing by hand slows my pace down so so much. Obviously Gaiman doesn’t experience the same thing - or maybe he does. Either way, man’s a machine.
I read an author called Clark Ashton Smith who was a friend of HP Lovecraft and was known for his dark fantasy. When you read Smith, his vocabulary is pure beauty. Words that are never used anymore fill his stories. I enjoy collecting these in my physical commonplace notebook.
Thanks for the recommendation.
Robert E. Howard, who was a contemporary of Lovecraft and Smith also had a way of words. I marvel at his economy of painting a vivid picture in my mind.
❤
I love how raw and open minded all your videos are. It’s so nice to watch your videos and feel like I’m apart of an intelligent conversation rather than being told how to do life in a specific way.
It's so wonderful to find a whole bunch of other people who enjoy working analog in blank books! I never called my visual journals commonplace books, although they do contain many of the elements you describe.
love this channel! im a young writer and i agree. ive been writing in notebooks ever since i was like 8? im 18 now. i still have all of these notebooks, unintentionally. they just stacked over the years, and the thought of documenting that growth so organically, its like youre seeing it in real time. and i can always go back to an idea that i thought was shit at the time and see potential in it. it feels much more special that way. write. down. your. ideas. people! youll be way more self aware and confident in yourself. much love!
You just saved me! Not related to Keeping Common Place but to taking notes.
I was getting anxious since I too hopped on the notion trend to make my study notes and turns out I can hardly remember anything compared to when I wrote them down! Since I was doing a side by side note-taking and just like you said was just putting it "oh i should put this down too" while taking digital notes but when I physically write down i do really think and it re-enforces it!
Thank You!💙💜
I relate to this so well! I tend to copy my notes from one notepad to another in neater handwriting as both a form of study and organization. So much easier to remember!☺️💚
I agree with the sensation of writing. It is more personal and stimulates my brain and memory. BUT - as a 73 yo who went through college in an age when typewriting was ONLY used for that final paper, the clutter of papers and notebooks and journals can get overwhelming. For me, the solution is an iPad. I collect thoughts, ideas, designs, etc on my iPad, but I hand write most of them on my iPad. Everything is together. I can find it quickly. I can brainstorm, plot, organize, or just write. It meets all my needs and still satisfies the very visceral need to write something out. The best of both worlds for me without any paper clutter. And since my iPad is always with me, my life thoughts are always with me.
I completely agree! And I recently switched to a paper tablet to reduce paper clutter and so far it’s really working out!
@@RCWaldun I’ve been using iPads for over 10 years. I only use my laptop for 2 very specific programs I need for my 2 jobs. Otherwise, everything is on my iPads - yes, plural. I recently bought a 12.9" (not any kind of promotion, just fact) and I can’t figure out how I got along with only one all these years. 😂😂😂 I could write a whole article about how I use them, but the bottom line is they are a real game changer for decluttering and enriching my life. OK, enough gushing. 🤭🤭🤭
I agree on the difference between writing on paper and laptop. Typing on laptop doesn't feel like writing in some way. I don't know how to express it but it's kind of like taking away the interest, it becomes more of a chore. I wrote my book reviews on word document for a while and it felt like I was just trying to get done with it plus it didn't feel that personal when I came back to read it. I think, for me writing on paper makes me more creative and I'm not a writer or even aspiring to be one. It's just for my diary entries and book and movie/series reviews
Gosh you're right. Absolutely true. That's why my writing isn't as well and motivating as it was to me before I really should get back to paper. My mother didn't buy me notebooks for nothing. It'd be a waste not to use them ever.
I love using my traveler's notebook for my commonplace book, I can then just keep adding more and more notebooks as I fill up another. I love journaling but I also love keeping notes on my reading and reviewing the books that I read. So, I've found my traveler's notebook to be the best place to store my common notebook! Thanks for doing this, I'm going to look into your course!
This video came to me at a perfect moment. 1) Because I got back into fountain pens and need more things to write. But also 2) because I feel like there's been something missing in my life in regards to being mindful about the smaller things in life. I'm trying to simplify my life and take out most of the brain muddle because of information overload and this video has really inspired me to start a commonplace book. Thanks for this!
Totally agree with your reasoning around keeping a common place notebook (your sketches look great by the way!). Following watching one of your earlier videos, I did keep a common place paper notebook. I did this for about a year. It didn’t suit me… I felt like I was gathering more clutter and never really read through them or integrated the ideas. So this is what I do now:
1. I use Obsidian (digital system) for my second brain. I use it as a Zettelkasten(slip box). In line with the ‘method’ I put one idea per ‘card’ using my own words. I limit myself to 15 lines of text. Each idea is then linked to other ideas. It really suites how I think. It is really easy to see the links and write out blogs etc. I don’t store everything on it - I don’t want a Wikipedia!! I only record information I may want to use in my blog, teach to others, present to others. Also, everything is searchable.
2. Notebook (A6): I jot down notes in here from podcasts, TH-cam, ideas that crop up, light bulb moments etc. It is almost an ‘on the fly’ method of recording. I will then review my notebooks and siphon off information to my Zettelkasten or other area.Then the notebook gets shredded.
3. Journal: paper format.Use with my fountain pen 🤗 This is for my brain dumps, gratitude practice,personal reflections and bullet journaling. I review at the end of the year. Keep what is useful then shred it…. I normally get through 3 x A5 books per year.!
4. Notion: I use this for jotting down information gleaned from podcasts, TH-cam, my own book reviews, quotes, beautiful language I come across, resource lists and anything else. I like that it is searchable. Some of what I gather will end up in my Zettelkasten.
🥰🧐
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Me too
I have a notebook that I started when I was 12 with all the short poems and quotes that really spoken to me as a preteen and teen. I recently found it at my parents house and have began adding and looking through it. It's a true time capsule, in some way even more so than a journal, into what I thought was important at the time (and how much better my handwriting used to be).
I can't explain it well in a way that I want to, but watching your videos makes me fall in love with writing and the arts all over again. Will definitely be starting a commonplace book. Thanks for the wonderful video.
I literally bought a notebook today for this... Bruh... the timing of this video is insane
I can feel your surprised pleasure here. Serendipity! I hope you're still happily using notebooks. Best wishes.
As someone that’s been having trouble on trying to use “certain” notebooks for different concepts, I needed to see this!! Thank you so much, a wonderful video indeed : )
I totally agree about how writing calms the mind. Sometimes, I just write out my thoughts in order to get through them, to process them, to take them to their conclusion so they'll stop making my head spin. For me, it's something that typing on a computer could never do. I hadn't thought about the cross-discipline aspect of the notebook before, combining sketches and text, making new and interesting connections between ideas. That sounds very Da Vinci-esque. I like it!
Have you thought about using e-ink devices to save paper and be able to keep your notebooks with you in a smaller package? I've been looking at the Remarkable 2 for a while now and haven't yet convinced myself I need it enough to justify the price tag, but the temptation is constantly there.
Dude I just started a new common place book after two years of keeping one you inspired me to keep one now my first one filled now I can start a new to tie into my first
I completely agree, I have ADHD and usually need to write things down if it's a super quick idea or if I'm really inspired. Cause if I'm trying to fiddle with a computer, or anything else that can glitch or restrict how I'm able to put my ideas on a page then I'm gonna lose steam quickly not to mention the original idea itself. On a completely unrelated yet sort of related note I've been using a notebook for my genealogy research. A lot of people like to do it the fast way where they just copy and paste info and just collect facts. But I like to chart it all out in my notebook first. Family relations can get pretty complex and the digital trees can be restricting not to mention if you push the wrong thing you could delete an entire section and there isn't really an undo button. Plus while I'm drawing out each box for each person and filling in their name, DOB, DOD, etc. I notice things that I wouldn't if I were just putting it into a family tree online. So I love the idea of a Commonplace Book but instead of for art/work ideas I'll use it to help me with my research. I've been starting to write down questions I want to find out and things that I notice are weird and need to look into. I'm thinking it would be nice to have it all in one place and I think a Commonplace Book is perfect :)
I am adding a few quotes from this for sure, but a huge rule I set for a digital book like this is asking “does this generate real value or meaning artistically, or is it just random information.” That alone helps me filter through a lot of pretty bad or mediocre ideas.
Edit: keeping this file on its own external drive also helps keep these things separate. I’ll have to try that idea out and see how much it changed between the two books.
I'm glad to have found this video. I had never heard of a commonplace book before today but it does make me think of a less structured bullet journal. Bullet Journals do the same thing, include an index to locate previous ideas without flipping through everything, plus include options for keeping a calendar in the same book, plus weekly logs and even space for keeping track of ones household, finance, and study management related tasks and such.
I don't have an actual bullet journal, but I love the YT videos make of artistically adding to/organizing their bullet journals with themed drawings and doodles, and I have started including art into my regular journal with has been great.
I am a bullet journaler and a traditional journaler, and I find it helpful to have 'commonplace' sections in my bullet journal, as well as keeping an index in my journal, where I can note down anything I think was particularly interesting. I have kept one single solid commonplace book before, but it became mostly to-do lists and notes of things that were only important until I finished a task. Once I integrated this commonplace book into things I cared about more (I have put a lot of time and effort into setting up my bullet journal and making it aesthetically pleasing, and I collage and otherwise art journal in my journal) I was selective about what I wrote in it, much like you mentioned in your shift from digital to physical.
I've noticed that, over the years, my sketchbooks have basically become, at least partially, commonplace books. The majority of it is sketches and drawings, but I also keep lists, quotes, or brainstorm ideas out in writing in there. I even cut and paste things into it if necessary/I feel the urge to. It seems like this way makes my sketchbooks way more useful and active, I guess you could say. They're no longer just a collection of fairly meticulously made drawing/paintings like when I was a teenager. I still make ones specifically for images only, but I feel way freer and creatively productive in my messy commonplace sketchbook most of the time. They've definitely been useful in informing larger projects and keep me going when I'm stuck in artistic ruts.
I was first inspired to keep a commonplace book by you around 6 months ago. Then not long after that, I encountered "Zettlekasten" or "Slip box" while reading the book "How to take smart notes". Now, I'm still trying to figure out a system that best fits my needs in both collecting ideas and boosting creativity. Hopefully, I'll come to my final decision at the end of February. Thank you for updating your methods. Very informative (and rather cinematic) video as always. Cheers.
I have not yet read the book on "how to take smart notes", would you recommend it and how did you go about integrating the system in your life? I'm quite interested in what system you now developed that best fits your needs, please let me know!
You have put into words what I have been feeling for a long time. Especially the multi-discipline point - I really hate being boxed in, and analogue note-taking helps me to physically break out of societal and self-imposed boundaries. I’ve tried Notion after reading Tiago Forte’s ‘Second Brain’ but it’s too overwhelming and impersonal. Your video definitely gave me the nudge to try an analogue common place book!
i’ve been doing this for months without knowing it was a thing, i can’t thank you enough for this video, really helped me have a clearer idea of the direction i want to drive it towards
I've started to use sketchbooks for this very reason. I was used to sketch on whatever random printer paper and threw away anything that I didn't considered presentable, so not only I lost all the process from my initial idea to the finished piece, but also missed the opportunity to reevaluate old ideas from projects I discared just because I got stuck.
Now I bought little sketchbooks I've been treasuring deeply. I sketch whatever I want, a cartoon, a comic, a detailed artistic drawing, or just doodles! Doodling helps me to warming up before starting doing something complex, it helps understand better a lecture, finding inspiration, expressing my feelings or just to relax.
I think it's also time to write in them, my thoughts or something I've learnt that day.
I love your channel, is very inspiring and calming.
Sending all my gratitude grom Chile!
I dump all my thoughts in a single notebook/journal and dog-ear sections that I want to transcribe or go back to later; then periodically I go through and take out pages with ‘good ideas’ or with rough drafts from different projects and clip the pages together by subject/project. It’s nice because not only does it help me find things later, it also gives me this solid physical evidence of how much work I’ve done. If I’m working on a really long-form project I might then take those clipped booklets and use them as the basis for an index card reference system; breaking things down into a really concise format I can label and color code.
I have at least several dozen filled notebooks laying around because I use them for so many things and on almost a daily basis. Not just for creativity or study, but also to remind myself of tasks or to check in with myself and make sure I’m not getting overwhelmed by my own brain or the world at large.
over the 2020-21 quarantine, i took a lot of inspiration from youtubers advertising notion as a place to build your “second brain.” what i didnt realize in the year that followed was your concept of rough/scrappy ideas becoming too perfect through digitalization. i’ve been struggling with a sense of security in my notion pages and-some part thanks to this video-would like to revert back to the traditional method of writing. i’ve forgotten how liberating a physical journal can be, thank you
Your first video was the impetus for my own common place book; though i refer to it as a journal since it doubles as that as well. I keep mine pocket size (the moleskin size smaller than the one in this video) and it serves a multitude of purposes: from standard bullet journaling, to musing on philosophy, to practicing my German and poetry. It has a plethora of quotes and aphorisms (some my own, many not), plot summaries of potential short stories, character names and their small biographies, small moments of reflections and to-dos. I also have started musing on scientific topics, and trying to work them out before I resort to google. I couldn't imagine going without it.
just found this account and your videos are so well articulated. you can tell this guy knows what he’s talking about! SUBSCRIBED💪🏽💪🏽
I love my commonplace and much of my inspo to start one was because I saw your first video about the commonplace book.
I started simply and bought a spiral notebook, only used black or blue ink (and maybe a highlighter), numbered the pages and made my own TOC. Now I am starting my second one!
Watching this is watching something I never knew I needed. It sparked a connection with my identity as a creative and the way my brain works. For school I’ve transition to a mostly digital set up to reduce my paper waste but now, I feel that I have to keep a physical notebook to feel right. I loved this video! Thank you for making it.
This just popped up on my feed and it is perfect timing to start this new habit for 2023! I have never heard of a “commonplace book” before; journals are for thoughts and feelings, diaries are for dates and future plans and schedules, but I had not considered a book for gathering all your randomly accrued but nonetheless important ephemera that we all find through reading, viewing and creating on a daily basis.
After struggling with writing my book through online drafts, I recently created a commonplace book from a 'junk journal, where I've been able to visualize the whole, divide pages into sections and mess around with images, scraps--to inspire the most basic ideas for each section. It's kind of a commonplace outline. Thanks for sharing this--it is an affirmation of my experiment!
I have watched your previous video and I started a commonplace book, and I still keep one. Thanks Robin.
I haven't watched this video yet, but I already know this is necessary for my own health. As someone who keeps forgetting what I've done the day prior, I know I need to do this so I don't forget my life. There's so much I've forgotten and I want to start remembering and training my brain to hold onto memories and creative ideas and never let it slip away like sand through my fingers ever again. I'll be sure to watch this several times to soak up all the wisdom you've poured into this video! It's necessary. I'm so thankful the TH-cam algorithm recommended this to me. I'm so thankful I found your channel! Keep doing what you're doing!
November 30, 2022 at 23:19 I clicked on this video on the New to You Tab. At first, I was like,"What on EARTH is a commonplace book?" So I opened google and typed exactly that. Only to realize, like others have mentioned as I peaked into the comments 😅, that I literally have one on my shelf that sits on top of my desk. But I have to say, reading this definition, and people's advice, I have decided to go back, maybe tomorrow, cause it's already so late right now 😅, and look through my past notes, design ideas, etc
Oh! As an artist I’ve been doing this for a long time I guess, yet I’ve never given it such a profound name hahah; In any way through high school and now art college, I’ve kept sketchbooks separate from my notebooks where I could do whatever I wanted, write quotes from books, meaningful messages, ideas or even sketch some things. In the end, I’ve always loved these notebooks more than my sketchbooks even though I’m a visual artist. It’s just the closeness and the mixed yet equally personal things in them that made me feel closer to them than my sketchbooks. I always thought of it as a derailed sibling of a bullet journal mixed with a diary and a sketchbook but the name commonplace notebook fits it so much better! Thank you for the continuous inspiration, and wonderfully shot videos, keep up the good work:D
I've actually been doing this for years and not realizing it had a name. I feel a compulsion to write and explore ideas. Typically it's really mundane stuff like how I want to fix my wardrobe or discussing homeschooling or how to become more feminine or whatever crosses into my mind. I'll often get stoned and write because it makes me make different connections than the usual. It's really been soothing for me. I actually use to write on a typewriter because of the imperfections. It really does soothe my mind
I love this whole idea so much! I don't comment on youtube often, but I felt the need to here because this concept has really clicked with me.
I'm very interested in the topic of recording creative thoughts and ideas - I've tried a bullet journal, I've tried building a collection of notes on obsidian, I journal in my phone notes all the time, I even tried a journal specifically for ideas that's not dissimilar to this (except it never stuck because I tried to make the writing and the design always polished and perfect). But omg this commonplace book is such a simple but great concept and I'm super excited to try it out! I even have the perfect notebook for it :)
Lmao after watching this video I felt the need to write down this concept and my thoughts on it somewhere and then I realised hey, I have a way to do that now!
Going to go write my first entry, thank you so much!
I saw this title and the child in me that was obsessed with a series of unfortunate events had to watch
Just found this video pretty close to 2023, but I just started one of these of just writing everything I think of that I knew I need but may forget (a lot of projects and running to-do lists) and it's been amazing - I've been on top of my life a lot more
This was cool. I have been doing this general idea for the last 4 years or so I just kind of called “my journal”.
I didn't know I have been doing this already. I'm not a very organized person although I try to be, and this might be a result of my ADHD (I've never been diagnosed, but I think I'm showing more symptoms now more than ever).
I write constantly in my sketchbooks and in my phone, but all the information is just as overwhelming as seeing it on a giant sheet of paper.
Writing my thoughts in a bunch of separate places helps me organize them into my (supposed to be) daily journal, that way I can articulate my feelings more accurately.
I struggle with anxiety too, so I keep the journal to prevent the same anxiety inducing thoughts from buzzing around constantly- because if your write it down your brain knows there is a place to access this knowledge so you might not think about it as much.
I have learned that is how my brain works, instead of being told that I am wrong for not being like everyone else- despite that ideology being so ridiculous I can almost laugh.
It was not always that way though. My mom and abusive ex used to read through my journals and hold my vulnerability against me. I have still not completely recovered from that, but I have found a lot of healing within this practice.
Thank you for reading this, and I hope you find the same therapeutic relief I have found through this, the next step (for me at leaste) is to speak with a therapist.
Thank you for sharing. I actually stopped writing/journaling my thoughts after an ex who did similar things like using it against me. It took me many years to even begin to let that wall down. Wish you the best in your healing journey
Glad to hear the emphasis on interdisciplinary outlook. The interweaving of all arts and sciences lies at the heart of true humanism. I hope that someday education systems can once again adopt this outlook. I feel very lucky to have been to college near the tail-end of true "arts and sciences" ethos, ca. 1960. Those were not better times, don't get me wrong. But they may have been more enlightened in some areas.
Wow I found this video a bit late! But I love this and it’s refreshing to see this talked about. I write in a notebook with a pencil. I number the thoughts and index the important ones to the back. It has been quite freeing for me. As you’ve said there is nothing like writing things down. I like pencils not because I can erase but there is something about a pencil that is putting me in touch with a lost, honest part of myself…… well anyway I get what you’re saying especially the point about being multi disciplinary I can’t for the life of me let go of the idea that nothing is wrong with me embracing this aspect of my person.
I found this video by looking for vids on commonplace books. What I find funny is that (as you said, at least for you), the strike-outs, arrows, etc. for your handwritten notes help you. I'm just the opposite. All of that "clutter" distracts me. I'm a "linear" thinker--everything has to be in nice, neat containers for me to understand it.
But, I'm not a creative, and I love your insights into how a creative thinks.
So hear me out, I've only recently started on this, but I use my phone notes app as a commonplace book. It feels more organic than typing does for me (with the addition of drawn notes) and is obviously much more portable. But as well, I like using my phone as a creative tool. I think it goes under utilised since we spend more time using it to consume than create. That's just my method - but I recommend giving it a try if you're looking for a less perfectionist utility than a computer but a more eco friendly option than paper.
I was just thinking about this recently. Back when I was a kid in the 90’s I remember the frustration of my creativity being stifled by my lack of stuff, simply put. I wanted to take photos but I didn’t have a camera. I wanted to dip my toes in cinematography but I had no video camera. I always had a notebook but was constantly needing to buy a new one when it was full.
Ten year old me would have lost her ever loving mind at the sight of a smartphone. And what do I do with it? Scroll. Endless scrolling.
It’s such a waste. I’ve made a promise to myself to utilize the tech that I have as creative tools at least as much as I use them as means of consumption.
Using your smartphone as a creative tool is a double edge sword: on one side you can use it creatively and on the other you let 5 hours of your life pass through tiktok
I agree. basically becoming like da Vinci with better sleep seems to be a very liberating moment for the would be artist. the man was a scientist, artist, etc all in one.
I clicked on this video because I was wondering what a commonplace book was, I've never heard the term. I like the idea of this, I'm a curious and introspective person and I tend to have my notes scattered in various digital note taking apps. I end up forgetting about these notes though. commonplace books reminds me of a bullet journal but more free form. I'm going to start a commonplace book now to keep all my varied notes and ideas. I'll likely have an index too so that it's easy to find stuff.
Being doing this for 2 days and now I have a name for it. I am trying to work on myself and help my anxiety and problems, I put in my to-do list and thoughts that come to mind… tx for the video so much
You videos are very helpful - I am decades older than you, yet find your thoughts very compelling. Keep up you exceptional work. Thank you …… Nicely Done!
i really love the way you talk about creativity. as if it is something that we grow at through the pursuit of learning. it's really lovely.
I got a commonplace book! I´m excited to start emptying my brain of quotes, songs and ideas for artmaking. Also, your website is very appealing to me as a reader and a visual artist. It´s got me thinking about the possibility of investing more free time in reading blogs.
Some possible reasons: more reading instead of just watching-listening, ease of avoiding shorts and other distractions and simply getting to know interesting stories and projects on a deeper level.
I couldn't help but think of the Zettelkasten method when I was watching this video.
Had a buddy who did this with people he met. Was super interesting to see his notebooks filled with lists of woman he randomly met and came across in public with their names, where he met them, what they looked like, smelled like, what they were wearing, their hairstyle, etc. Was fascinating
thats just creepy
@@protocol8 He had so many girlfriends but he couldn’t never keep them, charming guy.
@@MandenTV interesting
u put my thoughts into words well. as much as i want a physical journal, i keep a digital one because it's a lot more convenient and easier for me to write anything down on my phone right away. quick access and i'm more consistent. i do, however, wish to move my writings on a piece of paper someday.
great video btw, subbed! :)
Very good video!!!
I'd like to add a possible alternative as an artist. With a Pen Tablet you can also manually write in your PC like a notebook instead of typing on your keyboard. Also allowing you to sketch stuff on the side.
It's also easy to re-arrange thoughts and notes like if they were small chunks of paper. And your board is as big as your monitor screen. Even better if you have multiple monitors for reference material or just more free real state.
Best thing is you don't spend on paper or markers... just get a cheap 30-50 $ tablet instead of 15-30$ per sketchbook (echo friendly and less space taken) and is easier to show ideas to others if needed becuz you just save a JPEG image and send it. Looks cleaner than taking a picture of the book with your phone or having to redact the thing in your PC.
Another plus: you can organize all of this into a multi-page file like a PDF and maybe print it or just save it in your back-up folders or cloud.
I’ve tried things like this before and although it didn’t work for me it lead me to some really interesting thoughts about people and how they think.
I have inattentive ADHD and so my thoughts don’t fit on paper. They don’t last long enough to get them down. I get one thought and before I can even process it I’ve made a connection and I’m onto the next thing or the thought is different than before. The best I’ve found I can do is do the connection work In my head or in a conversation and then write it down later. It’s interesting to me to imagine how someone else’s brain must work to let them write down their thoughts and ideas like this
I subscribed in the first two minutes, so clearly and thoughtfully explained. This maybe just what I’ve been searching for, a free flowing, multi-disciplined way to sort through and record my ideas, feelings, and inspirations. Your commonplace book kind of reminds me of the integrated application of discovery and invention of DaVinci’s notebooks. Can’t wait to be inspired by your other videos.
I use discord for this. I have a private server with a million channels for all my thoughts and it's been the only form of journaling I've actually stuck with.
I love the idea of a physical thing, but tbh the search function makes a digital version so so worth it for me.
I have kept a commonplace book for many years, I didn’t know what it was called until a few years ago. Thoughts, parts of books, quotes, and notes about the weather.. nothing to personal or personality. Just random-ness. I hope to learn more and press on with this. You seem to have a good handle, on this process.
Until I stumbled on your old video on this topic I didn't know it was referred to as a commonplace book, good term for what it's about rather than just taking notes. As soon as I learned to read and write I started doing note taking for personal projects. As time went on and I developed more metacognitive abilities throughout life my note taking evolved as well. I started buying blank notebooks for sketching that I tended to bring with me whenever I felt like drawing/writing. I also bought small lined notebooks, pretty much the same kind of notebook like the ones you use. I'm heavily invested in my notes and go back to them and re-read them because going through what you've written down makes you reflect over things again and develop that idea further. After I lost a notebook at an outdoors party it felt like a piece of myself had been lost haha
After that I started using Zim Desktop Wiki (had been using Tomboy notes in the past), this was the best solution for me to date (I've now created over 1000 notes and I use Git to do version control on it in case something breaks).
Now the catch is, in Zim the hyperlinks break when I change the title on a note or move a whole category of notes elsewhere in the note hierarchy. Moreover it doesn't support embedded video, animated gifs, it has very limited options for fomatting and the LaTeX support is a joke. You can't make drawing in Zim either you have to import them.
So what I eventually did was to develop my own note taking/personal wiki software that converts Markdown and LaTeX to web content, the API is a visual programming language I've so far built working pieces of as a proof of concept, like creating and executing Python functions through node classes on the back end and though the front end isn't done so far it shows the converted Markdown and LaTeX documents with CSS and nice theming in a browser, I've also gotten quite far on the node editor (will re-use the code for visualizing/navigating notes/documents as well).
Oh another thing is, eventually I will need to write an importer for Zim, but it's quite simple since the markup used etc. is too simple.
Another thing about documenting and planning stuff in a personal wiki is that for me at least, I plan and work on projects for many years. So sometimes you really need to refresh your memory because you can't remember everything or remember to get back to an old thread and develop it further. For example Istarted planning a VR head mount mod in 2017 reason I remember is because I created the note about it then, I listed parts I needed etc. Wrote more things down over the years, gathered components. Made CAD designs for the parts, had them printed at a friends place. In late 2019 it was finished. If you write things down in one place it increases the likelyhood of it being done I think.
On the one hand I love typing, I can express my thoughts as quickly as they come and they're legible after. It's so much easier for me to correct, reread and correct again without losing my train of thought too much. It's a great way to purge and with that in mind, it makes it difficult to reread anything after, because there is too much info. I now use it as a way to dump memories, ptsd and things I want to figure out without having to carry forever- a way to release baggage. On the other hand, writing by hand is sacred to me and requires a lot of pageantry. The right notebook for the right subject, with the right pen; if something is off it can be difficult to start. It has also created a collection of notebooks; a dream journal, a ptsd journal, a mind and studies journal, a notes for a specific book journal, ect. So about a half a year ago, like you, I started a journal that had a sprinkling of everything. From thoughts, to pictures, to notes so I could always come back to the pieces. I still have my google docs, as well as the many notebooks, but having that one main notebook creates almost a desktop for the rest of the outlets.
My current way to capture my ideas digitally: Draw, write, and diagram on iPad Pro. Take a screenshot. Upload to Milanote. Milanote is like an Evernote information storage app but has more non conventional ways of laying it out on a blank digital canvas.
Would love more videos on journaling from you!!! 😊 just realised I had a common place book in a moleskin when I was at university, literally having multiple notebooks filled with my poetry, thoughts and ideas really helped me 😊 now I’m journaling again!
i am Notion team forever because the tagging system cures all of my illnesses, but I love the concept of a commonplace book
Thank you R.C. I too am going to writing in a Commonplace Book as my initial capture and then eventually transfer to my Zettlekasten in Obsidian. Writing makes you be much more succinct and I believe a much more thoughtful capture of your own ideas. Thank you for your videos, I truly am enjoying them. I wish you the very best!
I hate being organised sometimes. It's not enough to say that you should have a notebook where you write everything. As a writer, I need to have a notebook just for exercising a writing practice. A notebook for insights and wisdom. A notebook for book journal. A notebook for journal or for brain dump. A notebook for plans and Todo-list. I hate it but I can't help it.
Get out of my head!!!! I journaled last night that I wanted to start one of these!🤣
I’m so glad that you made this video because it’s really relevant stuff
Every single point you brought up was stuff I had to learn by trail and error as a writer.
2019 made would have killed for this video
thanks for this! I, too, love crossing things out. & as my artistic practice goes deeper and deeper into software and coding, I find handwriting more and more valuable - the screen can become a tool just for code (which can even be shared during a performance), and the notebook can become a tool just for ideas or performance notes to myself
Point number 3 is a perfect reminder for me, and feels like something that I would like to write down in a common place book. I study liberal arts, currently in my third year, and I feel that I have somehow forgotten my initial motivation for studying it, which interestingly was to boost my creativity.
For 40+ years off & on I’ve kept a grid note pad in my pocket to make quick notes, mark down quotes I liked, & to sketch out a part or circuit to troubleshoot. Those basics & sometimes more complicated. I didn’t know it had a name until a few years ago.
love this video, thank you. i'd been keeping a commonplace book without knowing it had a name for years now. i'll keep at it.
It is good to see a young man taking his thoughts and personal experience serious enough to pen it down.. and to contemplate it regularly. Just one adage from my side friend: from Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
I remember watching your other video on how to keep a commonplace book and I am so happy that this video ended up on my TH-cam feed. I have been circling around this idea of keeping my thoughts on the concept and philosophy of love but I let that idea fall by the wayside. I am picking up that journal again today to just start writing ideas down again. So thank you for making an update.
this is super interesting! also i'm obsessed with the sound effect you used for the header transitions. it makes my brain happy.
I keep everything organized in a private discord server :) it makes it easy for me to search up previous thoughts and i enjoy the feel of typing
I love keeping a handwritten commonplace book too - I just need to make more time for "commonplacing" as the queue to my notebook is rather stacked! Need to copy out from the Iliad, The Waves, Steppenwolf and a host of others soon! Maybe I should dedicate one evening per week, or half an hour per day...now I'm just thinking aloud in the comments...
This is a great method, and a very useful name to call it! I’m always drawn back to wanting to put everything into one place, and every time I write things all in different places, I find that it’s not useful and more of a waste of my time. Totally agree, having one “commonplace” is perfect for collecting the ideas and everything your thinking about, and from there it can be more useful for your future self.
Never heard of commonplace book keeping before, but have something similar that i do with a Filofax Heritage A5, where half of it is a journal template printed, and the other half is blank papers. This way i can put in new papers and remove old and keep the best ideas/pages. I have a hard time committing to a notebook, especially if i want to throw the structure around if i need more space for something. Nice video btw!
"Every idea matters." 💛
This is interesting, it's very similar to how i keep my sketchbook! My sketchbooks started because of the game A Night in the Woods where the main character keeps a journal/sketchbook of her daily life. My sketchbook holds all my thoughts, ideas, sketches of the day, feelings, etc. Last year was the worst year of my life and my sketchbooks have a very clear recording of it, and even how my mood very slowly started to change for the better
Thanks to your video I remember that in the past always have a notebook for my ideas and my brain was very creative. On this days I struggle very hard with find what thinks I enjoy to do, because my brain is off ( never happens before) so thank you again, I will start again to have a commonplace book ✨
2:54 - the last time I saw a typewriter was in Athens and it was parked outside what looked like an antique shop.
i had no idea what a commonplace book was before this but... i kinda vaguely do this, but on my computer, and wow your points about the cons of using a computer for that purpose really make sense. im getting a journal asap.
I only just learned about commonplacing today, and am now delving deep into it. I still don't know if it's the same thing, but when I was growing up I ALWAYS had a notebook with me. It was my "brain dump" book, where I'd just jot down whatever was in my head at the time. Thoughts, ideas, doodles, lists, etc. I planned gifts and holidays plans in it, I wrote down random quotes I'd see, or write some poetry. Sketched out designs, wrote my daily to-do's. Discovering commonplacing, I feel like that was the same thing or something similar? But as a working adult, I'm not able to carry a notebook around to whip out whenever I think of something. I've slowly switched over to digital notes, but as said in the video, it gets so difficult to navigate digital notes after a while. There's also no sense of time, because digital notes tends to sort things as last updated (i usually write everything in the same 1-3 notes). I really miss being able to carry notebooks on my person.
I used to keep everything in my notes app on my phone but then I broke my phone and everything was lost. I’ve had a notebook where I put every idea I have, every thought, every phrases I heard that touched me, and it’s great! It feels good, it’s practical, and I love going back to some pages sometimes
Excellent video. I totally agree. I take the opportunity to suggest a video about polymathy and following various interests (I love that topic). Greetings from Chile!
I'll definitely cover the idea of a polymath soon. Thanks for the comment. :)
Your handwriting is aesthetically beautiful✨️🤩
I keep many different journals, but have a special moleskine that I have been using very similarly (though rarely) to the commonplace book. The reason why I keep so many--I have an average of four going on at any time--is because I'm incredibly scattered, so my thoughts are not well organised or precise. I have to ramble for a few pages before I even realise what it is I'm really trying to say!
And, perhaps you may understand this feeling, I do not like to mix the 'energy' of a notebook. I have a journal for if I encounter something inspiring and it gives me ideas, a journal to understand my emotional state and social interactions in daily life (as well as trying to understand others), a journal to improve my self-concept, a journal to explore myself when I have an existential crisis etc... They all feel specific and different enough to me that I need to keep them separate so I don't get lost, so to speak, in the various types of ideas. Somehow this separation keeps my ideas more focused and intentional.
Anyway, I've been afraid to use my special notebook much because it's so nice and I don't want to ruin it with a bad idea, or whatever, but this helps reinforce the idea to chill the fuck out, not seek perfection, and just write. Just live my life. The world seems to be giving me that lesson a lot in the last few months, lol.
Thank you for your videos! Your concepts are interesting and practical, without a lot of fluff, and you speak so deliberately (which is something we should all train ourselves to do). The videos themselves are tasteful, too. Thanks again!