For today’s post, we’re talking about a hobby that I started this year. I’ve seen some of my friends carrying notebooks in which they wrote interesting tidbits of information, ideas on how to approach projects, and Sunday school notes. Their notebooks were a personal collection of information and ideas that they could flip through whenever they wanted. This inspired me to start my own commonplace book so that I could document memorable conversations, random ideas I had in the middle of the night, and more.
What is a commonplace book?
A commonplace book is a collection of information like quotes, ideas, notes, photos, song lyrics, and recipes that are stored in a common place (hence the name). You can also add information from conversations, articles, podcasts, movies, and more. If you find something inspirational and you want to revisit it later, then a commonplace book is perfect for storing all your finds!
Commonplace books have a long history. In the 18th century, philosopher John Locke published techniques on organizing quotations, speeches, ideas, and proverbs by topic in a commonplace book. Many thinkers and writers used commonplace books to keep track of interesting highlights from conversations and books. Commonplacing helped people understand and interpret others’ ideas, therefore making the commonplace book a useful tool for learning.
Benefits of Keeping a Commonplace Book
A commonplace book gives you inspiration for future projects
Everything you document in your commonplace book can be useful for your next creative project! For example, I make notes about podcasts I’ve listened to, one of them being about how to win people over. I wrote notes on why other people’s opinions would naturally matter to us. That helped me when I was writing a piece on caring about what others think - stay tuned for that!
A commonplace book is a record of what you found interesting over the years.
Your entries can remind you of what you experienced and felt at that time, especially if you marked down the dates. They capture a part of your life, giving you insight about your values and interests. For example - if you were interested in baking at one point, you might have noted some helpful baking tips, recipes to try, and tutorials to watch!
Writing in your commonplace book stimulates the brain and improves cognitive function.
By writing in your commonplace book, you can improve your focus and memory. Writing down an idea requires you to retain the idea in your short-term memory. You might be thinking about ways to summarize and paraphrase the information you want to copy. You’re also more likely to remember what you wrote, therefore helping you with learning!
How do I organize my commonplace book?
You can do this physically or digitally! I keep a physical notebook because I love the feeling of putting pen to paper. I also use my Notes and Notion apps to keep track of ideas that pop up whenever I don’t have my notebook.
To organize your commonplace book, you can add a table of contents at the beginning, which helps with easier navigation. Another way to keep track of items is to add sticky notes to certain pages that you want to refer to in the future.
I like to date my entries so that I know when I made them. Like I said before, it’s helpful to look back and discover what you found interesting at certain points in your life. It’s like a walk down memory lane - your notes can help you remember who you were at that point in time.
Personally, I don’t really have a method for organizing my commonplace book, since I prefer to keep it spontaneous. The only “organizing” method I use is to date my entries for the reasons mentioned above.
What can I add to my commonplace book?
Thoughts and summaries from a book you read, a movie/TV show you watched, or a podcast you listened to.
Quotes that stood out to you. You can also add your own thoughts - for example, what about the quote did you like? Did you like the phrasing and the flow?
Recipes that you discovered and want to try (or recipes that you already tried and how your experience trying
Song lyrics, or a list of songs that you’ve been loving lately. Maybe all of these songs have a common theme?
Ideas that you want to carry out in the future -a commonplace book is a great place for dumping all your ideas that you may want to revisit in the future.
Questions that can be conversation starters, or maybe you want to learn more about a topic that’s piqued your interest!
Memorable moments from conversations - did someone provide good advice or a perspective that you never considered before? Or maybe they sparked your curiosity by discussing a new topic?
Fun facts that you recently learned. It’s a good way to document your learning process and broaden your horizons!
Sketches of anything that comes to mind such as your surroundings or a favourite object. Or maybe you want to draw simple doodles to fill up blank spots on the page.
Observations and thoughts that pop up throughout your day.
How can I personalize my commonplace book?
Experiment with the materials that you add to your book! Your commonplace book doesn’t have to be entirely text. Decorate the pages with doodles, stickers, pictures, anything you like! For a pop of colour, I added doodles and stickers that I made to my commonplace book.
Add your personal thoughts to your commonplace book. For example, if you’re documenting a book about defense mechanisms, add your own opinions about the text. What was interesting to you and why did it stand out to you? If the author shared their opinion, do you agree with it?
Have others write in your commonplace book. It adds another level of personalization because someone else contributed their own handwriting, thoughts, and style of writing to your book. Some of my friends have added their own notes and doodles to my book, and they make me smile whenever I look at them!
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This is a hobby that I’ll definitely be bringing into the new year! So far, I’ve filled up one commonplace book and I’m currently on my second book. It’s been nice to flip through my first book and discover tidbits of information that I forgot about.
Will you give commonplacing a try in the new year? Let me know in the comments below!
What an interesting way to process new information and express your creativity!
Thank you for sharing pages from your commonplace book. I’ve always enjoyed peeping into other people’s notebooks.
Something I learned when I was today years old is the difference between “shyness” and “introversion”.
Yes, I zoomed in and read your notebook. 😇
This is so cool! I've been thinking about starting one because normally I just use my notes app but I'm trying to reduce my screen time.