What's In My Commonplace Book? - 2023 Edition

A quick tour of my commonplace book and how it changed from last year's version. Plus, tips on how to keep one.

20 Tips on How To Survive College Without Losing Your Mind:

Other Resources:
My new course on keeping a writer's diary:
Selected Writings:
My Essays:
My playlist on Reading:
My collaborative novel about Melbourne: There's A Tale To This City:

[jade_]

Love how practical and realistic you make this. I’ve always loved writing in notebooks but sometimes feel overwhelmed with the very idea of it so much so it prevents me from actually writing. But it doesn’t have to be that complicated - like you said, we’re not transcribing Wikipedia here! Recently I’ve been trying to become more aware of the plants and birds I see around me, and it’s been really fun dumping all that in a notebook when I come home, even if it’s not 100% comprehensive !

[LearnAndTransform]

I use my ipad and apple pencil to note-take everything (on my notability). Great device for note-taking.

[EllaBirt]

Do you ever lose your sense of meaning behind it all? I ask because this is the state I am in myself. I love learning, keeping commonplace books, reading, thinking...but the world, human nature, illusion/manipulation/power dynamics - ugh. Any topic or task I enjoy or have used to create meaning becomes so small in the face of existential sorrow. I am easily lifted by time in a hammock watching the wind blow tree limbs and eagles soaring (eagles make the most unexpected noises, so chirpy for such a regal bird). Just curious how you overcome existential angst, existential depression, or if you ever get the feeling that nothing is "true" enough (that humans are just always reaching and constructing and never truly revealing).

[alexwr]

Thanks for going through this Robin! It's nice to see someone being realistic with their notes and not just creating their own personal wiki that they're never going to use again...

Just a tiny thing, but next time you've got a shot like that, can you use manual focus? It was really distracting to have the camera always trying to re-focus on your hands as opposed to the tablet!

[rerarei]

I've been a chaotic mess, both in notebook keeping and digital note-making. I enjoy handwriting, turning pages, experiencing the texture of both pen and paper, and the fact that it needs mindfulness to use once I open a page. However, I also enjoy typing my thoughts more quickly with less hand cramps and clipping online articles immediately and then linking these notes much quicker and more precise than manually going through past notebooks to see if I had notes regarding a topic. It's quicker to link one note to another.

that remarkable tablet is tempting but the price tag humbled me down. And I realized that while watching you swipe through the pages, it doesn't really offer the same immediate gratification of experience as what I would enjoy turning physical pages or using quick search. (I'm a simpler person with the most superficial reasons to miss out on future considerations like quick access (using keeps notes but wishing i could use obsidian with more ease, notebooks are indeed difficult for notes retrieval) and storage (space is a problem in our apartment plus notebooks run out of pages.)

[niksalima]

I use google doc, can access it from my phone anytime and anywhere with internet. 1 doc for each topic, content, or book. Downside is if the source is from my phone as well, quite hard to switch between screens and take notes. Good idea to make subfolders for them.

[LuneFlaneuse]

I much prefer paper, but indeed… having too many notebooks isn’t ideal either.
I would consider buying something like this,
although technology becoming obsolete too fast, and the need to buy / replace it often is also an issue 😅

[cantonlittle]

Excellent video. I use my remarkable for a similar purpose! It's a bit difficult to give up physical notebooks, but the Remarkable certainly helps ease the weight in my bag!

[Ojasoomaa]

Wow, your handwriting is so beautiful!

[mikakillu]

Hi mate. (English is not my native language, I apologies for any gramatical errors in advance)
I am doing my next year book and i decided to take an one more look at this video. I've been journaling for years, 2017/8 - I tried bullet journaling, then Clark Kegley's journaling method and last year and found yours. Somehow, I created my own journaling method after all these years. It's a combination of your idea of a commonplace book and Clark Kegley's journal method, and sometimes i use ideas from bullet journaling community as well.
You might not see this, but you are one of the people who helped me out a lot, not just journaling, many other things as well. Thank you Robin.

[katm]

Just discovered your channel, and it is such a goldmine. Thank you for all the insight you provide

[toadie]

Seems like a nifty little device. I've always used physical notebooks but I also recognise the fear of them perishing so this could be a valid solution. One of the first concerns that pops into my mind is if it's okay to write left-handed on it. It might seem like a "of course you can" kind of thing but sonteimes devices get confused by the pressure being the pen, as an example.

[colofthedead]

I bought a Remarkable about 5 weeks ago and use it instead of paper for writing 1st draft of my new novel. It has been a game-changer for me.

[SPorterEdu]

This looks like a great tool but it is expensive. Even though my writing is shocking at the best of times and sometimes hard to read, I like using my Livescribe pens and notebooks. I've found this is the best solution for me as I can still write in a physical book, but everything is saved electronically; it even converts my handwriting to text if I make an effort to make it legible. It's also a great back up in lectures and meetings as it has the functionality of audio recording which aligns with the words, images, marks that you make on the page.
Thanks for sharing. Your videos on commonplace books have been insightful and have made me think about what I choose to record in my notebooks.

[booshkoosh]

Thanks, Waldun! I've always been an avid Moleskin notebook user (I finish one notebook every 2 weeks); and so, I've become so synonymous with notebooks and paper. So much so, that my family and friends started calling me by a new nickname: "Scrollings".😂 I do admit that I scroll on paper a lot...Anywho, I just wanted to wish you well. Good luck!👍

[xainisheikh]

So here is my take.

Starting at around £280 isn't inexpensive (as compared with a laptop or a tablet).

Talking about practicality, I truly wish it had an Android OS so we can install Kindle or Scribd to make it a truly all-in-one readers/writers' book. So if it was to be that way then having a speaker would have made it all come together.

As you mentioned about having a system to keep up with all your books "safe" and accessible, what I did is, I have my journals scanned weekly, each page I write, I mention the date and topic, as we normally do, hence having them scanned, I always have a PDFith ke on the go and I am just a keyword away from searching for anything I'm looking for.

Lastly, please have a fixed focus set on your camera for the upcoming videos.

Excellent content, please know that it's only my take and I'm not taking anything away from this amazing content creator. I love the idea of Remarkable but I feel it's still incomplete, as mentioned in my initial texts.

[BrittanyBWrites]

Thank you for this video! I like to write down almost everything in a notebook-whatever idea I have or whatever quote or thought that comes to my mind, I have to write it down.

[jurgen-kapp-linde]

Love your videos Robin. I came across your channel a year ago and your commonplace book video truly inspired me :)

I started keeping my writing notes and story ideas in a Google doc pinned in my browser; and I avoid formatting so I just write everything down without overthinking it. My girlfriend and I love going and sitting in nature over the weekends, so I'd then copy my digital notes over into my physical notebook. It really helps me to re-engage with my ideas on a deeper level and spark new connections I hadn't considered before.

[NostalgiaandChaos]

I have a Microsoft Surface and the pen that comes with it, I use that computer for my "productivity", all the projects that I'm working on. If I used this note taking system, it would seem to fit in well with that.

Right now though, I use a regular notebook like you do, but I take time every couple of months to organize them into a Second Brain by concept similar to how Elizabeth Filips does it. I know you don't enjoy the concept of a personal web search, but I think it's still a great idea for me to go over thoughts that I've already had, and find new connections to new concepts that have since been added.

I've been using notebooks for years, but it seemed like a less refined method than common placing. I started this method earlier this year, I wish I had discovered it earlier but I'm definitely glad I stumbled upon it now.

[micmic]

Whoa that looks great! Pretty expensive for my tastes. I have been journaling through typing in word documents for almost 2 months now. One thing I really enjoy about word documents is just how easy it is to link videos at exact times. It's made things a lot clearer. With a mixture of yoga, prayer, and meditation, this summer between semesters has been my most productive yet. I've even gotten a bit out of my comfort zone and started meeting people again. They see a difference.

I plan to use an A5 notebook as a commonplace book to keep my thoughts, with a stronger focus on the 7 chakras, their meanings, the things that block them, and how to unblock them.
I'm intentionally not limiting myself to any book to draw inspiration from, nor am I limiting myself to quotes themselves.
I love the idea of incorporating art into the book, maybe pictures. I also intend to reference songs. I may even try my hand at poetry, as I've occasionally done so.
I've already bought some page markers to assist in finding particular thoughts and intend to have a table of context (that will probably get regularly changed around).
I also enjoy the thought of moving pages around as necessary to increase cohesion.

My materials should be coming into the mail by tomorrow. Maybe I'll speak about how it has gone for me in a couple of months.

Just a bit of what I have already typed down is below:

The Chakras & Meanings Respectively
Root (Security & Survival), Sacral (Emotion & Passion), Solar Plexus (Volition & Self-Esteem), Heart (Love & Compassion), Throat (Speaking Inner Truth), Third Eye (Intuition & Bridge between Self and the Outside), and Crown (Enlightenment & Spiritual Connection).

Common Blockages Respectively
Fear, Guilt, Shame, Grief, Self-Deceit, Illusion, and Earthly Connection.

Common Release Strategies for Fear
Exposure Therapy (See past gnawing "what ifs"; See "what is")...