I use Google books. And if you highlight a passage you can write your own note and it saves the highlighted passage and your notes together in a Google doc on your Google drive. It creates a Google doc for each books. It's life changing for a digital need like me. Lol.
I used it too but wouldn’t save well I missed having an android for that reason thou .. but maybe on my computer 💻.. haven’t tried it yet but thanks for the reminder ..
As a Bullet Journalist and a notebook freak, I like using different notebooks for the million things I try to learn everyday. Each notebook has a topic (language learning, mindset, marketing, art, etc) and then I use the Bullet Journal system with index, symbols and color codes to organize my notes inside these different notebooks. I like the ritual of opening my notebooks to reflect on the ideas and the things I’ve learned. But I really like the system with the container and the little boxes. I might give it a try. Thanks Amy!
I’m the same way with a journal for each topic but I’m at the point where I have almost to many journals to keep track of, even with my bullet journal to rule them all. 😂
I use a binder for my commonplace book and i include notes from books, UA-cam videos, blog post, online courses etc.. everything I know it will help me improve my life.
@@livelaughlove4635 I've got a cousin who does this exact thing. Uses clear sheets to keep note cards and papers in, and then uses the dividers as you were saying. I think it's a great idea if it works for you! 👍
Hey Elena! You should come over to my channel and check out my commonplace book challenge for 2020! This is exactly what I am challenging my community to do, and I'd love to have you join and get your feedback and input throughout the year!
Thank you to Ryan as well. I love quotes, so this works for me to have a common place to store and keep things in order. I started to read again. This also helps with having a place to organize what I like to recall.
Stumbled on this in my hyperfixation on commonplace books. I would argue this is really a Zettelkasten rather than a commonplace book. There's nothing wrong with that, it's another great system for notetaking, but a commonplace is really...a book. It's a notebook where you put a whole bunch of things that you're thinking about/reading/watching/hearing/whatever that catches your attention or that you think is worth remembering. It's not super organized either. What I mean to say is, there is a table of contents and often an index, but let's say you're reading The Great Gatsby, so Monday night you start reading and you put those notes/ideas/etc on pages 1 and 2. Then Tuesday morning you look up how different standards of shoe size relate to each other, so you put that on page 3. Then Tuesday night you read more of The Great Gatsby, so that goes on pages 4 and 5. The table of context and index allow you to find what you want quickly (Great Gatsby on 1-2, 4-5, Shoe sizes on 3), but the style lets you put things wherever as you encounter it. It's super useful for neurodivergent folks who bounce all over the place.
I've been looking for a way to organize my thoughts and note since FOREVER but nothing ever seemed good enough, that's a great idea thank you so so much!
The things that stand out to me that I remember are things I actually live out and actively do in my life. I can highlight and take notes all day, but unless I DO those things I hardly remember them.
I don’t comment often- really ever. I just need to pipe in and let you know that I am WAY excited for Vlogmas. I kind of wish I had used the Common Place Book to study when I was still in school. Those smaller removable containers seem like a really great idea for anyone studying multiple topics or growing in multiple areas of their lives. It’s almost like a physically manifested Pinterest board...
madnessofmymind thanks! I thought it was a fun name 😊 We actually had a class in high school called library skills which was incredibly boring at the time but we learned things that I still use today! 😊
Watching in 2021. "make sure you lock eyes with the people around you, as we don't get to do this very often"... Yea, if only you knew what 2020 was going to hold for you!
Wow! What a usful incredible idea. Right now I have over a 100 auditable books with notes all in them. Including your book. Yes I stop them and write notes, usually never to be seen again. Till now. Thanks Amy!
I have wanted to write a book for a year and haven't gotten a very good start. I was just remembering the other day that my college professor taught us to write a paper by writing on 4x6 cards, then categorizing them to put the paper together. You just confirmed this is the way to go! Thank you!
Hi Amy, I love this clever idea. I first saw this container in my days of visiting in person the container store and knew it was perfect for photos and I often would say to myself I will purchase this to organize my photos of my children. It never happened, but now this is an inspiration for me to prepare my writing process for my long, long-awaited wish to write my book. I have more reasons to purchase it and follow this awesome idea. Thank you so much for this topic .
I learned about commonplace books from Steven Johnsons books on ideas. I looked into it at the time and not a lot of people where talking about it. I used a massive sketch book and stole some ideas from bullet Journaling (index for sure). It's amazing to have one big book just full of your ideas. I'd print off the cover of the book so they are about and inch and half big and place it in and around the reflections on the book as well as a great visual queue.
Those are great ideas, but they don’t fall under the definition of a commonplace book, which is used to collect others’ ideas. If you call it a commonplace book you’ll confuse others who follow the traditional definition, which has been around for centuries, if not longer.
This video gave me such good thoughts to think over. I’m mostly thinking about all the content I see online that sometimes I screenshot or revisit. Printing or writing that information onto notecards would save me a lot of troubles. Then cataloging them into topics.
Omg! I always hid this side of me bc I would be embarrassed when folks realize how much of a nerd I am! Thanks for making me realize that I’m normal!!! Lol great video!!
I’ve heard of a commonplace book before but never thought it would be helpful for me until I saw this! Loved your style and how you decided to go for boxes in a bigger box! Really helpful to me, thank you.
I take notes on UA-cam videos/books/podcasts and was just thinking of rewriting them into separate notebooks based on subject because I have notes in so many different places, this is the perfect idea for this!
When I highlight lines from a book on my Kindle, it adds it to a separate file called “Clippings.” Then when I’m done ready the book I download the clippings file to my computer, which I can refer to later. I’ve always had a commonplace notebook since I was in high school. I used to write book passages there but after the kindle, my commonplace notebook now holds random thoughts and ideas from me and from movies and tv shows and videos and lectures.
I’m going to make one of these with a recipe section. I get almost all my recipes online or make them up myself and can find it hard to recreate the same thing again. But also have other sections for things like finances advice and productivity.
I have done something very similar. As a mom of 3 young kids, it will be a few years before I'd have time to make a box like that again. For now I organize my notes on my iPhone in a similar fashion.
I bought one of these boxes from Michaels for a project that didn't pan out months ago. I have been wondering what to do with it. What a great idea! Thanks so much.
So cool to hear about someone else keeping a Commonplace! I keep mine as a private, password-protected WordPress blog. I liked the ability to tag/categorize everything. Plus, it’s searchable!
Oh goodness me. This is such a great tip. But, it's quite overwhelming to try it out now and I need to come back to this and review them. Thank you so much!
I used to do this in college for study notes but in a binder. Now, I think if you get those 4x6 album inserts in a 3 ring binder it may be an easier way to store the index cards. I think I'll try it!
Love this! Kinda like a Pinterest for your own creative idea collections from a bazillion reading sources (books, magazines, online articles, blogs, etc.) I’ve seen artistic people use these in art journals, but this is more quick for those of us not so artsy to organize the good stuff we absorb!
Also while I have used this in a similar fashion to how you are using it, one of my variations was to have a Project sub box where projects were broken down into coded notecards. Each project received a color and a letter. Each project had a title/master card that listed out the project and the major steps. Each major step then received its own separate index card with the appropriate color and letter in the top right corner. If you have the time to do this and enjoy this sort of thing, it really helps to decrease overwhelm and make the project feel manageable.
Anything read=digital format for The Commonplace Book Anything heard (YT, a podcast, audiobook etc)=a physical, notecard commonplace book (with a photo of it added in online format) Best of both worlds!
I LOVE this idea! I read everything on my Kindle to avoid book clutter, but I do highlight things. I like your filing system. I have so many journals - this seems like a clean, simple way to collect information gleaned from books, etc.
My Common Place book currently is on the Evernote app which is on my phone, on my laptop and on the web whenever I need to recall something from a book, journal or a reminder. Sometimes it could be just that one thing I want to focus on before a big meeting or before a huge life event and its always nice for me to have all that knowledge i've accumulated over the years to be at my finger tips.
Hearing all this insightful information is adding this exciting feeling inside me. I see this channel as a source of learning. I create videos and have a future goal to write my book, so all these wonderful details have me smiling, which is what I needed. 😊
Love, love, love this idea. I read quite often and make notes in journals and then they stay in there. There is no way I can remember alllll the highlights so this would be super helpful! Thanks for sharing. I'd totally use this for my book club, marketing books to keep me up to speed in my career and just every day inspirational/self help stuff.
Hi, thank you for your video. I often don't know how to record thoughts effectivly except by journaling to help refine what I am thinking. I come away from this video considering how, and when I might use the information from a common place book. Creativity generator, dream projects, data on how I have acted seem to be what I might be able to use a book for. I did start a one note project based around a book I was considering to write. The research is half of the fun... well all the fun since I didn't finish it.
We used this system in graduate school for thesis writing. It didn’t have a name though. I love the box you use here; way more awesome than rubber bands.
I'll be telling my writer friends about this. So often I come across an amazing passage or concept I'd like to study further & try implementing into my own writing, but I never write it down. I think I'll have a casual journal at first, with also a selection of quotes I love, mostly until I see if this is something I'll stick with, but I might use the box at some point.
Omg, yes! Ever since I first saw your Commonplace Book, I've been interested in learning more. Thank you for sharing this! UPDATE. It's official: making a Commonplace Book is on my list of 20 for 2020!
20 for 2020! I like that. May have to use that myself. Also, yes to the commonplace book for 2020. Working on issuing a challenge to my community to get on board as well.
Awesome! I just got my stuff, and am challenging my community to start one as well. No time like the start of a new decade to make a big change for the better! Good luck with your 20 for 2020!
I love the note card idea, and if I was much younger, I would probably go that way. But now that I'm my 60s, I feel like journals will do me just fine!
This is brilliant! I love learning about analog options for information organization, especially to help with research and writing. ❤ I wish I had seen this when it was first published 😅 better late than never.
Gurl, this would be a perfect system for organizing nursing school notes and flashcards. If I could reverse time 5 years, I'd have done this. Going to share this video with my podcast/blog audience
I am a third year university student in a BSc of Psychology. There is a lottt of reading involved and I think this would be a super useful studying technique! Putting all the important info into categories would not only help me when studying for exams and working on assignments, but it would be great to hold on to for my future career!
🤯 This is totally what I need in my life!! I have been hitting notes and quotes in note pads just as I read books and articles.. Not organized at all, and that made it difficult to reread the highlights and reflect.. Now I can organize all my notes!! 💖💖 So excited to start! Thank you Amy for sharing.
That's fantastic! I never knew what this was called. I just called it my note box. I've fallen out of the habit, mostly because I had too many cards and needed to downsize. But now I want to try it again and see if I can restrain myself. There really is nothing quite like something tangible and copying notes and making them beautifully organized. In the meantime, I have just done this in Evernote. But oh, this hits me right back in the longing of doing this in a physical space once more. :D Thank you for sharing!
Don't downsize, just expand! Made a box for each year or two. I just issued a commonplace book challenge to my community to do one card a day into just one of the categories. That is 366 cards at the end of 2020!
I’ve had a commonplace book for years - I used to use the more traditional notebooks (and still have them) but have moved to a digital version that I store on Notion. So glad CP books are being recognised more these days!!
I REALLY like this idea! I have done something similar in the past, but not as organized in one box as a collection. Im a teacher and I can see how this idea can be expanded to use in my professional as well as private life. AND something I could share with students.
Holy cow! I've been commonplacing for years and have read Ryan Holiday's article about commonplace books not realizing it was Ryan Holiday, author of the Daily Stoic, who wrote it! I use a computation notebook for the one I'm currently working out of. It's a commonplace/bullet journal hybrid. The notebook came with numbered pages and grid, (I love a grid!) The edge of the page gets a filled in grid with a certain color depending on the topic, I keep an index at the front in case I need to find something specific. It's one of my favorite things to work in. When I'm on the go I add notes to a notion.so page so I can add it to the physical book later.
Wow, you sparked some ideas. I jot down my thoughts to free up space. I've been writing some pages in markdown, but I was running out of ideas, and your video came in handy.
Since I've been reading on Kindle (so that I can read anywhere, anytime, even when I'm commuting to work), I simply highlighted everything I found interesting, and after I finished reading the whole book, in the next morning, I'd re-read the highlights and rewrite the stuffs that I still find interesting on my computer, the quotes, the important points, the notes, etc so that I have a digital copy of the essentials of the book. That was the first time for me and so excited to find out that you JUST made a video about this, I didn't even know this is a methodological thing that authors do. I just did it because I love good quotes and nicely thought-out statements, thinking that it would be such a waste to forget them. This is exciting because I've been starting to read again after years of not even touching books because "I don't have the time for that". And Amy, you motivated me to be more productive and at least try waking up at 5AM. So I started by reading a book about it (called The 5AM Club, I know many people don't really enjoy the novelly part of it, but for me who just started reading again, it's a little bit enjoyable although I skipped some parts lol). And it helped! I've been waking up at 5AM lately which I thought was impossible. So Amy, thank you for being, for consistently creating, for bringing such good vibes, just for existing and having the heart to inspire others to be more productive and go after the life that they want. I don't comment often but you deserve to know that you've been changing lives to the better and one of them is mine. Lots of love from Indonesia XO ❤
Hi Amy! Love this idea... also going to use it for my writing process but more specifically and personally, I am going to use it with regards to emotional support... so I am going to write scriptures from the Bible or inspirational, comforting or invigorating quotes from where ever I hear or read them. Then when either I or someone close to me needs something I can pull out a couple of good cards and share them. Thanks!
187- loved the idea. Already saved this on my favorites to watch it later once again...love the concept. I already had one since forever....i kept my notes on notebooks and a virtual journal as well....thank you!
Hi Amy! Love that you are never stingy about sharing what you learn from others! I'm also going to be using a photokeeper. I have way too many journals that I haven't been able to format for my reading and podcast notes. Too much/not enough space is a huge stressor, haha! I think it will work well for my bible study/theology notes. Super easy to go back and dig deeper at a later time!
I have two thoughts that I just wanna leave here. First, I’m interested in the possibilities of a multi colored index card system to reduce excessive labeling, as well as a more fully featured indexing system for the cards or the cards in a book. John Locke tried to develop one and it was used for a long time. I’d like to see modern solutions. Second, I think that this commonplace book system is more powerful than most people are giving it credit. We like to think that we know about subjects and that we’re “informed.” But topics are really complicated and I don’t think that we as a people really do enough audits on how we know what we think we know. We’re easy to fool and lots of scattered surface level knowledge isn’t gonna serve us for too long. The book establishes what we know to ourselves, helps us construct a dialogue between different sources, and it even helps our character with being humble about what we don’t know and also bolstering our confidence about something that we’d otherwise be on shaky ground.
I love this idea!!!! I could use a few of these actually! One for life and bettering myself. One for my writing process (like a writing journal). So many things!!! I love it!
I think the commonplace box would come in very handy for my author life. I do plan in being a hybrid author which means being traditionally published and self published children’s book published. It can come in handy keeping all my projects more organized. Without having using a dozen notebooks lol
The commonplace book is such a great idea, wish I had heard of it sooner. I think it’s going to be so useful for my degree. Thanks for sharing this ❤️❤️
I think i might actually do this with my bullet journal for those notes/ideas that are really important that it’s just tedious to rewrite in every new journal or that I might not need in that exact time frame of the journal. Thanks!
This is soooo smart!!!! I'm going to do this for my university licence, master degree and phd!!! I was thinking about how hard it is to write these papers, but now everithing looks more logic
Hello! I have been following your channel..Started morning pages and bullet journal. I read books and i write notes but i always misplace them and dont find them on time..your this video has given me the idea that i needed.thank you!
Hey Amy! I was skeptical about watching this video because of the term "Commonplace Book" but I actually love the idea. So to answer your Q I would use this to separate my favorite scripture verses by category. I am very grateful that you shared this with me because I will share this with my Bible study group now! LOOOVVVEEE you. By the way, I noticed your passion shines way more in the vlogs where you bring us along with on your daily life. Please keep sharing that because you living the life you went after inspires us to go after the life we want. sorry this is long, I know you don't like reading long stuff
I have been WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO!!! I knew when you mentioned it on IG that I needed something like this to organize my brain. Right now, it's scattered everywhere... digitally, bullet journal, sticky notes... I recently discovered something called a "resonance calendar" which is very similar. Might try both these methods. Thanks Amy!
Oohhh I’ve just been keeping chaotic journals and sticky notes in books! So if I read a poem and it reminds me of a line in fleabag or something, on a post it it goes!but it’s hard to reference. I happen to have one of these boxes from my kindergarten teacher days, and some flash cards 🤣 I gotta try this!!! 2 questions for you 1. If the passage fits more than one topic do you write it multiple times and place it in each category and 2. Do you include your own notes and reflections in the box as well?
Victoria, it sounds like the zettelkasten method may suit you better. A commonplace book is for recording others’ quotes and ideas, and a zettelkasten is a way of encouraging you to really interact with those ideas you gather from others.
I'd love to use this method for professional development in my field. So, when I pull things on a certain topic in webinars, trainings, books, etc. I can compile those ideas into like categories for reference later. Love this idea!
I use Google books. And if you highlight a passage you can write your own note and it saves the highlighted passage and your notes together in a Google doc on your Google drive. It creates a Google doc for each books. It's life changing for a digital need like me. Lol.
Jennifer Bell thank you for sharing. I am going to investigate how your method would work for me.
That would be SO helpful for school!
I used it too but wouldn’t save well I missed having an android for that reason thou .. but maybe on my computer 💻.. haven’t tried it yet but thanks for the reminder ..
As a Bullet Journalist and a notebook freak, I like using different notebooks for the million things I try to learn everyday. Each notebook has a topic (language learning, mindset, marketing, art, etc) and then I use the Bullet Journal system with index, symbols and color codes to organize my notes inside these different notebooks. I like the ritual of opening my notebooks to reflect on the ideas and the things I’ve learned. But I really like the system with the container and the little boxes. I might give it a try. Thanks Amy!
I’m the same way with a journal for each topic but I’m at the point where I have almost to many journals to keep track of, even with my bullet journal to rule them all. 😂
I use a binder for my commonplace book and i include notes from books, UA-cam videos, blog post, online courses etc.. everything I know it will help me improve my life.
Great idea!
I was thinking about a binder too I think it wouldn't be as bulky and you can also categorize it by page dividers.
@@livelaughlove4635 I've got a cousin who does this exact thing. Uses clear sheets to keep note cards and papers in, and then uses the dividers as you were saying. I think it's a great idea if it works for you! 👍
Hey Elena! You should come over to my channel and check out my commonplace book challenge for 2020! This is exactly what I am challenging my community to do, and I'd love to have you join and get your feedback and input throughout the year!
Love this idea❤
Thank you to Ryan as well. I love quotes, so this works for me to have a common place to store and keep things in order. I started to read again. This also helps with having a place to organize what I like to recall.
Hi Amy!! I'm Tainah, a 32 year old Brazilian momma of 2 kids
Such a nice message ❤️
Stumbled on this in my hyperfixation on commonplace books. I would argue this is really a Zettelkasten rather than a commonplace book. There's nothing wrong with that, it's another great system for notetaking, but a commonplace is really...a book. It's a notebook where you put a whole bunch of things that you're thinking about/reading/watching/hearing/whatever that catches your attention or that you think is worth remembering. It's not super organized either. What I mean to say is, there is a table of contents and often an index, but let's say you're reading The Great Gatsby, so Monday night you start reading and you put those notes/ideas/etc on pages 1 and 2. Then Tuesday morning you look up how different standards of shoe size relate to each other, so you put that on page 3. Then Tuesday night you read more of The Great Gatsby, so that goes on pages 4 and 5. The table of context and index allow you to find what you want quickly (Great Gatsby on 1-2, 4-5, Shoe sizes on 3), but the style lets you put things wherever as you encounter it. It's super useful for neurodivergent folks who bounce all over the place.
I’ve been a fan of Ryan and his Stoic teachings for a year now. One of his books appeared on my radar when I was making a big change in my life.
I've been looking for a way to organize my thoughts and note since FOREVER but nothing ever seemed good enough, that's a great idea thank you so so much!
The things that stand out to me that I remember are things I actually live out and actively do in my life. I can highlight and take notes all day, but unless I DO those things I hardly remember them.
This sounds like a perfect thing for you.
I don’t comment often- really ever. I just need to pipe in and let you know that I am WAY excited for Vlogmas.
I kind of wish I had used the Common Place Book to study when I was still in school. Those smaller removable containers seem like a really great idea for anyone studying multiple topics or growing in multiple areas of their lives.
It’s almost like a physically manifested Pinterest board...
Kara Cheney that’s how is studied and wrote papers in school, though without the box. It really helped 😊 btw I’m Cara with a C
@@TheHootingPirate Your username is fantastic!
That's very smart. I wish I had known of such an idea back in my school days. :(
madnessofmymind thanks! I thought it was a fun name 😊
We actually had a class in high school called library skills which was incredibly boring at the time but we learned things that I still use today! 😊
The Hooting Pirate What are some of the other things you learned in your class? Willing to share?
Watching in 2021. "make sure you lock eyes with the people around you, as we don't get to do this very often"...
Yea, if only you knew what 2020 was going to hold for you!
Been looking for a good box for ages, had to return at least three! Your link has been a life saver. Most thanks!
Wow! What a usful incredible idea. Right now I have over a 100 auditable books with notes all in them. Including your book. Yes I stop them and write notes, usually never to be seen again. Till now. Thanks Amy!
0:32 Amy channeling her inner Dumbledore with a muggle version of a pensive 😂
So true
lmao, My mind went there also. I like the way you think 😂
I have wanted to write a book for a year and haven't gotten a very good start. I was just remembering the other day that my college professor taught us to write a paper by writing on 4x6 cards, then categorizing them to put the paper together. You just confirmed this is the way to go! Thank you!
I started saving my book notes digitally as Google Docs. But THIS is the system I have been wanting!!! Thank you for sharing this.
Hi Amy, I love this clever idea. I first saw this container in my days of visiting in person the container store and knew it was perfect for photos and I often would say to myself I will purchase this to organize my photos of my children. It never happened, but now this is an inspiration for me to prepare my writing process for my long, long-awaited wish to write my book. I have more reasons to purchase it and follow this awesome idea. Thank you so much for this topic .
I learned about commonplace books from Steven Johnsons books on ideas. I looked into it at the time and not a lot of people where talking about it. I used a massive sketch book and stole some ideas from bullet Journaling (index for sure). It's amazing to have one big book just full of your ideas. I'd print off the cover of the book so they are about and inch and half big and place it in and around the reflections on the book as well as a great visual queue.
I am going to use my commonplace book for teaching ideas, household responsibilities, meal ideas, and bucket list ideas.
Those are great ideas, but they don’t fall under the definition of a commonplace book, which is used to collect others’ ideas. If you call it a commonplace book you’ll confuse others who follow the traditional definition, which has been around for centuries, if not longer.
This video gave me such good thoughts to think over. I’m mostly thinking about all the content I see online that sometimes I screenshot or revisit. Printing or writing that information onto notecards would save me a lot of troubles. Then cataloging them into topics.
“I like to know things and not unknow them”, is a great line!
I have a journal as my common place book but I like this idea because it’s easier to find what you’re looking for!
Omg! I always hid this side of me bc I would be embarrassed when folks realize how much of a nerd I am! Thanks for making me realize that I’m normal!!! Lol great video!!
This box system idea has both big-brain and chaotic energy to it. I love it! Definitely going to try this once I get my office organized.
I love how you share in great detail how to source the authors name. Thus, it is perfect and helpful for me.
I’ve heard of a commonplace book before but never thought it would be helpful for me until I saw this! Loved your style and how you decided to go for boxes in a bigger box! Really helpful to me, thank you.
Really helpful video!
I am going to use my common place book for preaching and teaching. Thank you for the tips.
All this info is such a great reminder I had a few tutors who suggest similar tips while in school
I take notes on UA-cam videos/books/podcasts and was just thinking of rewriting them into separate notebooks based on subject because I have notes in so many different places, this is the perfect idea for this!
When I highlight lines from a book on my Kindle, it adds it to a separate file called “Clippings.” Then when I’m done ready the book I download the clippings file to my computer, which I can refer to later.
I’ve always had a commonplace notebook since I was in high school. I used to write book passages there but after the kindle, my commonplace notebook now holds random thoughts and ideas from me and from movies and tv shows and videos and lectures.
The Commonplace Book looks a lot like a version of Niklas Luhmann's zettelkasten. Very cool!
thank you so much for sharing these exciting things!
We need more content like this. Thank you, Amy.
This video was awesome! I just issued a commonplace book challenge for my community.😀
Yes! Can't wait for you to bring him on your channel and podcast!
I’m going to make one of these with a recipe section. I get almost all my recipes online or make them up myself and can find it hard to recreate the same thing again. But also have other sections for things like finances advice and productivity.
I have done something very similar. As a mom of 3 young kids, it will be a few years before I'd have time to make a box like that again. For now I organize my notes on my iPhone in a similar fashion.
This is the best video I've watched on commonplace books.
I bought one of these boxes from Michaels for a project that didn't pan out months ago. I have been wondering what to do with it. What a great idea! Thanks so much.
I just got one from Michael's last week. 😂
Good luck to you!
Thanks Amy for your motivational video. My family and I like to hopefully make a box to keep inspiring cards from youtube/books. Thanks,
So cool to hear about someone else keeping a Commonplace! I keep mine as a private, password-protected WordPress blog. I liked the ability to tag/categorize everything. Plus, it’s searchable!
Oh goodness me. This is such a great tip. But, it's quite overwhelming to try it out now and I need to come back to this and review them. Thank you so much!
2020 is a great time to get started. That's my plan, and it is the same challenge I am issuing to my community.
I used to do this in college for study notes but in a binder. Now, I think if you get those 4x6 album inserts in a 3 ring binder it may be an easier way to store the index cards. I think I'll try it!
Love this! Kinda like a Pinterest for your own creative idea collections from a bazillion reading sources (books, magazines, online articles, blogs, etc.) I’ve seen artistic people use these in art journals, but this is more quick for those of us not so artsy to organize the good stuff we absorb!
Just came across your video. I admire how articulately you speak! Thanks for sharing this video!
Also while I have used this in a similar fashion to how you are using it, one of my variations was to have a Project sub box where projects were broken down into coded notecards. Each project received a color and a letter. Each project had a title/master card that listed out the project and the major steps. Each major step then received its own separate index card with the appropriate color and letter in the top right corner. If you have the time to do this and enjoy this sort of thing, it really helps to decrease overwhelm and make the project feel manageable.
Anything read=digital format for The Commonplace Book
Anything heard (YT, a podcast, audiobook etc)=a physical, notecard commonplace book (with a photo of it added in online format)
Best of both worlds!
I LOVE this idea! I read everything on my Kindle to avoid book clutter, but I do highlight things. I like your filing system. I have so many journals - this seems like a clean, simple way to collect information gleaned from books, etc.
My Common Place book currently is on the Evernote app which is on my phone, on my laptop and on the web whenever I need to recall something from a book, journal or a reminder. Sometimes it could be just that one thing I want to focus on before a big meeting or before a huge life event and its always nice for me to have all that knowledge i've accumulated over the years to be at my finger tips.
Something other than a bullet journal?! Mind blowing! I'll have to try it out and review it on my channel too ❤️
I'll be waiting for that review video! Thanks again for the tip about this video! 👍
Hearing all this insightful information is adding this exciting feeling inside me. I see this channel as a source of learning. I create videos and have a future goal to write my book, so all these wonderful details have me smiling, which is what I needed. 😊
Love this idea Amy! Thank you!!
I just issued a challenge to my community to start one. As a money channel, you should totally do the same!
As a summary the card should have:
Featured text
Name of the book
Author's name
Book Page (this is easier to find)
Yes! Always cite information! ^_^
Yes! I am taking this info and stealing it. 😬👍
Love, love, love this idea. I read quite often and make notes in journals and then they stay in there. There is no way I can remember alllll the highlights so this would be super helpful! Thanks for sharing. I'd totally use this for my book club, marketing books to keep me up to speed in my career and just every day inspirational/self help stuff.
Great ideas! I just issued a challenge to my community that they all needed to start a commonplace book themselves.
Always, Always enjoy your videos. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi, thank you for your video. I often don't know how to record thoughts effectivly except by journaling to help refine what I am thinking. I come away from this video considering how, and when I might use the information from a common place book. Creativity generator, dream projects, data on how I have acted seem to be what I might be able to use a book for. I did start a one note project based around a book I was considering to write. The research is half of the fun... well all the fun since I didn't finish it.
I think I might switch to your method. You are very informative, thanks!
We used this system in graduate school for thesis writing. It didn’t have a name though. I love the box you use here; way more awesome than rubber bands.
I'll be telling my writer friends about this. So often I come across an amazing passage or concept I'd like to study further & try implementing into my own writing, but I never write it down. I think I'll have a casual journal at first, with also a selection of quotes I love, mostly until I see if this is something I'll stick with, but I might use the box at some point.
Omg, yes! Ever since I first saw your Commonplace Book, I've been interested in learning more. Thank you for sharing this! UPDATE. It's official: making a Commonplace Book is on my list of 20 for 2020!
20 for 2020! I like that. May have to use that myself.
Also, yes to the commonplace book for 2020. Working on issuing a challenge to my community to get on board as well.
Awesome! I just got my stuff, and am challenging my community to start one as well. No time like the start of a new decade to make a big change for the better! Good luck with your 20 for 2020!
I love the note card idea, and if I was much younger, I would probably go that way. But now that I'm my 60s, I feel like journals will do me just fine!
This is so much better that a journal!
This is brilliant! I love learning about analog options for information organization, especially to help with research and writing. ❤ I wish I had seen this when it was first published 😅 better late than never.
Gurl, this would be a perfect system for organizing nursing school notes and flashcards. If I could reverse time 5 years, I'd have done this. Going to share this video with my podcast/blog audience
I am a third year university student in a BSc of Psychology. There is a lottt of reading involved and I think this would be a super useful studying technique! Putting all the important info into categories would not only help me when studying for exams and working on assignments, but it would be great to hold on to for my future career!
Great video! It is very creative! You are definitely taking reading and writing to new levels and dynamics! Thanks for sharing x
🤯 This is totally what I need in my life!! I have been hitting notes and quotes in note pads just as I read books and articles.. Not organized at all, and that made it difficult to reread the highlights and reflect.. Now I can organize all my notes!! 💖💖 So excited to start! Thank you Amy for sharing.
Same! I got my supplies, and am ready to get started on my first commonplace book. In fact, I just issued a challenge to my entire community about it.
That's fantastic! I never knew what this was called. I just called it my note box. I've fallen out of the habit, mostly because I had too many cards and needed to downsize. But now I want to try it again and see if I can restrain myself. There really is nothing quite like something tangible and copying notes and making them beautifully organized.
In the meantime, I have just done this in Evernote. But oh, this hits me right back in the longing of doing this in a physical space once more. :D
Thank you for sharing!
Don't downsize, just expand! Made a box for each year or two. I just issued a commonplace book challenge to my community to do one card a day into just one of the categories. That is 366 cards at the end of 2020!
I’ve had a commonplace book for years - I used to use the more traditional notebooks (and still have them) but have moved to a digital version that I store on Notion. So glad CP books are being recognised more these days!!
Beautiful video 🤗
I REALLY like this idea! I have done something similar in the past, but not as organized in one box as a collection. Im a teacher and I can see how this idea can be expanded to use in my professional as well as private life. AND something I could share with students.
Holy cow! I've been commonplacing for years and have read Ryan Holiday's article about commonplace books not realizing it was Ryan Holiday, author of the Daily Stoic, who wrote it! I use a computation notebook for the one I'm currently working out of. It's a commonplace/bullet journal hybrid. The notebook came with numbered pages and grid, (I love a grid!) The edge of the page gets a filled in grid with a certain color depending on the topic, I keep an index at the front in case I need to find something specific. It's one of my favorite things to work in. When I'm on the go I add notes to a notion.so page so I can add it to the physical book later.
I freaking LOVE this idea!!! So hard to find quotes I write in my journals sometimes. This is WONDERFUL!!
Wow, you sparked some ideas. I jot down my thoughts to free up space. I've been writing some pages in markdown, but I was running out of ideas, and your video came in handy.
Since I've been reading on Kindle (so that I can read anywhere, anytime, even when I'm commuting to work), I simply highlighted everything I found interesting, and after I finished reading the whole book, in the next morning, I'd re-read the highlights and rewrite the stuffs that I still find interesting on my computer, the quotes, the important points, the notes, etc so that I have a digital copy of the essentials of the book. That was the first time for me and so excited to find out that you JUST made a video about this, I didn't even know this is a methodological thing that authors do. I just did it because I love good quotes and nicely thought-out statements, thinking that it would be such a waste to forget them.
This is exciting because I've been starting to read again after years of not even touching books because "I don't have the time for that". And Amy, you motivated me to be more productive and at least try waking up at 5AM. So I started by reading a book about it (called The 5AM Club, I know many people don't really enjoy the novelly part of it, but for me who just started reading again, it's a little bit enjoyable although I skipped some parts lol). And it helped!
I've been waking up at 5AM lately which I thought was impossible.
So Amy, thank you for being, for consistently creating, for bringing such good vibes, just for existing and having the heart to inspire others to be more productive and go after the life that they want. I don't comment often but you deserve to know that you've been changing lives to the better and one of them is mine.
Lots of love from Indonesia XO ❤
Hi Amy! Love this idea... also going to use it for my writing process but more specifically and personally, I am going to use it with regards to emotional support... so I am going to write scriptures from the Bible or inspirational, comforting or invigorating quotes from where ever I hear or read them. Then when either I or someone close to me needs something I can pull out a couple of good cards and share them. Thanks!
I already knew about and kept commonplace books but now that I’ve seen the index card method, I think I will switch! Thanks for sharing. 😊
It is a great way to keep organized!
187- loved the idea. Already saved this on my favorites to watch it later once again...love the concept. I already had one since forever....i kept my notes on notebooks and a virtual journal as well....thank you!
Hi Amy! Love that you are never stingy about sharing what you learn from others! I'm also going to be using a photokeeper. I have way too many journals that I haven't been able to format for my reading and podcast notes. Too much/not enough space is a huge stressor, haha! I think it will work well for my bible study/theology notes. Super easy to go back and dig deeper at a later time!
Oh snap DECEMBER is going to rock w/video everyday! Whoop thanks Gal Friend
Seriously I am TOTALLLLY Counting down for the boook!!!!! Ahhh!!!
I have two thoughts that I just wanna leave here. First, I’m interested in the possibilities of a multi colored index card system to reduce excessive labeling, as well as a more fully featured indexing system for the cards or the cards in a book. John Locke tried to develop one and it was used for a long time. I’d like to see modern solutions. Second, I think that this commonplace book system is more powerful than most people are giving it credit. We like to think that we know about subjects and that we’re “informed.” But topics are really complicated and I don’t think that we as a people really do enough audits on how we know what we think we know. We’re easy to fool and lots of scattered surface level knowledge isn’t gonna serve us for too long. The book establishes what we know to ourselves, helps us construct a dialogue between different sources, and it even helps our character with being humble about what we don’t know and also bolstering our confidence about something that we’d otherwise be on shaky ground.
I love this idea!!!! I could use a few of these actually! One for life and bettering myself. One for my writing process (like a writing journal). So many things!!! I love it!
I think the commonplace box would come in very handy for my author life. I do plan in being a hybrid author which means being traditionally published and self published children’s book published. It can come in handy keeping all my projects more organized. Without having using a dozen notebooks lol
The commonplace book is such a great idea, wish I had heard of it sooner. I think it’s going to be so useful for my degree. Thanks for sharing this ❤️❤️
Same! I am getting started organizing one right now!
I think i might actually do this with my bullet journal for those notes/ideas that are really important that it’s just tedious to rewrite in every new journal or that I might not need in that exact time frame of the journal. Thanks!
Do you note later on the cards when and how you used (in social media or applied in life) the information?
I love this idea! Now I shall buy a notebook!😜
THANK YOU AMY. You are such an amazing person and I look up to you! You give me the tools to be a better person. I love you so much!!!
Thank you!!! I get anxiety if I don’t have things organized, this helped tremendously. 🙌🏼
This is soooo smart!!!! I'm going to do this for my university licence, master degree and phd!!! I was thinking about how hard it is to write these papers, but now everithing looks more logic
Hello! I have been following your channel..Started morning pages and bullet journal.
I read books and i write notes but i always misplace them and dont find them on time..your this video has given me the idea that i needed.thank you!
Hey Amy!
I was skeptical about watching this video because of the term "Commonplace Book" but I actually love the idea. So to answer your Q I would use this to separate my favorite scripture verses by category. I am very grateful that you shared this with me because I will share this with my Bible study group now!
LOOOVVVEEE you.
By the way, I noticed your passion shines way more in the vlogs where you bring us along with on your daily life. Please keep sharing that because you living the life you went after inspires us to go after the life we want.
sorry this is long, I know you don't like reading long stuff
Wow thank you for articulating this so well. I had been hearing about this for the past two months.
I have been WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO!!! I knew when you mentioned it on IG that I needed something like this to organize my brain. Right now, it's scattered everywhere... digitally, bullet journal, sticky notes... I recently discovered something called a "resonance calendar" which is very similar. Might try both these methods. Thanks Amy!
What a crazy awesome idea! I love your channel!
Thanks Amy for your videos!!!
I LOVE this. Thank you for sharing this life-changing information!
Thank you amy you have made a difference for me in my life
Oohhh I’ve just been keeping chaotic journals and sticky notes in books! So if I read a poem and it reminds me of a line in fleabag or something, on a post it it goes!but it’s hard to reference. I happen to have one of these boxes from my kindergarten teacher days, and some flash cards 🤣 I gotta try this!!! 2 questions for you 1. If the passage fits more than one topic do you write it multiple times and place it in each category and 2. Do you include your own notes and reflections in the box as well?
Victoria, it sounds like the zettelkasten method may suit you better. A commonplace book is for recording others’ quotes and ideas, and a zettelkasten is a way of encouraging you to really interact with those ideas you gather from others.
Yes on Ryan goodness! I will subscribe 🙏🏾
I'd love to use this method for professional development in my field. So, when I pull things on a certain topic in webinars, trainings, books, etc. I can compile those ideas into like categories for reference later. Love this idea!