I have a commonplace book that belonged to my English mother in law. She kept it during WW2 while she was stationed at Bletchley Park. It’s a treasure.
Why would ANYONE want to mute this video? So chock-full of information. Plus your personal journey. And that was before* you mentioned your background and University studies. Wonderful, wonderful literary history. And I will also be watching again and taking notes in my Commonplace!
I really think Tumblr jump started my love for commonplace notebooks. I constantly would go back through my reblogs to write things down on paper - like quotes!
I got into common placing over10 years ago. I actually got started because my friend and I were watching a tv show (not supernatural. I think it was vampire diaries.) and I had asked her questions like what is a journal, and what can you keep in it. And she actually described it to me as you just did in your video. So all this time, I've been journaling I have actually been common placing, and I didn't even know it.
I heard Sherlock Holmes and Supernatural in matter of seconds and my mind started to spiral. Have been a fan of both the works and both have kind of inspired me to have a commonplace book.
I have been commonplace not taking long before I realized it was called that. I don’t actually live under a rock, but I do tend to ignore pop culture sometimes unless I’m really into whatever it is. Thank you for sharing this video and thoroughly enjoyable conversation with us all.
I have been doing this for years but didn't know it was a "thing"! I started it bc I had post-it notes and several notepads and couldn't find anything, so I started keeping everything in one notebook. Even if someone wrote something to me on a post-it and I wanted to keep it, I will tape it inside my notebook!
So many of us go through that journey of "oh! didn't know this was a thing! been doing it for years 😅" I love the idea of taping post-it notes in - I might start doing that myself! Thank you for sharing 🥰
SAME!! I called the fat spiral notebook I carry with me my "bible" because it has EVERYTHING in it! I was so amused that I was doing a thing without knowing it was a thing. And I do the "tape it in" also. I guess great minds think alike!
Just found this video. Never heard of a commonplace book, I think I do it without knowing it. LOL I do journal and have a prayer journal and I have gratitude journals. I do write down quotes and things I like. Sayings ect. Thank you for this video. =0) It's good to pass a commonplace book to children and Grandchildren or whoever.
since i am in the social sciences sphere, i reckon commonplacing is going to help me out a lot. i do love having a repository of philosophical, historical and gender studies material. perhaps this'll help me with critical thinking as well. thanks for the video!
This was such a lovely storytelling/chatty session and I loved that you suggested using this as a body doubling video if we don’t have the energy to listen in on the conversation. I loved taking a peek into your understanding of common placing. Thank you for sharing! ☺️✍🏻
I never knew Holmes had commonplace books. When I encountered the word, "commonplace," I just thought it meant ordinary, unremarkable. I suppose had I given it any thought I'd have wondered why Doyle would have specified that the books were "commonplace." Ah, well... Live and learn.
Im so glad you're making videos, ellie. It makes me so happy you sound so happy and exited 🎉 loved the video, loved the talking and your pages ✨✨ Also!!!!!!! On one of my videos on tiktok someome comment like "ah so a commonplace is the folder of prints on your phone, but in analog form" - and I think that's a great way to explain what it is and why we do it! Because even when we save lots of prints (or bookmark things), how often would we go back to that information to actually read it? For me and most of my friends the answer would be: never. Putting in a notebook, in writing, is such a good way to make sure you'll actually look at the information, and that you wont risk not having anymore when you actually need it! Because let's be real we all say rhat when something is on the internet it's always there but we all also know that's not entirely true!
Thank you so much Bells!! I really am loving making these videos so much 🥺 That person on TikTok summed it up so well! And I totally agree that having things in analog form feels safer somehow. The amount of cool articles/posts/videos on the internet that I've never been able to find again... 🥲
This was really enjoyable. I'm just finding out about commonplace notebooks and super interested in the history and seeing how it's changed over the years. Thanks for posting!
I just watched you’re entire library of videos. Your content is so soothing, informative, inspirational and validating at once. I’m glad you took the plunge and proved to yourself that your “friend” was wrong. I’m excited to hear about your autistic self-care evolution as well. I was diagnosed almost the same time you were and am on a very similar journey. 😊💕
Thank you so much for the kind words - they mean the world 🥰 and congrats on getting the autism diagnosis! There's definitely an adjustment period, but it's so good to feel like you're finally "you" if that makes sense!
I am just now getting into this type of journal. I found out two years ago, at 58, that I’m autistic and it has answered so many questions about myself. I think this journal will help my family to see all the chaos that runs rampant in my brain all day..SO many different thoughts and interests and hopes! I am enjoying your video!
Thank you so much for this informative video😳 It's evident that you put in a lot of effort in research ~ Moreover, your soothing voice creates an atmosphere akin to a friendly conversation 😊🌼
This video is a gem. I happened to be reading the epilogue of a SPN fanfic as soon as you said John Winchester. I couldn't believe the timing and had to rewind to confirm I head correctly.
Thank you so much for your video! I have been overthinking this whole process. I love your "chaotic" notebook. It really resonates with me. No more overthinking... you have inspired my own Chaotic Commonplace notebook. Once again, thank you so much for sharing. xx
You're so welcome, and thank you for the kind words! As someone who overthinks A LOT, I totally relate - hope you feel better about it going forward! 🥰
lovely video! i used to keep a commonplace book when i was a teenager!! then i randomly stopped doing it and threw it away and to this day, i wish i still had it! even moreso motivation to start again now
I feel like everyone who likes commonplace books are all people who play a lot of rpgs where they find a characters notebook that reveals a piece of information about the story
I watched this video a few days ago and I came back to it because I wanted to let you know I loved it. How good is the autistic brain for storing all of these information and facts and I really loved listening about the history of commonplacing and how you keep your commonplace book. I really resonate with writing by hand instead of digital and also your reading books journey sounds so similar to mine 🙈. And also how your low mental state affected your commonplace practice, which is so awful and I had a similar experience. It’s so good that your back to it and also that your happy with it! I really enjoyed this one as well and wanted to take some time to make a proper comment about it 🫶
Thank you so much for the kind words, and for wanting to share how much you enjoyed the video!! 🥰It does sound like we have a lot in common in our journeys, both good and bad - it's really awful when you feel too low to do things that you know you'd normally enjoy. I'm glad we've both managed to get back into both commonplacing and reading! Thank you again - can't wait to watch your latest video over the weekend! ♥
Great info in this video!! I needed inspiration for how to organize all my ideas floating around in my head that I forget about and don’t know how to organize. Thanks!! 😊
I just started a commonplace journal today because of this video and another video. I like the idea of having a place to put my short thoughts and quotes. They always felt out of place in my regular journals, and too important to write in what I call my dump journal (basically all my to-do lists and thoughts I don’t care about). So far I’ve written mostly song lyrics, a quote from a friend, and a quote from a Pinterest comment of a tumblr screenshot. Mine is much smaller which I think will help encourage me to put even the shortest thoughts down
My commonplace book is a very small notebook that I carry with me, keeping it really easy to have available when I find something I want to write down. It took me MONTHS to finish my last one and it was a travelers insert. I can’t imagine how long a full A5 journal would take to fill. I don’t organise it at all. If that means some quotes and info get repeated, so be it. I also don’t want to complicate it, I just want to facilitate writing. I’m always fascinated how much commonplace books vary from person to person.
Yeah, that is the downside of my enduring love of A5 books - they do take a while to fill 😅 except for the Hobonichi memo books, actually! And I'm with you on the lack of organisation, getting things down is the most important thing for me too. It really is so interesting to see how people have made the practice their own!
I use commonplace journals to not only collect great quotes, but I collect information that I need to know for business ideas, like information on how to use AI (including URLs for the information). I use OneNote for my commonplace journaling (digital).
i’d been saving this video for a day when i was feeling a bit down and i’m glad i did! i loved hearing you discuss the history and your personal journey with common placing. thank you for such an informative video! 💛 also i always love seeing your books!
Thank you so much for the kind words - I'm so glad you enjoyed the video and that it brought you some comfort! And I really hope today has been better for you
Supernatural fan here! if you want to try it you could watch the first 3 seasons only, which are in a monster of the week format (they are my favourite) and if you feel like it watch 4 and 5 which have one ongoing story and stop there. from 6 forward you can give it a miss tbh there are a few good crack episodes but personally seasons 1-5 are the good ones. I'm trying to be less lazy with my own common place book and try to write more quotes I like,
This was amazing!! Starting to get really interested in the idea of adding a commonplace book to my lineup and this gave me so many ideas for how I might use it. Especially loved the history section - would love to hear more exploring the history of stationary items or other types of notebook uses
It's interesting to me that you didn't mention A Series Of Unfortune Events for fictional commonplace books, so I can only assume you've never read the series! It's what introduced me to commonplace books as a middle schooler, since the characters' commonplace books are a massive part of the overall narrative. It really made keeping one feel cool and mysterious as a weird middle schooler. It's exciting to see others doing it, since ASOUE really is what drove me to journal at all.
“I did my bachelors in history…” lady, I am envious. I did a major in literature and a minor in history… and yes, siting sources in sone way is now a compulsory act for me
History is just so fascinating!! A major in literature sounds super interesting too, though. And yep - citing our sources will be habit at this point 😆
Hi Ellie, thank you so much for this video ✨it came up on my video feed and I was instantly hooked onto the concept of a commonplace book. I’m a person with so many notebooks and I just cannot find a main theme/categorisation system which will allow me to finish a notebook in its entirety 😅 from watching this video, it now makes total sense to me to write down everything that’s inspired me or information i want to collect to reference back to on a particular subject (I read a Ryan Holiday article where he uses a system for referencing/storing information for a particular topic). What brought tears to my eyes was when you mentioned writing down quotes or things that reassured you. My only way of doing this before was screenshots online of inspirational quotes and keeping them in my smartphone. Now I know I can use my notebook to do this instead 🥰my heart and mind felt content when I added two quotes into my already used and now re-purposed MD notebook earlier on today. So thank you again 💖My organised brain can now rest easy that actually, I don’t need to categorise everything in a rigid way and can now be more in the present moment 🙏✨☀️i appreciate all the creators out there including you Ellie who are likeminded and just want to write to record memories for our wellbeing 💖
Ahhh thank YOU so much for this lovely, kind comment! I'm so glad that this video helped you and that you've hopefully found something that works for your brain 🥰 keeping notebooks is definitely a wellness practice for me!
I was commonplacing for my entire teenage years, i have dozens of notebooks packed full of "poetry", prose, i wrote my first novel in pieces scattered throughout, pictures photos. One liners, track lists for CDs. I have been trying to find some type of system to accommodate my lifestyle, im in a complete different place than i was years ago keeping a sort of bullet journal or happy planning.. for the last two years ive been fighting the bullet journal idea and i get absolutely nowhere every time because it just doesn't work for me anymore. Ive thought about going back to my "everything book(s)" and get caught up in the calendar and to dos vs more chaotic, impulsive and hearty info dumps. This video helped me sort some of that out. Thank you
One of my professors recently mentioned commonplace books which got me looking into the practice, and just a few weeks ago I started my own. I haven't been able to put much in it, only a couple of quotes from 'the trojan women' by Euripides and one from Ovid (since mythology is what I'm studying), but I've really enjoyed it so far. I've actually grown really attached to the book itself, since it was the last thing I bought before my local bookshop closed. This video was very informative, thank you!
!!! yes to Euripides! I studied a few of his plays at university - definitely such a good addition to any commonplace book! And that's so nice (if bittersweet) that the book has a connection to the closed bookshop. Thanks so much for the kind words 🥰
Great video! I really enjoyed it. I really appreciated the history of commonplace books. I’ve recently started a commonplace book, several in fact, and find it relaxing and fulfilling. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! 😊
This was such an informative video on common placing! It really helps to understand the history behind a topic and learn how the practice may have evolved over time to meet everyone’s individual needs! Thanks for sharing! 🩵
Thx for the simple definition at the start as I’m new to this and am happy for you sharing here! I’ve just begun gathering a few journals for different functions and look forward to collecting quotes in a physical place vs digital ❤thx again!
Just found your channel and love your energy!! So nice to see a fellow British journal UA-camr!! 😁🥰 I'm a teacher so I'm going to do a common place notebook for all my teaching stuff - training, tips, print outs ect 😊 Thanks for the inspo, new subby! Xx
lol love me some supernatural and destiel is real lol and later in the series the men of letters have a mansion filled with books about creatures and events. lol this was so intresting and i relise that my notion is kinda a common place as every time i learn something new i make a page with a collection of photos ideas and writings about the topic and some are mine and some are quotes lol who knew!! my art teacher in high school showed us how to make projects and the first thing was research collection and before it was just paper but then turned to notion!!!
Finally have the time to sit down and watch this video and I am not disappointed. Your voice is so soothing. Your videos are quickly becoming something I very much look forward to. 💜
I never realized I was commonplacing all this time lol. I've actually kept the same notebook since covid, it's evolved a LOT since I first got it. I initially used it only as a diary but now it's turned into to-do lists and brainstorming for my art business lol. I also keep my workouts and morning/night routines in it. I'm starting to get to the last few pages and I'm honestly a little sad to see it get filled up? I guess it has become a comfort item for me. I haven't finished the video yet so idk if you've answered this question but have you ever thought about binding your own journals? I like to make my own sketchbooks, they aren't that nice looking but it helps me not feel too intimidated to draw in them. It's a really fun and unexpectedly easy process. There are tons of useful UA-cam videos that are in-depth tutorials on how to do it, highly recommend!
So many of us have that same experience - realising we're commonplacing way after we've actually started 😅 Love the sound of your notebook - a big book of everything! I totally see how it's become a comfort item; our notebooks are extensions of ourselves, in many ways! I haven't ever considered binding my own journals tbh, simply because I have really poor fine motor skills and I'm worried I'd mess it up 😅 But following a UA-cam tutorial feels a little more doable!! Thank you for the suggestion!
I totally feel you on the post-uni reading burnout! I withdrew from a PhD in 2016 and I'm still struggling to get back into reading after spending 6hrs a day reading in the library 😂 The failure of my PhD has probably affected me more than I'd like to admit.
Hey, can I just say - I really admire you for having the courage to withdraw. It's such a tricky decision to make, especially when you've sunk so much time into a program. (I've had friends in that exact spot!) But sometimes, something just isn't working, and stepping away is brave and for the best. I wouldn't even call that a failure, tbh - more of a success in figuring out what's for you and what's not. I imagine it being super stressful and hard to handle, though I hope it's something that gets easier to process with more time! ❤️
@@ellesbooks Thanks for your kind words! I really appreciate it. I'm still figuring myself out, though who isn't really? I'll try and live in the courage of my decision, rather than dwell on my perceived failure from now on.
This was such an interesting video!! I love how you mentioned commonplacing in fiction, because that's how I learned about it when I was still a kid. In the fifth book of a series of unfortunate events, the austere academy, there's triplets who each have their own commonplace book, and I found the idea really interesting when I first read it. However it took me a long time to really start my own. At the moment I'm using a insert in my standard tn, although I'm still not sure if it's IT for me.
So glad you enjoyed it!! I had no idea about commonplacing being in A Series of Unfortunate Events - I don't think it made it that far through the series, but now I want to 😅 Hope you find the perfect system for you!
interestingly, i didn't know about commonplace books and commonplacing but i have been doing it with my phone notes. i have a dedicated folder on my notes app that helps me put quotes, ideas and just collect fun information. it is a habit of mine that i have started since becoming a writer and a poet, i think it would be more helpful if my commonplacing would be on an actual book considering i find actually writing stuff down more fun than typing it.
So many of us have the same story, haha - commonplacing before we really knew that's what it was 😅 and can confirm, there's something super satisfying about writing it all out by hand (although that's a personal preference thing and digital commonplace archives are still valid and the best option for some folks!!!)
I am enjoying your videos so much. Thank you for all this info. I have found it hard to keep a commonplace book, but I always have, just not very structured with random stuff on random pages. 😅
When you started talking about history, I immediately clocked that you'd be telling us that it's your special interest. I don't know whether it's the algorithm or my interests, but I've been seeing a lot of videos by creators with autism lately. Not that I'm complaining, I actually love it, cause they feel more passionate and informed than the average UA-cam video. Like, at some point the creator will say "this is my special interest btw" and it will make so much sense. All that being said, thank you for the amazing and informative video, you convinced me to try out commonplacing for myself ♥️ Tho I've been keeping a journal on Eurovision (yearly European music contest), would that technically count?
Ahhhh yep - we do get passionate about our interests. It's one of my favourite things about being autistic tbh, getting such pure joy from things that interest me 🥰 As for the Eurovision journal - first, Eurovision is another of my special interests, so I just love the fact you have a journal for it!! Second, I think it wouldn't fit the traditional definition of a commonplace book (which tends to be copied text only) BUT, I'm all for us changing definitions to fit our needs. So it can be whatever kind of notebook you want!
It was soooo wonderful and interesting to hear you speak that I just had to subscribe ☺️. Anyone that wants to mute you is seriously missing out. A wealth of valuable information. 🎉🙏🏽💖. I didn’t think I wanted a common place notebook. I have quite a few books lined up for 2024 - one book for all does not work for me - took me 3 years to learn that!! Well a year to learn 1 book is not working; I need a separate book for journal thoughts and feelings, 2 years later to learn I need a separate book for work and personal appointments and goal planning!! After this video I realised I’ve been adding quotes and comments in my Google calendar under a heading I can search for but since I also struggle with the screen and also live writing - last two years been getting back to my fountain pens - which I loved for 20 years until I got caught in the digital revolution - which REALLY is practical but not any fun for me. So I am now going to search my stash for which will be my first Common Place book; A5, A6 or my standard TN (leaning with one of the later two for portability!!) Thanks again for such an interest video. I will be working my way through your other videos but I love reading and watching about history (hint, hint) so will definitely be listening out for more - in case you were curious about topics - please keep talking so I can keep listening and share the joy 🎉🤣🤗🥳✒️✍🏾🥰 Ps. Noticed I just missed a big UA-cam anniversary for you so congrats and here to many more subscribers for you, Varsha 🎉
Thank you so much for the kind words 🥰 That's so exciting that you'll be adding a commonplace book to your lineup! And that you're returning to fountain pens - they're just so special! I'll definitely make sure to talk about history in future videos 😄 Thank you again for the kindness, the support, and the congratulations!
Super interesting video. I've watched Meghan's months ago, but i still struggle to make it happen. I have notes everywhere, even on my computer which is not as good as I first thought because I have to have it open to access my notes. So I think I will transfer all (or at least most of) my digital notes into notebooks. I'm not sure if you said something about it or if I missed it completely but: do you use an index for the themes you write in your book?
Thanks for the kind words! I tried digital for a while too, but there's something special about notebooks! I don't use an index, no - I found that I never actually referred to them when I did use them. Instead, I usually put a big bold heading before each entry so that I can navigate that way!
Such an informative video! I've been commonplacing since high school (back in the 80s). At the time I didn't know that's what I was doing. I thought I was creating a magazine - I was going to be an editor 😂. (Sigh... So far from that career!) I had a lot of penpals from Europe and the US (I grew up in Jamaica) and so we would exchange any information about our countries, history, and music. I actually still have one book from back then. So, imagine finding out a few years ago about commonplacing! I love it, but I'm not consistent (life, you know?) But you've inspired me to pick up where I left off!😊
Ahhh thank you so much! That's really insightful about commonplacing being a lot like making a magazine because - yeah, it really is 😅 I hope you can get back into the practice in a way that works for you, it's definitely really hard to keep up when life gets in the way!
Hello I came over from @dozygoul channel who mentioned you, so I had to come and visit your channel. Thanks for sharing all the information on commonplacing and how commonplace. So very informative and inspiring 👏
Hi Ellie! :) Just found your channel, this was a very informative video. I keep a regular journal of just thoughts/stream of consciousness journaling. I also have a notebook for Japanese learning notes, would that be considered commonplace book or not? Since it's just notes of Japanese vocab and kanji, not sure exactly. I want to start a new notebook to collect everything I care about, as you mentioned.
Thank you for the kind words, I'm so glad you enjoyed the video 🥰 Honestly, I'm not quite sure if the Japanese notebook would count as a commonplace book - I think it might be what's more typically called a language journal! Whereas a commonplace is usually copied text, quotes, and so on. Whatever the case, as long as a notebook brings you joy, that's the most important thing!
Regarding not being able to sit through that many hours of tv to catch up… same. Plus, I’ve learned I often enjoy fanfic much more than the original canon
Glad it's not just me lol. And tbh a lot of fanfic is way better than the canon storylines that play out! (Just not the fanfics I used to write which were dreadful lmao)
"I just like chaos ig" and "I hope to fill a whole book one day" Me: she sounds like me with ADHD chaos "Common placing is my autistic special interest" - There it is lol much love
What pens do you use to minimize bleed through? I'm a beginner myself and can't seem to find a pen I like that doesn't bleed through the pages. I really enjoyed listening to the history of commonplace books. I was a little surprised to hear of some of the people who had kept them. I'm really happy I came across your channel, it has really inspired me to start writing about my special interests.
The ones that have worked for me are the Pilot Frixion rollerball; and, fountain pens in general (I have one by Parker and one by Sailor). The only downside with the Pilot Frixion is that the ink gets quite pale quite quickly - but, it's readable and it's never bled for me! So glad you enjoyed the video and feel inspired to write about special interests! Doing so has really enriched my life 🥰
I found Notion as more of a database thing. I use & much prefer Roam Research the note-taking app as my own commonplace system. At the moment, I've started commonplacing in my Kindle Scribe, in the Notebooks section. In fact, I use Roam everyday on my laptop & read everyday in my Kindles. I may do physical commonplacing in the future....not sure.
I've heard good things about Roam, to be fair! I'm also a Kindle reader for the most part, so might be something to look into, even as a temporary repository pre-physical-commonplacing. Thanks for the comment!
ive been bullet journaling and scrapbook/collage journaling for a few years but i wasn't ever able to stay consistent enough (other than task logging) to log memories etc, and i realized this year that i really wish i had. It was just really time consuming to do a scrapbook page for every little thing, even though i would collect things to scrapbook i would find myself not using them bc of how overwhelming it was to do a spread. don't get me wrong, i still enjoy scrapbooking, but since i started a commonplace i've felt a lot of that perfectionist pressure lifted. I intentionally made it ugly in the beginning, i had a chance to finally use the stickers i had sentimental attachment to but that i couldn't ever manage to fit into a spread (usually bc they were kind of ugly lmao), i doodled some really shitty doodles and im using up my gaudy sticker sheets for my organizational system. its UGLY and chaotic asf and its been soooo freeing, i wouldn't have it any other way. i write in it like 5 times a day. I can save the pretty pages and special memories for my other journal-- and i also have a place for everything else now.
Oh this is so lovely! There's definitely something so freeing about letting go of the perfectionism and just letting yourself create no matter what it looks like and how traditionally "aesthetic" it is. Glad you've found a system that fits all your needs!
Just curious about your process of collecting bits for your book. Do you wait until you have a pile of interesting snippets or do you search out things when you are in the mood to write? I can’t seem to get myself started
Usually I wait until I’ve found a big pile of stuff! And in between that, I tend to use the stuff I’m doing day to day as inspiration- writing about a song I loved that day, a cool project I started, that sort of thing. Another option is online journaling prompts!
“I haven’t watched it, it’s just too long” …this is me as well for Grey’s Anatomy and Riverdale. Diana Bishop writes in a commonplace book in book 2 of the All Souls trilogy, Shadow of Night. I can’t remember if it makes it into the corresponding to series 2 of A Discovery of Witches
Yes!! I've heard such good things about Grey's Anatomy in particular but like... too many seasons! And it's still going, right?! 🥲 That's so cool about commonplacing in the All Souls trilogy! I have those books to read someday, I'll look out for that!
It might be good to add the date next to the Wikipedia link, so people know which version of the page you were referring to in this video, since you see what pages look like on a certain day.
Question: is common place book focused on writing or re-reading? Meaning, does one usually write on it and don't go back to it or they go back to it multiple times?
Take this with a pinch of salt as I'm no expert, but here's my interpretation: Technically, it's likely intended as a re-reading tool; to help you refer back to copied text you find interesting or otherwise want to remember. But tbh I imagine that for many people, the process of commonplacing is in itself a helpful way to process the information and they might not feel the need to re-read. So, I guess it depends on personal preference to an extent!
I am a diehard pen and paper person but something ive been perpetually looking for is. A commonplace book but digital. I haven't ever found anything that I like but I dislike hoarding things endlessly in my google keeps. I've tried all the big ones like evernote and one note, notion is too much for me. This is a huge perpetual problem I have been trying to sort out for so long ,😭
I feel you on this as well!!! It's so hard to find a digital app that strikes that balance between working for commonplacing needs, without being too overwhelming!
Writing is much better to do. It is better for the brain my husband was reading an article. Kids are not cursive writing in school. Not a good thing. I love writing and doodling and coloring. I am a scrapbooker too. =0)
I am interested in commonplacing but haven't tried it yet. I think if I do, I would also go without indexing, just because I would never be able to anticipate what I'd want to write about or how much room it would take. I love that you're copying over tumblr quotes; I have a tag on tumblr called "this is a lesson i need to learn" that would be great for this purpose
Yeah, that's definitely a flaw of indexing - I feel like the practice is so much more flexible without one! That's so cool you already have a relevant Tumblr tag. You should totally start a commonplace book! 🥰
First off, you can't reference Supernatural and not mention the father of all common place notebooks in cinema : Indiana Jones, more precisely his father, played by Sean Connery, who made an awesome book about his researches on the Grail. I say that's the grail of common place books. Secondly, if you want to try categories again, (I love chaos too), you could put a key on a bookmark and always know what categories are what at a glance. Lastly, I've been common placing for years without knowing it. I've tried many organisations, different notebooks for different topics, wallets or pouches full of ticket stubs, bullet journals, nothing really sticks. I am discovering again something I know very well with new eyes and it gives me a different perspective. I think I'll keep an agenda apart and just put everything else together. I even used to put my shopping lists in such notebooks but no, not anymore. I have even tried blogging and am now thinking to copy all that numeric content in a notebook and get rid of the website. I just like pens too much and decorating too. Thanks for the vid !❤
Oh goodness!!! How could I forget the grail about the Grail!! Thank you for the reminder (and now I want to go rewatch the original IJ movies 😅) Also, the key-on-a-bookmark idea is a great one! I'm still in my chaos phase, but if I ever leave it, I might well try this. That experience of "commonplacing without knowing" is SUCH a common one - it's great to be able to put a term to it finally!! I've had a very similar journey to you, including the blogging. I hope you find a system that works well for you, and thanks for the kind words about the video!
I have a commonplace book that belonged to my English mother in law. She kept it during WW2 while she was stationed at Bletchley Park.
It’s a treasure.
Oh wow, how incredibly special. Talk about a treasured historical artefact!!!
Wow that is an amazing thing to have!!! Truly a treasure
Why would ANYONE want to mute this video? So chock-full of information. Plus your personal journey. And that was before* you mentioned your background and University studies. Wonderful, wonderful literary history. And I will also be watching again and taking notes in my Commonplace!
Amen!! So much juicy info!
Thank you both so much for the kind words and support 🥺 This was a really fun video to research and make!
Right? I came here for the chat
@UmiChan358 🥺 thank you!!
I really think Tumblr jump started my love for commonplace notebooks. I constantly would go back through my reblogs to write things down on paper - like quotes!
Tumblr may have its flaws (e.g. Tumblr Live, what even is that) but we also have a lot to thank it for 😅
You inspired me to start a commonplace book myself! I love the idea of collecting little bits of wisdom and inspiration in one place.
Ahhhh I'm so glad! It's such a fun and enriching process 🥰
I got into common placing over10 years ago. I actually got started because my friend and I were watching a tv show (not supernatural. I think it was vampire diaries.) and I had asked her questions like what is a journal, and what can you keep in it. And she actually described it to me as you just did in your video. So all this time, I've been journaling I have actually been common placing, and I didn't even know it.
Oh that's so cool! I was the same, to be honest - saving quotes and song lyrics in my teenage journal without knowing it was commonplacing!
I heard Sherlock Holmes and Supernatural in matter of seconds and my mind started to spiral. Have been a fan of both the works and both have kind of inspired me to have a commonplace book.
I love that for you!!! It's amazing all the different ways that art/media can inspire us 🥰
I have been commonplace not taking long before I realized it was called that. I don’t actually live under a rock, but I do tend to ignore pop culture sometimes unless I’m really into whatever it is. Thank you for sharing this video and thoroughly enjoyable conversation with us all.
So many of us have had the same experience!! Thank you for the kind words about the video :)
@@ellesbooks you’re welcome, and of course!!
15:45 Gansey from the raven cycle has a massive book filled with tons of information on welsh mythology!
Okay that sounds incredible?? I need to read The Raven Cycle clearly!
@@ellesbooks that series is so good!!! I love those books 💕
Love the TRC, love that Gansey has journals he keeps! :)
I have been doing this for years but didn't know it was a "thing"! I started it bc I had post-it notes and several notepads and couldn't find anything, so I started keeping everything in one notebook. Even if someone wrote something to me on a post-it and I wanted to keep it, I will tape it inside my notebook!
So many of us go through that journey of "oh! didn't know this was a thing! been doing it for years 😅" I love the idea of taping post-it notes in - I might start doing that myself! Thank you for sharing 🥰
SAME!! I called the fat spiral notebook I carry with me my "bible" because it has EVERYTHING in it! I was so amused that I was doing a thing without knowing it was a thing. And I do the "tape it in" also. I guess great minds think alike!
@@vagabondbombshell they definitely do!! 😄
Just found this video. Never heard of a commonplace book, I think I do it without knowing it. LOL I do journal and have a prayer journal and I have gratitude journals. I do write down quotes and things I like. Sayings ect. Thank you for this video. =0) It's good to pass a commonplace book to children and Grandchildren or whoever.
That's so true for so many of us - we don't even realise we've been commonplacing until years down the line! :) Thank you for the kind words!
since i am in the social sciences sphere, i reckon commonplacing is going to help me out a lot. i do love having a repository of philosophical, historical and gender studies material. perhaps this'll help me with critical thinking as well. thanks for the video!
You're so welcome! I hope you enjoy commonplacing - it's definitely very well suited for us academically-minded folk! 🥰
I love a notebook with “chaos” haha
Finally, someone put it out there. 😅
I just realized that what I am doing is a common place notebook. 😊
Ahhh thank you! I also love chaos, as you can probably tell 😅 so many of us have been commonplacing for years without even realising haha!
This was such a lovely storytelling/chatty session and I loved that you suggested using this as a body doubling video if we don’t have the energy to listen in on the conversation. I loved taking a peek into your understanding of common placing. Thank you for sharing! ☺️✍🏻
Thank you so much for the kind words 🥰 I love body doubling - it's been a gamechanger for my productivity!
I never knew Holmes had commonplace books. When I encountered the word, "commonplace," I just thought it meant ordinary, unremarkable. I suppose had I given it any thought I'd have wondered why Doyle would have specified that the books were "commonplace." Ah, well... Live and learn.
Honestly, it's not especially obvious from the books - I didn't realise what he meant until years afterward! It was a very fun discovery :)
Im so glad you're making videos, ellie. It makes me so happy you sound so happy and exited 🎉 loved the video, loved the talking and your pages ✨✨
Also!!!!!!! On one of my videos on tiktok someome comment like "ah so a commonplace is the folder of prints on your phone, but in analog form" - and I think that's a great way to explain what it is and why we do it! Because even when we save lots of prints (or bookmark things), how often would we go back to that information to actually read it? For me and most of my friends the answer would be: never. Putting in a notebook, in writing, is such a good way to make sure you'll actually look at the information, and that you wont risk not having anymore when you actually need it! Because let's be real we all say rhat when something is on the internet it's always there but we all also know that's not entirely true!
Thank you so much Bells!! I really am loving making these videos so much 🥺
That person on TikTok summed it up so well! And I totally agree that having things in analog form feels safer somehow. The amount of cool articles/posts/videos on the internet that I've never been able to find again... 🥲
This was really enjoyable. I'm just finding out about commonplace notebooks and super interested in the history and seeing how it's changed over the years. Thanks for posting!
You're very welcome, and thanks for watching! Commonplacing truly is fascinating - there's way more info online than I could include in this video!!
Loved the combination of commonplacing and talking about the history of it in this video! Super excited for new episodes of this series✨
Thank you so much! Looking forward to making more 🥰
I just watched you’re entire library of videos. Your content is so soothing, informative, inspirational and validating at once. I’m glad you took the plunge and proved to yourself that your “friend” was wrong.
I’m excited to hear about your autistic self-care evolution as well. I was diagnosed almost the same time you were and am on a very similar journey. 😊💕
Thank you so much for the kind words - they mean the world 🥰 and congrats on getting the autism diagnosis! There's definitely an adjustment period, but it's so good to feel like you're finally "you" if that makes sense!
I am just now getting into this type of journal. I found out two years ago, at 58, that I’m autistic and it has answered so many questions about myself. I think this journal will help my family to see all the chaos that runs rampant in my brain all day..SO many different thoughts and interests and hopes! I am enjoying your video!
@@thechickincharge1073 thank you so much for the kind words! And I’m so glad you got your diagnosis - it makes so much make sense!
Thank you so much for this informative video😳 It's evident that you put in a lot of effort in research ~ Moreover, your soothing voice creates an atmosphere akin to a friendly conversation 😊🌼
Ahhhh thank you so much 🥺 I feel honoured that one of my favourite UA-camrs warched and enjoyed one of my videos 🥰
This video is a gem. I happened to be reading the epilogue of a SPN fanfic as soon as you said John Winchester. I couldn't believe the timing and had to rewind to confirm I head correctly.
Omg I love those little spooky coincidences 😅 it was meant to be!
Thank you so much for your video! I have been overthinking this whole process. I love your "chaotic" notebook. It really resonates with me. No more overthinking... you have inspired my own Chaotic Commonplace notebook. Once again, thank you so much for sharing. xx
You're so welcome, and thank you for the kind words! As someone who overthinks A LOT, I totally relate - hope you feel better about it going forward! 🥰
lovely video! i used to keep a commonplace book when i was a teenager!! then i randomly stopped doing it and threw it away and to this day, i wish i still had it! even moreso motivation to start again now
Definitely a great motivation to start a new one!! Thanks so much for the kind words 🥰
I feel like everyone who likes commonplace books are all people who play a lot of rpgs where they find a characters notebook that reveals a piece of information about the story
omg I love this so much and I've immediately decided that it's true
@@ellesbooksThat’s the reason I actually used to have commonplace books when I was younger before I even knew what they were called 😅
@@alexh3158 I love that for you 😂
I watched this video a few days ago and I came back to it because I wanted to let you know I loved it. How good is the autistic brain for storing all of these information and facts and I really loved listening about the history of commonplacing and how you keep your commonplace book. I really resonate with writing by hand instead of digital and also your reading books journey sounds so similar to mine 🙈. And also how your low mental state affected your commonplace practice, which is so awful and I had a similar experience. It’s so good that your back to it and also that your happy with it! I really enjoyed this one as well and wanted to take some time to make a proper comment about it 🫶
Thank you so much for the kind words, and for wanting to share how much you enjoyed the video!! 🥰It does sound like we have a lot in common in our journeys, both good and bad - it's really awful when you feel too low to do things that you know you'd normally enjoy. I'm glad we've both managed to get back into both commonplacing and reading!
Thank you again - can't wait to watch your latest video over the weekend! ♥
Third video. 👏👏👏👏👏 Not watching it now. Will get myself some coffee, relax, and give this my full attention after breakfast. ☕
Ahhhh I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for the support 🥰
Great info in this video!! I needed inspiration for how to organize all my ideas floating around in my head that I forget about and don’t know how to organize. Thanks!! 😊
You're so welcome - really glad it was useful! And I totally relate to needing that organisation space, commonplacing is so great for that!
I just started a commonplace journal today because of this video and another video. I like the idea of having a place to put my short thoughts and quotes. They always felt out of place in my regular journals, and too important to write in what I call my dump journal (basically all my to-do lists and thoughts I don’t care about). So far I’ve written mostly song lyrics, a quote from a friend, and a quote from a Pinterest comment of a tumblr screenshot. Mine is much smaller which I think will help encourage me to put even the shortest thoughts down
So glad this video inspired you - I hope you continue to enjoy commonplacing! Song lyrics are one of my favourite things to commonplace 🥰
So great to find a fellow trained Historian who commonplaces! ☺️🌸📖
Ahhh yay! So glad to have you here 🥰
My commonplace book is a very small notebook that I carry with me, keeping it really easy to have available when I find something I want to write down. It took me MONTHS to finish my last one and it was a travelers insert. I can’t imagine how long a full A5 journal would take to fill. I don’t organise it at all. If that means some quotes and info get repeated, so be it. I also don’t want to complicate it, I just want to facilitate writing. I’m always fascinated how much commonplace books vary from person to person.
Yeah, that is the downside of my enduring love of A5 books - they do take a while to fill 😅 except for the Hobonichi memo books, actually! And I'm with you on the lack of organisation, getting things down is the most important thing for me too. It really is so interesting to see how people have made the practice their own!
I use commonplace journals to not only collect great quotes, but I collect information that I need to know for business ideas, like information on how to use AI (including URLs for the information). I use OneNote for my commonplace journaling (digital).
That's a great idea! Good to keep all that useful information in one place!
Thank you so much for putting together all of this information on commonplacing!
You are so welcome! It was really fun to research :)
i’d been saving this video for a day when i was feeling a bit down and i’m glad i did! i loved hearing you discuss the history and your personal journey with common placing. thank you for such an informative video! 💛 also i always love seeing your books!
Thank you so much for the kind words - I'm so glad you enjoyed the video and that it brought you some comfort! And I really hope today has been better for you
Super cool to see your system and learn more about commonplacing :) Thanks for sharing !
Thank you Heather!!! 😄
Supernatural fan here! if you want to try it you could watch the first 3 seasons only, which are in a monster of the week format (they are my favourite) and if you feel like it watch 4 and 5 which have one ongoing story and stop there. from 6 forward you can give it a miss tbh there are a few good crack episodes but personally seasons 1-5 are the good ones.
I'm trying to be less lazy with my own common place book and try to write more quotes I like,
Thank you for the SPN tips - that feels much more manageable than trying to watch all of the seasons 😅
This was amazing!! Starting to get really interested in the idea of adding a commonplace book to my lineup and this gave me so many ideas for how I might use it. Especially loved the history section - would love to hear more exploring the history of stationary items or other types of notebook uses
Thank you so much - glad you enjoyed the video! Love the idea of videos about the history of notebooks/stationery!
It's interesting to me that you didn't mention A Series Of Unfortune Events for fictional commonplace books, so I can only assume you've never read the series! It's what introduced me to commonplace books as a middle schooler, since the characters' commonplace books are a massive part of the overall narrative. It really made keeping one feel cool and mysterious as a weird middle schooler.
It's exciting to see others doing it, since ASOUE really is what drove me to journal at all.
Guilty as charged - we read the first book at school, but I never picked up the rest of the series! Maybe I should at some point 🤔
“I did my bachelors in history…” lady, I am envious. I did a major in literature and a minor in history… and yes, siting sources in sone way is now a compulsory act for me
History is just so fascinating!! A major in literature sounds super interesting too, though. And yep - citing our sources will be habit at this point 😆
Hi Ellie, thank you so much for this video ✨it came up on my video feed and I was instantly hooked onto the concept of a commonplace book. I’m a person with so many notebooks and I just cannot find a main theme/categorisation system which will allow me to finish a notebook in its entirety 😅 from watching this video, it now makes total sense to me to write down everything that’s inspired me or information i want to collect to reference back to on a particular subject (I read a Ryan Holiday article where he uses a system for referencing/storing information for a particular topic). What brought tears to my eyes was when you mentioned writing down quotes or things that reassured you. My only way of doing this before was screenshots online of inspirational quotes and keeping them in my smartphone. Now I know I can use my notebook to do this instead 🥰my heart and mind felt content when I added two quotes into my already used and now re-purposed MD notebook earlier on today. So thank you again 💖My organised brain can now rest easy that actually, I don’t need to categorise everything in a rigid way and can now be more in the present moment 🙏✨☀️i appreciate all the creators out there including you Ellie who are likeminded and just want to write to record memories for our wellbeing 💖
Ahhh thank YOU so much for this lovely, kind comment! I'm so glad that this video helped you and that you've hopefully found something that works for your brain 🥰 keeping notebooks is definitely a wellness practice for me!
I guess I’ve been common placing for years now and just didn’t realize it.. I have always just called it journaling. ❤
So many of us went through that journey!!
I was commonplacing for my entire teenage years, i have dozens of notebooks packed full of "poetry", prose, i wrote my first novel in pieces scattered throughout, pictures photos. One liners, track lists for CDs. I have been trying to find some type of system to accommodate my lifestyle, im in a complete different place than i was years ago keeping a sort of bullet journal or happy planning.. for the last two years ive been fighting the bullet journal idea and i get absolutely nowhere every time because it just doesn't work for me anymore. Ive thought about going back to my "everything book(s)" and get caught up in the calendar and to dos vs more chaotic, impulsive and hearty info dumps. This video helped me sort some of that out. Thank you
You're so welcome, and I'm so glad this video helped!
☺I really enjoyed this! Thanks for the company!
You're very welcome - thank you for watching! ☺️
One of my professors recently mentioned commonplace books which got me looking into the practice, and just a few weeks ago I started my own. I haven't been able to put much in it, only a couple of quotes from 'the trojan women' by Euripides and one from Ovid (since mythology is what I'm studying), but I've really enjoyed it so far. I've actually grown really attached to the book itself, since it was the last thing I bought before my local bookshop closed. This video was very informative, thank you!
!!! yes to Euripides! I studied a few of his plays at university - definitely such a good addition to any commonplace book! And that's so nice (if bittersweet) that the book has a connection to the closed bookshop. Thanks so much for the kind words 🥰
Great video! I really enjoyed it. I really appreciated the history of commonplace books. I’ve recently started a commonplace book, several in fact, and find it relaxing and fulfilling. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! 😊
Thank you so much for the kind words! 🥰 Commonplacing really is such a fun and chilled-out practice!
This was such an informative video on common placing! It really helps to understand the history behind a topic and learn how the practice may have evolved over time to meet everyone’s individual needs! Thanks for sharing! 🩵
You're so welcome, and thanks so much for the kind words! I totally agree - but then, I am a total history nerd 😅
Thx for the simple definition at the start as I’m new to this and am happy for you sharing here! I’ve just begun gathering a few journals for different functions and look forward to collecting quotes in a physical place vs digital ❤thx again!
You're so welcome and thank you for the kind words!! 🥰 I really hope you enjoy your new journals!!
Just found your channel and love your energy!! So nice to see a fellow British journal UA-camr!! 😁🥰 I'm a teacher so I'm going to do a common place notebook for all my teaching stuff - training, tips, print outs ect 😊 Thanks for the inspo, new subby! Xx
Ahhh thank you so much for the kind words and for subscribing! 🥰 Hope you enjoy commonplacing!
lol love me some supernatural and destiel is real lol and later in the series the men of letters have a mansion filled with books about creatures and events. lol this was so intresting and i relise that my notion is kinda a common place as every time i learn something new i make a page with a collection of photos ideas and writings about the topic and some are mine and some are quotes lol who knew!! my art teacher in high school showed us how to make projects and the first thing was research collection and before it was just paper but then turned to notion!!!
Ahhh that's so cool, you have an accidental Notion commonplace 🥰 Notion is such a cool tool - it's great how customizable it is!
Loved this video. Fellow history fan and chaotic journal person 😊
@@dreamerlotus ahhh so glad you enjoyed it! 🥰 history and chaotic journals for the the win 😌😂
Finally have the time to sit down and watch this video and I am not disappointed. Your voice is so soothing. Your videos are quickly becoming something I very much look forward to. 💜
Thank you so much for the kind words - they mean the world! 🥺
I never realized I was commonplacing all this time lol. I've actually kept the same notebook since covid, it's evolved a LOT since I first got it. I initially used it only as a diary but now it's turned into to-do lists and brainstorming for my art business lol. I also keep my workouts and morning/night routines in it. I'm starting to get to the last few pages and I'm honestly a little sad to see it get filled up? I guess it has become a comfort item for me.
I haven't finished the video yet so idk if you've answered this question but have you ever thought about binding your own journals? I like to make my own sketchbooks, they aren't that nice looking but it helps me not feel too intimidated to draw in them. It's a really fun and unexpectedly easy process. There are tons of useful UA-cam videos that are in-depth tutorials on how to do it, highly recommend!
So many of us have that same experience - realising we're commonplacing way after we've actually started 😅 Love the sound of your notebook - a big book of everything! I totally see how it's become a comfort item; our notebooks are extensions of ourselves, in many ways!
I haven't ever considered binding my own journals tbh, simply because I have really poor fine motor skills and I'm worried I'd mess it up 😅 But following a UA-cam tutorial feels a little more doable!! Thank you for the suggestion!
I totally feel you on the post-uni reading burnout! I withdrew from a PhD in 2016 and I'm still struggling to get back into reading after spending 6hrs a day reading in the library 😂 The failure of my PhD has probably affected me more than I'd like to admit.
Hey, can I just say - I really admire you for having the courage to withdraw. It's such a tricky decision to make, especially when you've sunk so much time into a program. (I've had friends in that exact spot!) But sometimes, something just isn't working, and stepping away is brave and for the best. I wouldn't even call that a failure, tbh - more of a success in figuring out what's for you and what's not. I imagine it being super stressful and hard to handle, though I hope it's something that gets easier to process with more time! ❤️
@@ellesbooks Thanks for your kind words! I really appreciate it. I'm still figuring myself out, though who isn't really? I'll try and live in the courage of my decision, rather than dwell on my perceived failure from now on.
You’re so welcome! We definitely are all works in progress still - and courage is definitely something to celebrate as we make that journey!
Love this video! Been commonplacing for ages, but didn't know this much history so it was really interesting.
Thank you so much!!! Glad you enjoyed it, the history really is fascinating!
Damn, I'm tempted to do one. Great video, as always!
Not to be a bad influence but... Do ittttt 👀 Thanks so much, friend!
Also as an History Major, I had a really similar experience to yours. Commonplacing is amazing for hoobies and reasearch
It really is - such a great practice!
This was such an interesting video!! I love how you mentioned commonplacing in fiction, because that's how I learned about it when I was still a kid. In the fifth book of a series of unfortunate events, the austere academy, there's triplets who each have their own commonplace book, and I found the idea really interesting when I first read it. However it took me a long time to really start my own. At the moment I'm using a insert in my standard tn, although I'm still not sure if it's IT for me.
So glad you enjoyed it!! I had no idea about commonplacing being in A Series of Unfortunate Events - I don't think it made it that far through the series, but now I want to 😅 Hope you find the perfect system for you!
absolutely loved this video, and so thoroughly researched and delivered. From one autistic girlie to another, thank you!!
Ahhhhh you’re so welcome, and thank you so much for the kind words! It means the world 🥰
interestingly, i didn't know about commonplace books and commonplacing but i have been doing it with my phone notes. i have a dedicated folder on my notes app that helps me put quotes, ideas and just collect fun information. it is a habit of mine that i have started since becoming a writer and a poet, i think it would be more helpful if my commonplacing would be on an actual book considering i find actually writing stuff down more fun than typing it.
So many of us have the same story, haha - commonplacing before we really knew that's what it was 😅 and can confirm, there's something super satisfying about writing it all out by hand (although that's a personal preference thing and digital commonplace archives are still valid and the best option for some folks!!!)
What a delightful video! I rarely comment on here, but the entire video was so enjoyable to have on. Have a lovely day/night!
Thank you so much - that means the world! 🥰
I am enjoying your videos so much. Thank you for all this info. I have found it hard to keep a commonplace book, but I always have, just not very structured with random stuff on random pages. 😅
Thank you so much 🥰 hey, random stuff on random pages sounds great to me - as long as it works for you, that's all that matters!
Supernatural is awesome! :D Highly recommended :D
I really want to go back and watch it, but, there are just so many seasons that I'm a bit intimidated 😅
Thank you so much for the links for the resource searches. ❤
You're so welcome - and thank you for watching! 🥰
When you started talking about history, I immediately clocked that you'd be telling us that it's your special interest. I don't know whether it's the algorithm or my interests, but I've been seeing a lot of videos by creators with autism lately. Not that I'm complaining, I actually love it, cause they feel more passionate and informed than the average UA-cam video. Like, at some point the creator will say "this is my special interest btw" and it will make so much sense.
All that being said, thank you for the amazing and informative video, you convinced me to try out commonplacing for myself ♥️ Tho I've been keeping a journal on Eurovision (yearly European music contest), would that technically count?
Ahhhh yep - we do get passionate about our interests. It's one of my favourite things about being autistic tbh, getting such pure joy from things that interest me 🥰
As for the Eurovision journal - first, Eurovision is another of my special interests, so I just love the fact you have a journal for it!! Second, I think it wouldn't fit the traditional definition of a commonplace book (which tends to be copied text only) BUT, I'm all for us changing definitions to fit our needs. So it can be whatever kind of notebook you want!
It was soooo wonderful and interesting to hear you speak that I just had to subscribe ☺️. Anyone that wants to mute you is seriously missing out. A wealth of valuable information. 🎉🙏🏽💖.
I didn’t think I wanted a common place notebook. I have quite a few books lined up for 2024 - one book for all does not work for me - took me 3 years to learn that!! Well a year to learn 1 book is not working; I need a separate book for journal thoughts and feelings, 2 years later to learn I need a separate book for work and personal appointments and goal planning!! After this video I realised I’ve been adding quotes and comments in my Google calendar under a heading I can search for but since I also struggle with the screen and also live writing - last two years been getting back to my fountain pens - which I loved for 20 years until I got caught in the digital revolution - which REALLY is practical but not any fun for me. So I am now going to search my stash for which will be my first Common Place book; A5, A6 or my standard TN (leaning with one of the later two for portability!!)
Thanks again for such an interest video. I will be working my way through your other videos but I love reading and watching about history (hint, hint) so will definitely be listening out for more - in case you were curious about topics - please keep talking so I can keep listening and share the joy 🎉🤣🤗🥳✒️✍🏾🥰
Ps. Noticed I just missed a big UA-cam anniversary for you so congrats and here to many more subscribers for you, Varsha 🎉
Thank you so much for the kind words 🥰 That's so exciting that you'll be adding a commonplace book to your lineup! And that you're returning to fountain pens - they're just so special!
I'll definitely make sure to talk about history in future videos 😄 Thank you again for the kindness, the support, and the congratulations!
You are making great videos, I hope you keep up this channel!
Thank you!! I definitely will ☺️
Super interesting video. I've watched Meghan's months ago, but i still struggle to make it happen. I have notes everywhere, even on my computer which is not as good as I first thought because I have to have it open to access my notes. So I think I will transfer all (or at least most of) my digital notes into notebooks.
I'm not sure if you said something about it or if I missed it completely but: do you use an index for the themes you write in your book?
Thanks for the kind words! I tried digital for a while too, but there's something special about notebooks! I don't use an index, no - I found that I never actually referred to them when I did use them. Instead, I usually put a big bold heading before each entry so that I can navigate that way!
ii love your videos, my common place is mostly music and tv shows and book notes its also digital :D
Oooh that's so cool! All great things to make a record of :)
Such an informative video! I've been commonplacing since high school (back in the 80s). At the time I didn't know that's what I was doing. I thought I was creating a magazine - I was going to be an editor 😂. (Sigh... So far from that career!) I had a lot of penpals from Europe and the US (I grew up in Jamaica) and so we would exchange any information about our countries, history, and music. I actually still have one book from back then. So, imagine finding out a few years ago about commonplacing! I love it, but I'm not consistent (life, you know?) But you've inspired me to pick up where I left off!😊
Ahhh thank you so much! That's really insightful about commonplacing being a lot like making a magazine because - yeah, it really is 😅 I hope you can get back into the practice in a way that works for you, it's definitely really hard to keep up when life gets in the way!
Hello I came over from @dozygoul channel who mentioned you, so I had to come and visit your channel. Thanks for sharing all the information on commonplacing and how commonplace. So very informative and inspiring 👏
Ahhhh you’re so welcome, and thank you for hopping over to my channel 🥰
I love this video it was such great explanation about common place notebook. I’m definitely going to start one❤
Thank you so much for the kind words!! And that's so exciting - I hope you enjoy keeping one! 🥰
Hi Ellie! :) Just found your channel, this was a very informative video. I keep a regular journal of just thoughts/stream of consciousness journaling. I also have a notebook for Japanese learning notes, would that be considered commonplace book or not? Since it's just notes of Japanese vocab and kanji, not sure exactly. I want to start a new notebook to collect everything I care about, as you mentioned.
Thank you for the kind words, I'm so glad you enjoyed the video 🥰 Honestly, I'm not quite sure if the Japanese notebook would count as a commonplace book - I think it might be what's more typically called a language journal! Whereas a commonplace is usually copied text, quotes, and so on. Whatever the case, as long as a notebook brings you joy, that's the most important thing!
Regarding not being able to sit through that many hours of tv to catch up… same. Plus, I’ve learned I often enjoy fanfic much more than the original canon
Glad it's not just me lol. And tbh a lot of fanfic is way better than the canon storylines that play out! (Just not the fanfics I used to write which were dreadful lmao)
"I just like chaos ig" and "I hope to fill a whole book one day"
Me: she sounds like me with ADHD chaos
"Common placing is my autistic special interest" - There it is lol much love
We neurodivergent folks can always spot each other 😅
What pens do you use to minimize bleed through? I'm a beginner myself and can't seem to find a pen I like that doesn't bleed through the pages. I really enjoyed listening to the history of commonplace books. I was a little surprised to hear of some of the people who had kept them. I'm really happy I came across your channel, it has really inspired me to start writing about my special interests.
The ones that have worked for me are the Pilot Frixion rollerball; and, fountain pens in general (I have one by Parker and one by Sailor). The only downside with the Pilot Frixion is that the ink gets quite pale quite quickly - but, it's readable and it's never bled for me!
So glad you enjoyed the video and feel inspired to write about special interests! Doing so has really enriched my life 🥰
Never heard of this! Will have to give it a try .
Hope you enjoy giving it a go!
I have been doing this without even realizing it. lol
So many of us go through that realisation haha 😅
I found Notion as more of a database thing. I use & much prefer Roam Research the note-taking app as my own commonplace system.
At the moment, I've started commonplacing in my Kindle Scribe, in the Notebooks section. In fact, I use Roam everyday on my laptop & read everyday in my Kindles.
I may do physical commonplacing in the future....not sure.
I've heard good things about Roam, to be fair! I'm also a Kindle reader for the most part, so might be something to look into, even as a temporary repository pre-physical-commonplacing. Thanks for the comment!
What beautiful writing you have
Thank you so much! 🥰
ive been bullet journaling and scrapbook/collage journaling for a few years but i wasn't ever able to stay consistent enough (other than task logging) to log memories etc, and i realized this year that i really wish i had. It was just really time consuming to do a scrapbook page for every little thing, even though i would collect things to scrapbook i would find myself not using them bc of how overwhelming it was to do a spread. don't get me wrong, i still enjoy scrapbooking, but since i started a commonplace i've felt a lot of that perfectionist pressure lifted. I intentionally made it ugly in the beginning, i had a chance to finally use the stickers i had sentimental attachment to but that i couldn't ever manage to fit into a spread (usually bc they were kind of ugly lmao), i doodled some really shitty doodles and im using up my gaudy sticker sheets for my organizational system. its UGLY and chaotic asf and its been soooo freeing, i wouldn't have it any other way. i write in it like 5 times a day. I can save the pretty pages and special memories for my other journal-- and i also have a place for everything else now.
Oh this is so lovely! There's definitely something so freeing about letting go of the perfectionism and just letting yourself create no matter what it looks like and how traditionally "aesthetic" it is. Glad you've found a system that fits all your needs!
Thank you Ellie for this informative & enjoyable video. Are you using a hard cover B5? Looks like a good size. Thank you! ~kari 🦊
Thanks so much for the kind words! 🥰 This was a hardcover A5 Hobonichi notebook!
I started being interested in commonplace notebook watching Robin Waldon videos too.
His videos are so good!
So are yours 👍💕
@@CDash162 thank you so much!! 🥰
Your videos are the best! Thank you.
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like them 🥰
Just curious about your process of collecting bits for your book. Do you wait until you have a pile of interesting snippets or do you search out things when you are in the mood to write? I can’t seem to get myself started
Usually I wait until I’ve found a big pile of stuff! And in between that, I tend to use the stuff I’m doing day to day as inspiration- writing about a song I loved that day, a cool project I started, that sort of thing. Another option is online journaling prompts!
“I haven’t watched it, it’s just too long” …this is me as well for Grey’s Anatomy and Riverdale.
Diana Bishop writes in a commonplace book in book 2 of the All Souls trilogy, Shadow of Night. I can’t remember if it makes it into the corresponding to series 2 of A Discovery of Witches
Yes!! I've heard such good things about Grey's Anatomy in particular but like... too many seasons! And it's still going, right?! 🥲
That's so cool about commonplacing in the All Souls trilogy! I have those books to read someday, I'll look out for that!
I like to add sketches to mine along with quotes. I have one just for religious reflections.
I bet that looks so beautiful!
It might be good to add the date next to the Wikipedia link, so people know which version of the page you were referring to in this video, since you see what pages look like on a certain day.
That's a really great idea - thank you! I'll edit the description and make that change right now 🥰
I LOVEEE this!!!!!!
Thank you!! 🥰
Question: is common place book focused on writing or re-reading? Meaning, does one usually write on it and don't go back to it or they go back to it multiple times?
Take this with a pinch of salt as I'm no expert, but here's my interpretation: Technically, it's likely intended as a re-reading tool; to help you refer back to copied text you find interesting or otherwise want to remember. But tbh I imagine that for many people, the process of commonplacing is in itself a helpful way to process the information and they might not feel the need to re-read. So, I guess it depends on personal preference to an extent!
Fascinating video, thank you.
You're very welcome - thank you for watching!
I really enjoyed listening to this. I lostened while i did my teaching prep.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! 🥰
24:25 I am you, you are me moment.
It's funny to watch back now because it turned out this was not, in fact, the perfect system for me 😂
@@ellesbooks change is truly consistent 🤣
I am a diehard pen and paper person but something ive been perpetually looking for is. A commonplace book but digital. I haven't ever found anything that I like but I dislike hoarding things endlessly in my google keeps. I've tried all the big ones like evernote and one note, notion is too much for me. This is a huge perpetual problem I have been trying to sort out for so long ,😭
I feel you on this as well!!! It's so hard to find a digital app that strikes that balance between working for commonplacing needs, without being too overwhelming!
Thanks for the video. another fictional character who has a commonplace book (you even can buy a replica of it) is Indiana Jones
Oh that's so cool! I had no idea!
Writing is much better to do. It is better for the brain my husband was reading an article. Kids are not cursive writing in school. Not a good thing. I love writing and doodling and coloring. I am a scrapbooker too. =0)
I agree totally - I process things so much better if I write them out by hand!
I number mine and place date begun and ended on back cover so it's a little easier to find bits of info in my chaos/brain😅
That's a great idea, definitely helps to tame the chaos a bit 😅
Love this video! Do you work “9-5” as a historian?
Thank you so much 🥰 I don't! It was my original career plan, but I decided to just make it a hobby in the end!
I am interested in commonplacing but haven't tried it yet. I think if I do, I would also go without indexing, just because I would never be able to anticipate what I'd want to write about or how much room it would take. I love that you're copying over tumblr quotes; I have a tag on tumblr called "this is a lesson i need to learn" that would be great for this purpose
Yeah, that's definitely a flaw of indexing - I feel like the practice is so much more flexible without one! That's so cool you already have a relevant Tumblr tag. You should totally start a commonplace book! 🥰
I could listen to you talk about the history of commonplacing forever. I’d love to hear more 🩷
Oh thank you so much! That's so kind 🥺
Supernatural goes entirely off the rails by season, like, 8 or 9. You're not missing much.
Yeah, I've heard as much tbh 😅
Great video, full of information and tidbits. Unfortunately, the many things that would be "linked in the description" are not. :(
Oh my goodness!!!!! I’m so sorry, no clue what happened there. I’ll go and add them back in!
Fixed! Thanks so much for pointing that out!
First off, you can't reference Supernatural and not mention the father of all common place notebooks in cinema : Indiana Jones, more precisely his father, played by Sean Connery, who made an awesome book about his researches on the Grail. I say that's the grail of common place books.
Secondly, if you want to try categories again, (I love chaos too), you could put a key on a bookmark and always know what categories are what at a glance.
Lastly, I've been common placing for years without knowing it. I've tried many organisations, different notebooks for different topics, wallets or pouches full of ticket stubs, bullet journals, nothing really sticks. I am discovering again something I know very well with new eyes and it gives me a different perspective. I think I'll keep an agenda apart and just put everything else together. I even used to put my shopping lists in such notebooks but no, not anymore. I have even tried blogging and am now thinking to copy all that numeric content in a notebook and get rid of the website. I just like pens too much and decorating too.
Thanks for the vid !❤
Oh goodness!!! How could I forget the grail about the Grail!! Thank you for the reminder (and now I want to go rewatch the original IJ movies 😅) Also, the key-on-a-bookmark idea is a great one! I'm still in my chaos phase, but if I ever leave it, I might well try this.
That experience of "commonplacing without knowing" is SUCH a common one - it's great to be able to put a term to it finally!! I've had a very similar journey to you, including the blogging. I hope you find a system that works well for you, and thanks for the kind words about the video!