How I Actually Use My Commonplace Books

[@ParkerNotes]

To try everything Brilliant has to offer-free-for a full 30 days, visit brilliant.org/ParkNotes . You’ll also get 20% off an annual premium subscription.

[@pandaguan]

Flipping through a notebook and having glimpse of your old notes is much more satisfying than scrolling through digital pages which would sometimes lag.

[@jacknsaav]

Back in the mid to late 80's (yes, I'm an old man) I started collecting interesting and inspiring (to me) quotes in a notebook. I maintained this process into the early 2000's and have since let it go to the wayside, using digital tools instead. Your video has encouraged me to find my old notebook and update it with the content from my various digital stores. It's also finally given me a name for the practice. Thanks. On a side note, I used to get a lot of comments/compliments on the book (as it used to live on my coffee table, free for all to peruse) -- looking forward to resurrecting the practice and leaving it as a legacy for my grand children

[@ParkerNotes]

@@jacknsaav yessss!!!! I love it. I hope you do bring it back. What a treasure for your grandkids!

[@lazlohollyfeld757]

That’s a good idea. I would’ve loved to have been able to look through my grandfathers (or mom, dad, grandmothers) notebooks.

[@bettethehuman]

I’ve never heard of commonplace books before, but apparently I’ve been doing my own version for years! I’ll find my own “wise sayings”, type them up on my typewriter, paste the quote into my sketchbook, and make an illustration or collage related to it.

[@sophieneudorf6455]

That is so fun! And a Typewriter would be so pretty :O

[@marctestarossa]

@@sophieneudorf6455and for short form text it’s actually the superior method because you skip the act of opening an app, typing the stuff, find the adapter for your printer cable, print it out at least twice because nothing looks the way you imagined right away when a printer is involved… it’s always such a hassle for me to get something printed. maybe i should look for a typewriter. it’s a single purpose device and i wouldn’t want to use it for anything longer than a few sentences, but for this it’s absolutely perfect and elegant.

[@MarthaAnderson-jv8ph]

I've been using commonplace books since 1966. Senior here. And I still use commonplace books. Great vlog.😊

[@csilla0321]

I started this new botany hobby lately. I use a commonplace book to write down the facts about plants and tea recipes, I even draw sometimes. Using a physical notebook, and not a digital, makes me feel more connected to the nature, myself and to reality as well.

[@HoneyduckXD]

That’s really cool! I wanna start a commonplace book based on plants too but I’m terrible at drawing lol 😂

[@beatea9757]

I have been keeping journals almost like commonplace books since I was a kid of 13 or 14, but they were never purposeful or organised in any way. They were often riddled with music lyrics, quotations, poems, friends' notes, recipes, doodles, Pokémon stats, stickers, lists of books I was reading/wanting. Very chaotic... I miss those books. I only learned about the commonplace book back in 2023 or 2022, and nowadays I keep a topic-specific manuscript about Sir John Franklin and his crew since 2019, their search for the Northwest Passage, and all the explorers who went in search of them when they disappeared. I also keep a general treasury (with the occasional thought sprinkled in). I am thinking about starting a topic-specific treasury of dinosaur facts. Th is a very cool video, thank you! I appreciate the differentiation between commonplace styles, it makes a lot of sense and has inspired me to be more intentional with my passage collecting.📓

[@thereadingmama]

So, there is a whole slew of homeschool mamas who have been doing this for decades and have their children do it too. Charlotte Mason an early 20th century educational philosopher recommends it for teachers, parents, and students. Great break down of different ways you can commonplace. Love your examples in actual books. Tabs definitely help find them later on. I started out with just a random notebook of everything, and now a few years in am starting to break mine into categories. As homeschooler I will have one on education specifically, one for health focus, one for inspiration as mama/homemaker, and one general. Love the idea of manuscripting along with common placing. Oh, reading through Lewis and Dune series this next year so that actually piqued my interest.

[@laurenbernstein621]

The distinction between commonplace book and journaling for fiction writing was really useful - it's helping me think through how to organise fiction writing projects

[@ParkerNotes]

Oh I'm so glad! I almost cut that part 😅

[@elise_.y]

i love your division into four types cause it made me realise i’ve been doing a general manuscript (reading journal w reflections), topic manuscript (author focused journal w reflections) and general treasury (favourite quotes) commonplace book! i tried obsidian and notion for a bit, but this video encouraged me to keep doing analog notetaking. I’ve also found that I remember so much more when i physically write it down vs. in a digital database… having something succinct committed to memory makes more sense to me than having elaborate digital notes that i have to search through each time 😅

[@heathersmith8549]

When I type I feel like I’m on autopilot. When I physically write something down, whether it’s in my journal, my commonplace book or in my fictional work, I feel much more connected to the words I’m writing. 📓📓📓

[@Riurelia]

As a language lover, I like the idea of keeping a commonplace book exclusively for foreign languages. That way I can remember wise sayings and a new language at the same time.

[@ParkerNotes]

@@Riurelia woah!! That's a great idea

[@spacecowboy941]

Parker, I’m a current MFA candidate (set for graduation in December!!) and your channel has helped me IMMENSELY! Not just with good habits and living more thoughtfully, but as an antidote for the panic that sets in via scrolling. You really have changed my life! Thanks for the videos :)

[@grodythebutcher]

Congratulations 🎉👏🏿

[@spacecowboy941]

@@grodythebutcher Thank you SO much! It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done and really feels good to be in the home stretch. :)

[@grodythebutcher]

@@spacecowboy941 thats so wonderful, proud of you dawg 💛

[@notebookaddict]

Keep it up!

[@carlee3958]

I've just found commonplace books and started one of my own, but I've been in the journaling/planning community for a few years now. I think another reason that it's gotten popular, especially with people who have had journals before or like that as a hobby, is because it's ONE journal...that you keep EVERYTHING in. That's it's purpose. So, rather than having a reading journal, a recipe journal, a study journal, a budget journal and a planner...just put it all together. It works. And for people like me, I don't do enough to warrant a journal for every category in my life, but I still like writing things down. So, if I need to do a budget this week, maybe trying a new format from another budgeter, commonplace book. I might not need to do that all the time. I need to map out my Christmas list? Commonplace book. My reading journal is for my thoughts, but I can put in excerpts in the commonplace book. Smash it all together. It doesn't have to be purely academic or organized even.

[@Valeria-sx7uv]

also there are bullet journals

[@juliasanchez-cantalejo6309]

I have been writing commonplace books for many years without knowing that they had a specific name, I simply realized that I needed to unite my multiple interests in the same place because it was easier to locate my notes and create connections between them. The digital world is useful but we accumulate so much information and in such a classified way that we reduce its accessibility and most of the time we forget what we have saved. Now I have realized that I need commonplace books for specific topics that require deeper and more detailed development and research. But the general will always be there and I'm going to start the seventh notebook :)

[@mshinkle1]

Theres a great memoir by a guy named Daniel Klein called "Every Time I Find the Meaning of Life, They Change It," where he goes through his commonplace book he called "Pithies" and recounts where he was in life at the time and gave good background on the quotes. Short, great read

[@fernandafantini7281]

I’m not sure about how much people got sick of doing stuff on a screen, but I’m definitely sick of the idea that I have to “rent” place in a cloud to store my documents. I’m 46 years old, I’ve kept my thoughts and docs in analogical devices and physical places for a long time in my life and I’m definitely in the mood for starting to do it again.

[@Ghostykitten]

I've unknowingly done commonplace books for years but I've recently been focusing more on my common place notebooks. I have one that is more general one that I use for quotations and poems I find and I add stickers and magazine cut outs to it. And I recently started another one to specifically study Christianity and ancient Rome for a novel I'm working on where I collect all my research. It's such a therapeutic practice and has helped to keep my mind sharp as I'm in recovery from a stroke I had last year. I love seeing all the different methods people use for these journals.

[@TheWordySeagull]

📔My first commonplace book I kept in high school, a collection of quotes from movies, novels and my own poetical writings all mixed in. This was over 30 years ago! ;)

[@cindyedwards6924]

I am learning to make all kinds of journals and this channel popped up. Subscribed. One of the first journals I will make for myself is a commonplace book. I'll be a radical, because it won't be completely blank. Truth. Following you because your office looks like mine. Bonded. First target. Second Coming.

[@semenozhka]

I love the fact that I decided to learn more about commonplace books and saw your video just at the same day! What a nice and timely coincidence 📓

[@crisfehr]

Just found your channel yesterday, and so glad I did! Keep up the amazing work!

[@ParkerNotes]

@@crisfehr 🙌🤝🤝🤝🫡

[@ParkerNotes]

@@crisfehr thank you!

[@simonebernhard1817]

You’ve inspired me to make several new notebooks and to restart my hand written morning pages/journal. So far I have a general treasury commonplace book, a catch all, a summary of books as I read them and I’m going to start a study journal for my geeky interest of choral diction. My decade goal is to transcribe my old journals from high school on, bet I will cull some of my own good pensees in the process! Thanks for your deep interest and engaging style of presenting this information! 📓

[@loradow5543]

📓 Have been keeping Commonplace books for more than three decades… well before I’d ever heard the term “Commonplace book.” There’s something about handwriting the quote or poem or passage that is very helpful for me. And I love the serendipity of grabbing one off the shelf and opening to a random page. More often than not, it seems to be just what I need to hear at that moment.

[@konnorcormier3701]

Absolutely love your videos! I stumbled upon your channel in January when I started to journal. Your channel has helped me master the habit and think more clearly and deeply!

[@ParkerNotes]

@@konnorcormier3701 I love that!!! So glad to have you here!

[@kayeherl5938]

I just recently heard of commonplace books, and I'm intrigued by the idea of keeping one. I'm an author, and I often come across ideas, quotes, etc. that would help me figure out my own book/short story ideas, but I always forget to write them down. I think I'll start one that is specific to helping me gather my ideas and apply them to my writing! Thank you for this video!

[@paulweston5337]

Parker, I never leave comments so you're doing something right, for me anyway! I've got an idea for you to ponder - have you considered using ring bound notebooks? The beauty of them is that if you need to change where you want a page/s to go (maybe into a different notebook) you just click the rings open and add them to the different place. I use Filofax and simply add a 'commonplace' page to my EDC which when both sides of the page are full I click out of the EDC and add to my dedicated Commonplace Filofax - the key benefit is I only carry one notebook (a Filofax) which can carry individual inserts on scores of different subjects - instead of carrying scores of notebooks. Works for me 😉. Paul

[@sunnyand7189]

I do something similar.

[@cheyennesutton2055]

Hello, Parker! I discovered commonplace books last year while watching the Daily Connisseur videos. I found your channel today. Yesterday, I bought a new notebook and a sticker book, and I'm beginning my new commonplace book this weekend. Thank you for sharing great information! 📓

[@jseymour84]

I’m a full blown notebook addict. I have commonplace books for trading options since I aspire to be a KZbinr teaching novice investors how to invest with options, for Bible study since my wife and I lead marriage focused Bible studies, a traveler’s notebook as a mobile catch all, a pocket notebook for an even more mobile catch all, a journal for tracking KZbin related activities such as keeping track of video ideas and todo items. That’s not even all of it - I also maintain a physical Zettelkasten as a more structured commonplace book. I might have a problem…

[@ParkerNotes]

@@jseymour84 this is beautiful!!!

[@jseymour84]

@@ParkerNotesoh I also forgot to mention that all this resulted after discovering your channel 😊. Before that I was wasting a bunch of time bouncing from notes app to notes app, and experimenting with the physical zettelkasten. In short, spending more time and energy on how to take notes than actually taking notes and using them to create outputs… so thanks for all the notebook videos 😊

[@ParkerNotes]

@@jseymour84 wow!! That's awesome and I'm sorry for the addiction haha

[@Ajna666.]

I started a common place book on my academic journey about one month ago, so far so good. Been writing since i was a kid! I fell in love the idea of having one place for all of my observations when i was a teen. Now I'm really comfortable with writing everything down and it makes me exited to think about 20 years from now, when i can read all these and experience "being" again.

[@ryou4045]

Woah I think I found something that's finally it's gonna help me. And I also love science fiction!!! Keep it up man

[@WriteWithMarie]

I adore writing, I think I will start some sort of common place book on writing, art, etc. I also aspire to focus on the all of the little things I love throughout ordinary days, like an ode to all the small things so I will keep include something along those lines too. Thank you for your video, it's been the most informative to me! Merry Christmas, if you celebrate :)

[@CoffeeStainedCanvases]

I've been doing commonplace notebook keeping for years without realising! I didn't know we had a word for it. I'm old school, I need to write, sketch, scribble I don't want streamline haha. I think it's time i dive in and take my practice to the next level!

[@emielou]

I honestly love this channel. It's so nice to see praise for pen and paper. I've always loved and used a form of commonplace, it's nice to see it get a boost.

[@sabrinacoryell5143]

Thanks!

[@ParkerNotes]

🙌🙌🙌 thank you!

[@mrregalius9879]

📓 I loved this video. I've always kept a lot of things in my head. But more and more I have a need to put them down and actively work on them and make some actual output. This seems like a great way to start.

[@CDash162]

I don’t think digital notes will last the distance. I have journals that I wrote 36 years ago and they are fascinating to look at now. Like in one i was looking for a phone box to ring mum. In another I had to bring the videos back to the shop. Little details like that are so funny to read now. I would urge any young person to put their thoughts down with pen on paper because you will always have that notebook.

[@ma-mo]

I am not one of the real ones. But your channel, along with Jared's, convinced me to take up a commonplace book as I "apply my heart to wisdom."

[@ParkerNotes]

I love that!

[@jenniereece1158]

Here I thought I was up to date keeping a ‘bullet journal’! What would that correlate to I wonder? It’s random things…books I want to read, knitting ideas, packing lists for trips, basically flotsam!

[@vickiebain6734]

This resonates with me as a woman of how the “snail mail” new wave has started back again. Getting back to basics , slowing down and processing

[@RPisa2416]

📓 Ooo I have been doing this for years but haven’t really called it anything in particular! Also found a brand of notebooks that look awesome once tattered. Glad many folks out there are using commonplace books and journals in 2024!

[@allenmartin6540]

📓I have several commonplace book. One for “big ideas” that I’m exploring. One for general notes from books, videos (like this one) and one dedicated to my studies in philosophical logic. Good stuff and easy to follow

[@VeganDoris]

📓 I just learned about commonplace books and they are fascinating! Some (like yourself) say that they are for quotes but a lot of people use them to record interesting facts, ideas, etc. Some people even combine it with journaling and art journaling. A lot of people create a table of contents and/or an index but it would drive me bonkers to run out of room in a section so I’m going to try it with a Rolodex. That way, the cards can be infinitely rearranged and you don’t have to worry about running out of room in one section. You could even have multiple Rolodexes with each one devoted to a topic.

[@ParkerNotes]

Hey thanks for this! So those other ways are called something different, it's called a Zibaldone Journal. Here's a video I did on the difference, I think you'll love it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHmmnqlslqmMmLM

[@robertadamik6712]

I appreciate all you have done with journals and commonplace books .I just started a journal and will begin tracking neuroscience and brain basics for executive level leaders. My book title will be Neurogap The gap between new research on the brain and HR professionals learning the methods and best practices that make employees effective. Thank you again. Dr. Bob

[@productivity6693]

Useful advice. I will not integrate it into notebooks most likely though, I'll use the principles to add certain sections to my slip-box. Doing this in a Zettelkasten manner allows me to: A) Bypass page size limitations, I do not have to think about how many pages to leave free as I can simply add more index cards to the sequence B) Have both the treasury and manuscript style at the same time... C) Reference everything whenever I need it for my overall research for my Grand Theory of Optimal Education, and other writing/research projects. For the treasury I can simply thumb through "Wise Saying" collection cards without any particular organization/order (although I might add one, I have to think about this)... And for the manuscript I can just reference the unique IDs of those sayings and then write about them. This is the ideal scenario for me.

[@lossinsauce]

I just wanted to start a common place book! This is so helpful :)

[@ParkerNotes]

Let's go!!! 📓📓📓

[@krzysamm7095]

I come from the pen and paper generation. The closets thing I knew of a computer while in college was a word processor. So it is natural for me to take notes in a notebook or on notecards regardless of the source of those notes.

[@ParkerNotes]

🙌🙌🙌

[@Cat-tu7ue]

sir literally best channel ever found. love from nepal

[@ParkerNotes]

🫡🫡🫡

[@markwilson1192]

📓 Always enjoy hearing your insights, Parker 😊 📓

[@leonidaspalacio8234]

¡Gracias!

[@ParkerNotes]

🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

[@justyouraveragejay]

This video has me considering 2 commonplace books, one general treasury in a small notebook I can carry around, and then a manuscript commonplace in a larger notebook where I can take those quotes and analyze them!

[@ParkerNotes]

@@justyouraveragejay 🙌🙌

[@Book-Lover-In-Changwon]

Oh man I'd been a subscriber for both of you two and it's a pleasure to see both in one vid! Love it!

[@ParkerNotes]

He's the man! You'll like our livestream episode too

[@faervel]

I love notebooks! There is something so calming about a good notebook and a good pen. Throw some nature into the mix and I am at full bliss. I feel like this actually improves my creativity and analytical thinking with projects at work. I find when I spend too much time on my phone, I am more forgetful, but when I do a mini digital detox and spend more time journaling, ideas and problem solving flow a little more easily. There is also a freedom that your ideas and thoughts are not analyzed by your phone for content and advertising, its something only I know.

[@d.bobbymcgee3253]

📓Thank you for your explanation for common place books. I learned some great ways to organize them. Keep up the good work.📓

[@Vibe_Enjoyer]

the more efficient the app the less our neurons fire, the less the retention.

[@ParkerNotes]

🙌 what a beautiful way of putting it! I definitely agree

[@Pongotin]

We need a list of all the notebooks you use and for what. Every new video I watch a new one comes into play. 🤣🤣

[@juliankhouri7902]

Ditto

[@nateberryann7628]

Dear Parker, I am thinking of starting my own commonplace book after going down the “notebook rabbit hole” as I like to call it. The topic would most likely be on ancient Roman philosophy and if any of it is still applicable today. Thanks for reading this!

[@AnxiousWhiteWolf]

I keep a common place book for morning thoughts and this year it became more and more travel themed as a planned a trip to South Korea, and all the things I wanted to see and do, and how I was going to get there with a tiny 5kg backpack.

[@astiasti7110]

Those of us in the journaling groups have liked commonplace books for a long time. We find them fascinating and rewarding. Perhaps like me they just found you.

[@drofwarcnwahs2108]

A primary issue with 2nd brain apps or any application for that matter is that you commit to spend a significant amount of time to learn the system. And then learn the future updates for that system. Finally, you need to do it all over again for the new "hot" replacement application that just hit social media. Having had to learn system after system in the workplace for the past few decades it is a huge time investment. I doubt the return on this sort of investment is worth it for personal use.

[@ParkerNotes]

This sounds exactly right! 👏

[@drewmorrison]

This is EXACTLY the reason why I get burnt out on these apps. What happens when Notion goes down? People say that’s unlikely but all it takes is a company like Apple to buy them and let it fall apart. Not to mention they always add new features and interfaces then you have to learn that. But even with all the features of Notion, I’ll document stuff then forget about it. It happens with a notebook but not in the same way.

[@allactionjackson]

📓 Brilliantly explained. I love the CPB ideas you have. Keep up the amazing work, sir!

[@ParkerNotes]

@@allactionjackson 🙌🙌🙌 so glad you liked it! Thanks for the encouragement!

[@aleamilr]

The commonplace book boom is the latest iteration of the online planning/journaling/scrapbooking community which has been absolutely huge on youtube for years, but mainly amongst women (which is why you probably didn't notice it and the boom seemed to come out of nowhere) Megan Rhiannon is is probably the catalyst that initially caused the youtube commonplace boom. I know you and jared were recommended to me after subscribing to her.

[@SharayahBlessedChild]

I have kept journals like this throughout my life without knowing there was a name for it. I've never been a 'Dear Diary' type of girl. It's always been soul driven based on things happening in my life, though I never directly record what's happening in my life. My life story is being recorded through quotes, song lyrics, poems, writing out dreams I've had, and art. It's interesting to return to my many journals and reread them and be hit with precise clarity and remembrance of exactly what was happening at that time in my life without ever writing any dates, names, or specific events.

[@rforriya908]

Starting my commonplace book simply because I like to write. When I see quotes I like or read/watch/hear something interesting, my mind tends to run wild with thoughts. I also have a tendency to research something out of the blue, so it'd be nice to have everything written down in one place! I also tend to blank when I type them digitally and feel a bit disconnected from what I'm typing, I just realized I've been keeping one form or another of a commonplace book since I was a kid! And I'm glad I separated my commonplace book from my creative writing journal. Otherwise, I think it would be a bit of a nightmare finding stuff I need without indexing the whole thing.

[@joedge6142]

I'm in my 50s, been using one for 30 years, it's for books I've read, quotations, poetry, and small pieces of art and just any interesting information I come across.

[@TonysBoardLife]

📓I am currently working on the research for my master thesis and the common place notebook has been a savior because I don't always have my laptop with me when ideas hit. I am able to write those down and research later. I keep a daily carry notebook with me (I find the fieldnotes works the best for this) once I get home I can grab the correct notebook and transfer the idea. Your recommendation of separate notebooks has been what I have used for the past several months and it as been the best idea. Keep up the great up Parker!

[@IMWF_films]

one of the best channels on youtube 📓📓📓

[@ParkerNotes]

@@IMWF_films 🙌🙌🙌🙌 thank you!!

[@Rhamkatte]

📖🖋️📚I think part of the appeal of commonplace books is ease to start, maintain, and budget. Your book is completely portable vs keeping electronic devices charged, software upgrades, service fees, etc. You can decompress and expand your imagination in a commonplace book. It becomes another extension of your intellect and consciousness on a very personal level the more you use it. I hope this makes sense. Thanks for the video. I enjoyed it very much.

[@PastorAlexBurchnell]

I just started intentionally keeping a common place notebook this year in search of living as a digital minimalist. Best decision!

[@jesbury6597]

📓I just realized that I've been doing commonplace books my whole adult life. I have a mini quote book. I have other notebooks that I have quotes and ideas from books and videos that I've mulled over in writing. Very cool to realize. Thanks.

[@thatgirlrandi727]

📓 I think a great use case for a topic specific commonplace book would be for hobbies and skills that require learning and study either broadly, e.g. "art" or "painting," to hyper specific, e.g. a journal or collection of watercolor pigment mixing and testing.

[@bobhildebranski7034]

📓 Great channel, Parker!! Keep up the great work!!!

[@ParkerNotes]

@@bobhildebranski7034 thank you!!

[@JuliesiPhoneVideos]

📓Great video. I like how you organize the books. My struggle is what to write. I either want to write everything or nothing when capturing notes from reading.

[@doomscrivener]

The one I keep is definitely a treasury, general, and all ideas were sourced externally. I think personal encyclopedia works well as a descriptor for this type. It’s sort of a record of “things I know” so I don’t have to depend on memory or Google.

[@DMIwriter]

I think part of the appeal for me is the idea of security. All it takes is a cyber attack or server failure or wrong click and you could lose all your digital data. But paper copies seem more securable. Now, that's not to say you can't misplace it or lose it in a fire or flood. But it at least feels more secure to me. Personally, I do all my analog notes and journaling and then scan them digitally, so I have twofold security

[@tubbygee5453]

Learned something today TYVM 😊👍

[@ParkerNotes]

@@tubbygee5453 🙌🙌🤝🤝🫡

[@Jacob-lj3iw]

📓 hello. i recently found your channel and im looking to start some commonplace notebooks on apologetics, theology, quotes and some other topics. also have started using a catch all poket notebook as well.

[@duncang7372]

I’m contemplating using commonplace principles for work. I do a lot of strategising, verbal and visual modelling and I feel that analogue recording works best for me. I am hoping that the commonplace method of indexing will help me curate my output. Any thoughts?

[@elisascreations.]

Great and informative video! I keep a general common place book and I am also thinking of keeping one specifically for healthy recipes. I love common place books, they are so useful. I do not leave the house without it! Thanks for sharing your knowledge x

[@Jeremy-vf7su]

THANK YOU!

[@ParkerNotes]

@@Jeremy-vf7su 🙌🙌🤝🤝

[@Saturdays.Script]

Megan Rhiannan KZbin channel completely transformed keeping a common place book. She blew up the internet 😊

[@abrham_wonders]

My favorite KZbinrs.

[@ParkerNotes]

@@abrham_wonders 🫡🫡🫡

[@chiarap210]

So excited for your Stoics on God-Article!! Let us know when its out 🙌🏻 Be blessed 🙏🏻

[@G-OVL]

Notes go in my pocket notebooks, they are general and detailed (love the feel of paper and my fountain pen). I then photograph complete pages and import them into my digital notes app (goodnotes) Then I can write digital notes, like bookmarks or searchable margin notes. Result, I can group or find stuff and being didgitally saved onto my cloud drives.

[@Adrian.Barcenas]

I love CPB too!!!!

[@ParkerNotes]

🙌🙌🙌🫡🫡🫡

[@mjjsnell]

Just starting a commonplace notebook on human limitations. Thanks so much for the video! 📒

[@ashleygovender4104]

Thank you for your video and excellent ideas. I keep note books but am becoming more intentional in doing so. Greetings from Durban, South Africa

[@JørgenUKR]

I realy enjoy your videoes. Commonplace books are not a thing in Denmark, but I have used them for years. I have one question for you. Do you use some sort of indexing in any of your notebooks?

[@DrgnSlyr]

I believe it's the tactile nature of pen or pencil on paper that is so attractive.

[@justintyler4814]

Man I owe you for these

[@Missnoemit]

Bought a small notebook and Im going to write down quotes I love and carry it with me everywhere and use it instead of phone

[@OldTomato44]

I love digital tools like Obsidian and use it daily, but it's not the same as what analog tools can provide. I think a lot of neurotypical people forget that many people, such as some with ADHD, are very "out of sight, out of mind." We NEED the physical object for a visual reminder, as our brains think and learn more visually than others. It's a great example of the "mental scaffolding" concept from How to Take Smart Notes by Sonke Ahrens.

[@bonesb7686]

I like them because they help me isolate ideas I want to ponder. I prefer analog because it slows me down and helps me notice the thoughts that trigger in my head as I write it out. 📓

[@ParkerNotes]

Yes!! I'm the same! Writing it out is so good for me

[@ShannaKJones]

This is something I CONSTANTLY struggle with... one notebook/commonplace book to rule them all or separate notebooks for each different topic? For now I'm compromising with a Traveler's Notebook that has separate booklets for different topics, but I still have to limit it because those tiny booklets fill up fast!

[@shaunhatlevig]

Alway enjoy seeing how you use your CPB! 📓

[@ParkerNotes]

🙌🙌🤝🫡

[@jakealden2517]

It took me some time to get used to keeping commonplace books because I have to break my reading to write down quotes/ideas...but ultimately the end result is rewarding.

[@ParkerNotes]

Totally! This is why I make marks in the book and come back later to collect the quotes but you gotta do what works best for you

[@xegenesis]

📓 Turns out for years I’ve been keeping a commonplace book without knowing there was a word for such a thing. I’d listen to video essays, podcasts, audiobooks and write quotes in real time in a tiny notebook. I have now about 6 or 7 of these on top of the dozens of other compartmentalized/specialized notebooks for extremely specific subjects. 😅

[@jaspermerckaert9613]

📓 You say that a commonplacebook and a journal are different things and to not confuse them, but what is your opinion on using the same notebook for both?mOne page you journal, the other is a hodgepodge of quotes and interesting things. And do you use your journal as a daily planner or just to journal and write about your thoughts? Love the videos btw. They inspire me to think more deeply.

[@ParkerNotes]

@@jaspermerckaert9613 thanks for the kind words! You can use the same notebook for both. I like to compartmentalize my stuff but then I have a ton of notebooks haha. Some people are the opposite or just a little more moderate than me. You gotta do what works best for you. I like to separate them. I have a notebook that is separate from anything else that I use as a daily planner/bullet journal/ time block log

[@larissaclark730]

Have you researched the Johnathan Edward's Miscellanies system for organizing and searching your own notetaking/ commonplace books, notebooks, pocket notebooks, ect!?

[@ParkerNotes]

@@larissaclark730 no!? That sounds like something I need to know!! Where can I find it?

[@millynilsson7800]

Great stuff!

[@ParkerNotes]

@@millynilsson7800 🙌🫡🤝