Guide to Common Place Journaling
Commonplace journaling is an old technique originating from Ancient Greece and Rome, used by scholars and orators to organize and compile information. The intent is not just to store information, but for it to be accessible. As such, traditional methods of commonplace journaling includes a key, table of contents, and/or an index for ease of navigation.
Some important figures who had commonplace books include writers like H.P Lovecraft and Mark Twain, and Philosophers like John Locke.
How does it differ from regular journaling?
Traditional forms of journaling focus on individual experiences like introspection, reflection, and memory keeping of the users personal life. And while commonplace journaling can be described as a form of memory keeping, its method is not chronological based, like a dated journal or diary may be. Organization is based on topics and the content of information, not the date of entry, and the personal experiences written (if any) will often correlate to the information the user encountered.
How to: Commonplace Journaling
Choose a Medium: Digital vs Physical
The first step is choosing between creating a digital or physical commonplace book. Those who are tech savvy may prefer a digital form. This is especially attractive as research and the consumption of information has become so heavily centered around technology. Pros include: quick copy-paste of text, inserting images, embedding links, ease of transport, and cost effectiveness. Tips: consider software/applications that allows for tagging.
Those who prefer a physical commonplace book may be attracted to the ritualistic aspects of physical journaling. Pros include: penmanship practice, mindfulness, freehand art, better retaining of information, and protection against digital loss. Tips: use a journal that has numbered pages.
Content
What you include in your commonplace book is based on your interests and needs. Think of themes, topics, and subtopics. [Note: you don’t have to limit yourself to one topic per journal, you can have a plethora of topics in one journal. Likewise, you can use one journal per topic if you so like.]
If it’s for your own personal leisure, think of broad topics that interest you. Do you love astrology? Gardening? Poetry? Quotes? Art? Make a space for it in your commonplace book. If your topics too broad and overwhelming, think of subtopics to break them down. For example, Poetry can be broken down into Authors, Methods, Passages, Analysis, etc.
If it’s based on needs, such as an academic aide, think of its use. If it’s to compile general information in your studies, you can try keeping a commonplace book centered around your Major. Topic suggestions can be broken down by Class, Key Concepts, Themes, Thesis, etc. If its use is solely research based for a Thesis, create topics based on Arguments, Sources, Quotes and Passages, etc.
Again, these are merely suggestions, but I encourage you to construct your commonplace book on its use and your personal liking.
Organization
How you create and upkeep your commonplace book is entirely personal. I suggest briefly researching different organization methods for your journal and choosing one that makes sense to you, and will be easy for you to maintain. Popular methods of organization include creating a Table of Contents, Index, Glossary, or the use of Page References, Dividers, and Color Coding.
I will link helpful videos and articles below based in these methods.
Videos
Commonplacing vs Journaling- TikTok
Why I Love Commonplace Books * How To Start Your Own
How I Actually Use Commonplace Books
How to Set Up a Commonplace Book You’ll Actually Use
Articles
A Brief Guide to Keeping a Commonplace Book
What Is A Commonplace Book and How To Start One
Strategies to Keep a Commonplace Book
Note-taking Guide
Text Features to Navigate
Journaling Methods Library- A guide to different journaling techniques! Explore to feed your creativity 💗
