What's In My Commonplace Book? - 2023 Edition
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- Опубликовано: 19 июн 2024
- A quick tour of my commonplace book and how it changed from last year's version. Plus, tips on how to keep one.
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Love how practical and realistic you make this. I’ve always loved writing in notebooks but sometimes feel overwhelmed with the very idea of it so much so it prevents me from actually writing. But it doesn’t have to be that complicated - like you said, we’re not transcribing Wikipedia here! Recently I’ve been trying to become more aware of the plants and birds I see around me, and it’s been really fun dumping all that in a notebook when I come home, even if it’s not 100% comprehensive !
I use my ipad and apple pencil to note-take everything (on my notability). Great device for note-taking.
same. 👏
Thanks for going through this Robin! It's nice to see someone being realistic with their notes and not just creating their own personal wiki that they're never going to use again...
Just a tiny thing, but next time you've got a shot like that, can you use manual focus? It was really distracting to have the camera always trying to re-focus on your hands as opposed to the tablet!
I much prefer paper, but indeed… having too many notebooks isn’t ideal either.
I would consider buying something like this,
although technology becoming obsolete too fast, and the need to buy / replace it often is also an issue 😅
Do you ever lose your sense of meaning behind it all? I ask because this is the state I am in myself. I love learning, keeping commonplace books, reading, thinking...but the world, human nature, illusion/manipulation/power dynamics - ugh. Any topic or task I enjoy or have used to create meaning becomes so small in the face of existential sorrow. I am easily lifted by time in a hammock watching the wind blow tree limbs and eagles soaring (eagles make the most unexpected noises, so chirpy for such a regal bird). Just curious how you overcome existential angst, existential depression, or if you ever get the feeling that nothing is "true" enough (that humans are just always reaching and constructing and never truly revealing).
I mean, isn't that also the beauty of it all? The fact that x approaches y, but never truly reaches y.
It only adds to the insignificance of our species, of us, in the face of the grand design. But that also helps us realize that we will never truly run out of these things. That our kids' kids will be able to enjoy the process of discovery, learning and thought just as we did.
We aren't born with existential purpose, we create it; through work, dreams, hope and rigour.
@@verpix4956 Mmm, I like this. Your first paragraph felt good to read. The second, yes - I have always said we create our meaning and purpose, and this can change from moment to moment if necessary. I think it's partially my own loneliness that has made me lose the fun of it all. Having peers to share meaning with might revive my wonder like the breeze in the trees can.
@@EllaBirt if you haven't already, I think you should read John Green's book, The Anthropocene Reviewed. I also tend to get wrapped up in the melancholy of it all. I really enjoyed this book because it validates the melancholy but then repackages it and sends it back with a renewed sense of hope. Hope is something I am regularly deficient in. Ive written a lot from this book into my commonplace book.
Death makes everything purposeless. In my experience, I truly found meaning through belief in God. Everything I do is for his sake so now I never end up in a situation trying to find purpose.
I have spent my entire life wondering the same thing, and without sounding annoying or preachy or some shit, I've found that the only solution is to cultivate a better relationship with God. A brief way for me to describe this is that everything funnels down to two forces: a stagnance, and a momentum. The momentum fights against the stagnance, as the stagnance does everything in its power to conclude everything and keep it immobile and nonexistent. God is the momentum which can be found in everything around you, even down to the moments where you're simply watching birds chirp. The act of watching those birds, and appreciating their noises and finding value in the world around you, is an act of pushing against that grotesque stagnance, which is in turn an act of servitude to God. I've found that the attempt to uncover beauty in the mundane through research, writing, thinking, and conceptualizing, is a simple and consistently effective way to do something purposeful that feels like you're contributing to the positive forces that prevents the stagnance from overcoming all that currently exists. Hope this makes sense.
So here is my take.
Starting at around £280 isn't inexpensive (as compared with a laptop or a tablet).
Talking about practicality, I truly wish it had an Android OS so we can install Kindle or Scribd to make it a truly all-in-one readers/writers' book. So if it was to be that way then having a speaker would have made it all come together.
As you mentioned about having a system to keep up with all your books "safe" and accessible, what I did is, I have my journals scanned weekly, each page I write, I mention the date and topic, as we normally do, hence having them scanned, I always have a PDFith ke on the go and I am just a keyword away from searching for anything I'm looking for.
Lastly, please have a fixed focus set on your camera for the upcoming videos.
Excellent content, please know that it's only my take and I'm not taking anything away from this amazing content creator. I love the idea of Remarkable but I feel it's still incomplete, as mentioned in my initial texts.
The Boox tablets have Android OS and access to the google play store but it's about 300 - 500$
I use google doc, can access it from my phone anytime and anywhere with internet. 1 doc for each topic, content, or book. Downside is if the source is from my phone as well, quite hard to switch between screens and take notes. Good idea to make subfolders for them.
I've been a chaotic mess, both in notebook keeping and digital note-making. I enjoy handwriting, turning pages, experiencing the texture of both pen and paper, and the fact that it needs mindfulness to use once I open a page. However, I also enjoy typing my thoughts more quickly with less hand cramps and clipping online articles immediately and then linking these notes much quicker and more precise than manually going through past notebooks to see if I had notes regarding a topic. It's quicker to link one note to another.
that remarkable tablet is tempting but the price tag humbled me down. And I realized that while watching you swipe through the pages, it doesn't really offer the same immediate gratification of experience as what I would enjoy turning physical pages or using quick search. (I'm a simpler person with the most superficial reasons to miss out on future considerations like quick access (using keeps notes but wishing i could use obsidian with more ease, notebooks are indeed difficult for notes retrieval) and storage (space is a problem in our apartment plus notebooks run out of pages.)
Just discovered your channel, and it is such a goldmine. Thank you for all the insight you provide
Excellent video. I use my remarkable for a similar purpose! It's a bit difficult to give up physical notebooks, but the Remarkable certainly helps ease the weight in my bag!
Thanks, Waldun! I've always been an avid Moleskin notebook user (I finish one notebook every 2 weeks); and so, I've become so synonymous with notebooks and paper. So much so, that my family and friends started calling me by a new nickname: "Scrollings".😂 I do admit that I scroll on paper a lot...Anywho, I just wanted to wish you well. Good luck!👍
Seems like a nifty little device. I've always used physical notebooks but I also recognise the fear of them perishing so this could be a valid solution. One of the first concerns that pops into my mind is if it's okay to write left-handed on it. It might seem like a "of course you can" kind of thing but sonteimes devices get confused by the pressure being the pen, as an example.
Wow, your handwriting is so beautiful!
This is so fun to watch! I am still trying to figure out the best medium for me... might need to try something like this!
Thank you for this video! I like to write down almost everything in a notebook-whatever idea I have or whatever quote or thought that comes to my mind, I have to write it down.
I bought a Remarkable about 5 weeks ago and use it instead of paper for writing 1st draft of my new novel. It has been a game-changer for me.
Well done Robin - excellent
Thanks!
the balls of this man of having derrida as a background picture instead of his girlfried 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Gotta keep your priorities straight.
I noticed that too: Derrida with cat. 🧐🤣
Whoa that looks great! Pretty expensive for my tastes. I have been journaling through typing in word documents for almost 2 months now. One thing I really enjoy about word documents is just how easy it is to link videos at exact times. It's made things a lot clearer. With a mixture of yoga, prayer, and meditation, this summer between semesters has been my most productive yet. I've even gotten a bit out of my comfort zone and started meeting people again. They see a difference.
I plan to use an A5 notebook as a commonplace book to keep my thoughts, with a stronger focus on the 7 chakras, their meanings, the things that block them, and how to unblock them.
I'm intentionally not limiting myself to any book to draw inspiration from, nor am I limiting myself to quotes themselves.
I love the idea of incorporating art into the book, maybe pictures. I also intend to reference songs. I may even try my hand at poetry, as I've occasionally done so.
I've already bought some page markers to assist in finding particular thoughts and intend to have a table of context (that will probably get regularly changed around).
I also enjoy the thought of moving pages around as necessary to increase cohesion.
My materials should be coming into the mail by tomorrow. Maybe I'll speak about how it has gone for me in a couple of months.
Just a bit of what I have already typed down is below:
The Chakras & Meanings Respectively
Root (Security & Survival), Sacral (Emotion & Passion), Solar Plexus (Volition & Self-Esteem), Heart (Love & Compassion), Throat (Speaking Inner Truth), Third Eye (Intuition & Bridge between Self and the Outside), and Crown (Enlightenment & Spiritual Connection).
Common Blockages Respectively
Fear, Guilt, Shame, Grief, Self-Deceit, Illusion, and Earthly Connection.
Common Release Strategies for Fear
Exposure Therapy (See past gnawing "what ifs"; See "what is")...
The return of the commonplace book!!
your sketches look really good. would love to see a sketchbook tour if you have all your drawings compiled🤲🏾
Love your videos Robin. I came across your channel a year ago and your commonplace book video truly inspired me :)
I started keeping my writing notes and story ideas in a Google doc pinned in my browser; and I avoid formatting so I just write everything down without overthinking it. My girlfriend and I love going and sitting in nature over the weekends, so I'd then copy my digital notes over into my physical notebook. It really helps me to re-engage with my ideas on a deeper level and spark new connections I hadn't considered before.
I love this idea of going from digital to analog to engage more deeply with ideas, as I often find I examined ideas languishing in my notes app after months of feeling uninspired 😂 I’ll definitely be giving this a go, thank you!
Hi mate. (English is not my native language, I apologies for any gramatical errors in advance)
I am doing my next year book and i decided to take an one more look at this video. I've been journaling for years, 2017/8 - I tried bullet journaling, then Clark Kegley's journaling method and last year and found yours. Somehow, I created my own journaling method after all these years. It's a combination of your idea of a commonplace book and Clark Kegley's journal method, and sometimes i use ideas from bullet journaling community as well.
You might not see this, but you are one of the people who helped me out a lot, not just journaling, many other things as well. Thank you Robin.
I have a Microsoft Surface and the pen that comes with it, I use that computer for my "productivity", all the projects that I'm working on. If I used this note taking system, it would seem to fit in well with that.
Right now though, I use a regular notebook like you do, but I take time every couple of months to organize them into a Second Brain by concept similar to how Elizabeth Filips does it. I know you don't enjoy the concept of a personal web search, but I think it's still a great idea for me to go over thoughts that I've already had, and find new connections to new concepts that have since been added.
I've been using notebooks for years, but it seemed like a less refined method than common placing. I started this method earlier this year, I wish I had discovered it earlier but I'm definitely glad I stumbled upon it now.
I love your videos!! Keep making them. I use my IPad Pro for taking notes.
Good job🎉
I would love to have a remarkable tablet like that. I do use my iPad an app called GoodNotes since I love to hand write my notes vs typing them though. Thanks for the review of this, I’m def gonna see if I can get a tablet like that as well now.
Try the really thin tiny passport size moleskin notebooks they fit in any pant and coat pocket.
Since I do art as well as note taking it is perfect for what I need
I love that bag.
Very interesting to see how others keep a common place book. It is an invaluable thing to keep, and only gets better with time. In my experience, I have found that the greatest value to a common place is the ability to connect ideas from different sources. It's the only reason I prefer to write digitally (with an app called Obsidian)
@ Robin Waldun -------- Hello🙋
Thank you very much for sharing your personal experiences and your "updated" personal opinions regarding a Commonplace books system. Your presentation is very helpful and well done re: the Remarkable system.
In response to your interest concerning what is the preference ( re: methods ) of your viewers in relationship with Commonplace books? For my own use I prefer an actual paper Commonplace book. I really think it helps me to be more "grounded," which is definitely a better place FOR ME to be.
I got Boox Mini C and it is very practical to carry around. It works fantastic. Yet I still carry a field notes and such for me.
I am going back to notebooks for a while. I prefer digital, but i need to reduce screen time!
Remarkable needs to sponsor you! ;)
Thank you for sharing this informative video. I liked the device, but i prefer using the physical notebook..am so attached to papers and pens..😊
Thank you! I love this video and appreciate all you have shared as I am now learning about commonplace books. I am seriously considering a paper tablet, too.
My Commonplace notebooks have always been a collection of quotes and/or song lyrics. I have never done one of the books I've read. I DID start one with a couple of blurbs from books I've read about Childhood Trauma from having a Narcissistic parent, but it's ONE Commonplace notebook with blurbs from several different books, not One Commonplace notebook for One book. 😊
What I would do is to have a physical notebook and for future referencing I would once a week transcribe all I have written down to the file on my computer. I'm the type that believes more in paper than in technology. Too many times I lost files because of something. Plus it's better for the brain to write with pen on paper :). Just my thoughts :). But thank you so much for talking about keeping a common place book. It's something relatively obvious but turns out it's not :). I will start my own :).
Yep me again. See you've made an up to date video with the remarkable 2 😅 a good watch, thanks!
i use goodnotes with my ipad and use the index system that was shown by megan rihannon here on youtube..
wow ❤
This is exactly why I got an iPad. I have hundreds of notebooks and it's not usually practical to look through them.
Very interesting and helpful! Does that remarkable link to notion? Also, do you have any issues with battery heat while note taking? I tend to be sensitive when using tablets for art, and the subtle heat from using a digital device bothers me. Thanks!
No, the remarkable doesn't link to notion unfortunately. I have had my remarkable for about two years now and I haven't had any battery heat with daily use.
love the aesthetics
personally use notion to write them out!
hey Robin, I know you're planning to travel to the city of love very soon, so I bid you a safe trip and a good time amidst the revolution. Tell us all about it when you get back. Hearts.
Hi, what size is the notebook at 1:37? Seems a little smaller than the moleskin pocket notebook.
This could potentially eliminate my need for a large (to me, that is) purse…😂
1:23 how is this type of pen called? I didn't know such pens existed, it looks like ideal artistic pen.
Been a long time.
Do you only use the Remarkable tablet for note taking or do you also use a physical commonplace book?
Is there a podcast?
what pen option do you use on the remarkable ?
I really wish they where cheaper, it’s like $1k in Australia for one with a pen etc
I like your videos before I even watch them all the way to save time later (don't argue with my logic man)
Hiii🖤
As much as I enjoy writing on my iPad, I worry that if I were to die right now, my digital work would be gone forever. I still have my notebooks from high school, but the stories and notes I saved on floppy disk? Corrupted by time or lost. Notes saved to the cloud? Service ended or one wrong click and the folder was gone forever. I know tech has come a long way since then, but I could never fully trust it with my notes.
Best I can do is scan my notebooks and store them in the cloud as a backup.
how do I get to feature in your substack ,I've been following it for many months maybe a year?
Ask a question in the chat thread and I’ll answer it in a weekly newsletter personally. :)
So did you go through all your notebooks and transcribe them into the tablet, or are they separate?
P.s the call from your gf mid-video was cute haha
Your handwriting is so pretentious I love it
maybe consider a boox or supernote
Can i know the name of the app name?
Guys convert your common place books into a pdf by scanning them
exactly
These are the same arguments made by people who say computer note taking is more effective than physical writing. "You don't want to carry books around" "Books can get stolen"
lol
Paper notebooks give that aesthetic feeling to carry around tho
What is this tablet?
He literally says in the video…
Remarkable Paper Tablet
remarkable tablet
@@thedanalcantara Quite a few times.
The Remarkable 2. Its an e-ink tablet.
Just get a Samsung Note notebook it covers EVERYTHING.
It looks like a good product, but I'm sorry, I prefer notebooks with leather covers and paper pages. No device can provide a better writing experience than it.
ok this electronic piece of paper is so weird lmao. its soooo weirrrd!!!
It looks like Notes in android, it is not colorful, I don’t like it...
I use a combination of Commonplace books and Obsidian, using the Zettelkasten method. I find this especially useful for Accademia.