If you're setting up a Commonplace book, the first thing to consider is how to go about it. Analog or Digital? Do you want to write it all down in a book, or use something like Evernote?

Now you know I'm a stationery addict and a huge geek, so I'm going to set mine up in my new Doctor Who Tardis notebook. If you want to know more about what notebooks and other tools you could use to make a Commonplace Book, go check out my Bullet Journal series here.

Once you've chosen a notebook you want to make a pretty cover :) I'm going to base mine on the famous Tardis quote "Bigger on the inside", which is quite appropriate really because the book will contain a universe of knowledge.

The next thing to do on the first inside page is to date the Commonplace Book, so you know the period each book covers. After that comes the index. Once you go through a couple of books it'll be next to impossible to know what information is where, so by numbering the book pages, and then setting up an index it'll be much easier to find information you need to refer to. I've set aside six pages in Tardis Commonplace book for indexing.

Some people have also included a keyword section so you can note down keywords for each entry, and then have an index for that so you can find things in another way. I haven't set mine up for that system, it could get tricky, especially if the keywords will be out of alphabetical order if you keyword as you go.

So what's next? Start filling in your commonplace book, but of course that's a whole other blog post :)

Ear worm of the week: Bad Girl's World by Halestorm

TV show of the week: Nailed It.

Movie of the week: Bright

Book of the Week: Spin Off Winter 2017/2018 - Spinning Magazine

Tags: 2018, Book, Books, BuJo, Bullet Journal, Bullet Journaling, Commonplace, Crafting, Doctor Who, Geek, Journal, Journals, Leuchtturm 1917, Moleskine, Movies, Music, Nerd, Notebooks, Pens, Reading, Research, Science, Stationery, TV, Washi Tape, Writing

Have you heard of Commonplace Books? Neither did I, until about a month ago.

Commonplace books are a way to compile knowledge, by writing knowledge into books, or by putting them into your computer. They are essentially knowledge scrapbooks filled with entries of every kind including:

• Recipes
• Quotes
• Letters
• Poems
• Scientific knowledge
• Proverbs
• General knowledge
• The list goes on and on...

Basically, they're everything you want noted down somewhere, so you can go back and find it later. They're also a great aid for remembering useful facts and information. Each commonplace book is unique to its creators particular interests. If you think about it, commonplace books are very similar to Pinterest, but in a written form and without any ads.

Commonplace books can be just hard facts, knowledge that you write down and keep. But they can also be journals as well, where you can note down how each of the entries affects you, or you can add extra information that is pertinent to your life.

Commonplace books have been around for centuries, and include people like Oscar Wilde, Marcus Aurelius, Mark Twain, Bill Gates, Lewis Carroll, and Leonardo Da Vinci.

And being the seeker of knowledge that I am, the type of person who loves learning new things, how could I not start a commonplace book of my own? And that's what I'm doing, over the next few weeks I'll show you how it's developing :)

Ear worm of the week: Shatter Me by Lindsey Stirling featuring Lzzy Hale

TV show of the week: Altered Carbon

Movie of the week: The Blues Brothers

Book of the Week: New Zealand Gardener April 2018

Tags: 2018, Book, Books, Collections, Commonplace, Earworm, Journal, Journals, Leuchtturm 1917, Moleskine, Movies, Music, Nerd, Notebooks, Pens, Photography, Reading, Research, Science, Stationery, Study, TV, Washi Tape, Writing

Today we’re going to talk about the dreaded moving to a new Bullet Journal (and yes, it is as bad as it sounds), but if you go about it the right way it makes using your next BuJo that much easier.

Tags: 2017, BuJo, Bullet Journal, Bullet Journaling, Calendars, Collections, Crafting, Habits, Lists, Stamps, Stationery, Washi Tape

Making a Start

And now comes the scary part. We’re about to crack open your brand new, perfectly clean notebook, and we’re going to scribble all over it (aka write in it). Just like the first sentence in any novel, making a start in your Bullet Journal is scary, but it’s better not to think about it, and dive straight in.

Tags: 2017, Books, BuJo, Bullet Journal, Bullet Journaling, Colors, Crafting, Notebooks, Pens, Stamps, Stationery, Washi Tape

Tools of the Trade

The first thing to do in making a start in Bullet Journaling is deciding what stationery you want to use. At the very basic level all you need is a notebook, a pen and a ruler, but being a stationery addict that I am starting a Bullet Journal is just an excuse to go buy really cool stuff.

Tags: 2017, BuJo, Bullet Journal, Bullet Journaling, Colors, Crafting, Notebooks, Pens, Stamps, Stationery, Washi Tape, Writing