95 Commonplace Book Ideas: The Ultimate List To Fill Every Page

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A commonplace book is the one journal that can hold absolutely anything — quotes, recipes, memories, random thoughts you don’t want to lose. I’ve been keeping mine since 2018, and I’m still finding new pages to add to it.

So I sat down and pulled together every single commonplace book idea I could think of, from the practical to the sentimental to the slightly random, all in one giant list.

If you’re just starting your commonplace book, or hunting for a few new pages to fill, this is your master list of commonplace book ideas to steal, tweak, and make completely your own.

If you’ve read about my own commonplace journal, you know mine leans heavily into anime, books, and everything I’m currently watching. This list goes way beyond my pages — I gathered as many commonplace book ideas as I could find, so you can pick whatever actually fits your life.

I’ve grouped them into categories to make this easier to scroll through, and under each idea I added a few thoughts on how to approach the page and who it’s especially good for. Some of these I already use, some I’m adding to my own journal after writing this post, and some I just think are brilliant.

Grab a notebook and let’s get into it.

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Commonplace Book Ideas

This list has 95 ideas, but here is something important – just because there are many ideas doesn’t mean you have to use ALL of them right away. Some of these will work for you, some won’t.

The best thing to do is to try and figure it out for yourself. So check the list, pick the categories that speak to you, and choose the ideas to try.

Words, Quotes & Ideas Worth Keeping

The first category is what I personally consider the traditional approach to a commonplace journal – words/ And there are so many different ideas for what kind of words you could keep in your journal.

• Favorite Quotes

This is the most classic commonplace book page there is, and for good reason. Collect lines from books, podcasts, movies, or even things people in your life said that stopped you in your tracks. Over time, it becomes a page you can flip to whenever you need a little wisdom or a mood boost.

Good for: anyone who’s ever screenshotted a quote and never looked at it again.

As a bonus, if you feel like it, you could also use the quotes as prompts for journaling. I do that sometimes – a quote that moved me, I would journal about why it is important to me and what it actually means.

You can make it a wall of quotes, or you can go a more creative way and actually make a hand-lettered quote page.

• Song Lyrics That Hit Different

Jot down a line or two (not the whole song) that summed up a season of your life better than you could yourself. Add the song title and the date, and this page slowly turns into a soundtrack of your years. Reading it back later is like scrolling through old photos, but in music form.

Good for: anyone with a playlist named after a breakup.

I find that music is a wonderful way to preserve your memories, so I would probably also add some more personal details, like when you listened to that song and what it means to you.

For example, I know that the soundtrack to “Password: Swordfish” (as if anyone even remembers that movie anymore, me included) was the soundtrack I listened to when I went to Paris for a week.

• Words In Other Languages With No English Translation

There are so many beautiful untranslatable words out there — like the Japanese “tsundoku” (buying books and letting them pile up unread, which I feel personally attacked by). Collect them along with what they actually mean and where they come from. It’s a fun page to add to whenever you stumble on a new one.

Good for: language lovers and anyone who’s thought “there’s no word for this feeling”.

I actually started doing that for English as well, and it’s been a wonderful way to elevate my language skills a bit. I would usually write the word, the definition, and some examples of how to use it.

• Overheard Lines

Funny, strange, or oddly profound things you overheard strangers say on the bus, in a cafe, or in line at the store. Write them down exactly as you heard them, no context needed. Trust me, this becomes one of the most entertaining pages in your entire journal.

Good for: people-watchers and anyone who loves a good plot twist in real life.

• Mantras & Affirmations

Not the generic ones off Pinterest — the phrases you actually return to when things get hard. Maybe it’s something a friend told you once, or a line you came up with yourself during a rough patch. Keeping them all on one page means you always know where to look when you need them.

Good for: anyone working through anxiety, a big transition, or just a rough month.

I think this page would definitely help you get out of your head and shift your perspective a little bit, which is usually a good start to get the ball rolling towards eventually feeling better.

• Definitions That Reframed Something

Sometimes you look up a word, and the definition changes how you see a whole situation. Write down the word, the definition, and a sentence about why it landed the way it did. It’s a small page with a surprisingly big impact.

Good for: the person who loves a good “aha” moment.

This would be a useful page to consult when choosing your word of the year. You can see what words spoke to you and why, and maybe you’ll find your next motivation and direction right there.

• Letters To Future You

Write a page today that’s meant to be read a year (or five) from now. Tell future you what life looks like right now, what you’re worried about, what you’re hoping for. Then seal it with a date and don’t peek until it’s time.

Good for: anyone who wants a time capsule that isn’t buried in a backyard.

I do it every year; for me, this is like a manifestation. It helps me see how I want my life to go, and maybe on some level it wires my brain towards finding the ways to make it happen.

• My Personal Glossary

Every friend group and family has words or phrases they made up that make zero sense to anyone else. Collect them all in one place, with “definitions” and origin stories. It’s hilarious to write and even better to read years later.

Good for: close friend groups and families with their own running jokes.

Books, Shows & Everything You’re Consuming

The next batch of ideas is all about the media you’re consuming. This was actually the original motivation for me to start a separate journal for.

I think these days. so many things get lost, and I wanted to find a way to preserve them and remember the lessons and emotions the media stirred in me.

• Books I’ve Read (With Honest Reviews)

Log every book you finish with a rating and a few honest sentences — not a polished review, just what you actually thought. Include the date you finished it, because your reading taste tells a story over time.

Good for: readers who finish a book and immediately forget everything about it.

I haven’t really written any book reviews per se, but I did create a review page for the first JJK manga book I’ve read. I’m thinking of writing about them all as I read because I love the story and I want to train myself to notice more and think more deeply.

• To Be Read List

The eternal, ever-growing TBR. Keep it in your commonplace book instead of scattered across screenshots, notes apps, and mental lists you’ll never remember. Bonus points for noting who recommended each book, so you know who to thank (or blame).

Good for: anyone whose TBR pile is technically a fire hazard.

• Favorite Book Quotes By Book

Different from a general quotes page — this one is organized by book, so each favorite read gets its own little section of lines worth keeping. It’s like building your own personal anthology. When you miss a book, you can revisit its best moments without rereading the whole thing.

Good for: readers who tab and underline everything.

• Shows & Movies Watchlist

All the recommendations you’ve received and trailers you’ve saved, finally in one place. Cross them off as you watch, and add a quick rating so you remember whether they were worth the hype. No more scrolling streaming apps for 40 minutes only to watch nothing.

Good for: anyone who spends longer choosing a show than watching it.

I can definitely benefit from this layout, and, just like in the TBR list, I think it would be a great idea to add who recommended it to you. Because that way, you know who to go to when you want to discuss, or when you want to blame them.

But I must say I have a good memory for these things; I still remember exactly who recommended me to watch Attack On Titan, and I still have a mix of resentment and gratitude towards this person.

• Anime & Manga Log

If you know me, you knew this was coming. Track what you’re watching or reading, where you stopped, and how you’d rate it — especially handy for long-running series with seasons spread years apart. My own commonplace journal is basically built around this page.

Good for: fellow anime fans who’ve forgotten which episode they stopped at (again).

• Podcast Episode Notes

When a podcast episode genuinely teaches you something, capture the takeaways before they evaporate. Note the show, the episode, and two or three points you want to remember. It turns passive listening into knowledge you actually keep.

Good for: podcast listeners who say “I heard this fascinating thing” but can’t remember where.

• Fandom Pages

Dedicate a spread to a book series, show, or game you’re obsessed with — favorite characters, theories, quotes, little doodles, all of it. This is where a commonplace book gets really fun, because no one is grading you on being a normal amount of invested.

Good for: anyone who’s ever said: “I’m not obsessed, I just really like it”.

• Video Game Log

Track the games you’re playing, the ones you finished, and the ones you abandoned (no shame). Add ratings, favorite moments, or side quests you want to come back to. It’s especially satisfying for big open-world games you play over months.

Good for: gamers with a backlog longer than their TBR.

Food, Drink & Recipes

Ok, when it comes to food, I don’t really create any pages around that at all. I long ago learned that I can’t really plan my food.

The way it works for me is that I have a craving, find a good recipe, fixate on it, and just eat it for a few months until it’s time to switch to something new.

But, because I do cook the same thing over and over for several months, I usually end up not really needing to write the recipe down. I know it by heart, and chances are I won’t actually want to cook it again after it runs its course.

However, I know normal people do it differently, and therefore I came up with a few ideas you can try in your own commonplace journal.

• Recipe Archive

The recipes you’d be devastated to lose, written down in your own hand. There’s something special about a handwritten recipe page — it’s the modern version of the recipe box our grandmothers kept. Start with the five dishes you make most, and grow from there.

Good for: home cooks and anyone who inherited a recipe on a stained index card.

• Restaurant Wishlist

Every place someone’s mentioned that you swore you’d try, all in one list instead of lost in your text messages. Note who recommended it and what to order if they told you. Suddenly “where should we eat?” has an actual answer.

Good for: foodies who forget the name of that place by the time they get home.

• Recipes I Tried (With A Rating)

What you made, what you changed, and whether you’d make it again. This page saves you from the tragedy of re-discovering the same disappointing recipe twice. It also slowly builds your personal greatest-hits collection of meals.

Good for: anyone tired of cooking roulette on weeknights.

• Coffee & Tea Shop Log

The spot, your order, and a one-line vibe check. Rate the atmosphere, the drink, and whether it’s a good place to journal (priorities). Before long, you’ll have your own personal cafe guide to your city.

Good for: coffee shop hoppers who need a system.

I actually really love this idea, and I think I’ll add it to my own journal. I think knowing where to find the best coffee, the best pastry, and the most delicious brunch is definitely important!

• Drinks To Make At Home

Cocktails, mocktails, fancy lattes, or that one seasonal drink you want to recreate. Write down the recipe and your tweaks each time you try it. Your wallet will thank you, and honestly, homemade versions often end up better.

Good for: anyone who loves a specialty drink but hates the price tag.

• Farmer’s Market Finds

What was in season, what you bought, and what you made with it. Over a year, this page becomes your own seasonal eating guide for your exact area. It also nudges you to actually use that gorgeous produce instead of letting it wilt in the fridge.

Good for: seasonal cooks and anyone trying to eat more local produce.

• Meals That Remind Me Of Someone

The comfort food page, dedicated to dishes tied to people you love. Write the dish, the person, and the memory attached to it — the soup your mom made when you were sick, the pancakes from that one perfect morning. Fair warning: you might tear up writing this one.

Good for: anyone who cooks their grandmother’s recipe and cries a little.

• Baking Experiments Log

Baking is chemistry, and chemistry deserves notes. Track what you baked, exact tweaks you made, and how it turned out — especially useful for bread, macarons, and anything else famously temperamental. Next time you nail it, you’ll actually know how you did it.

Good for: bakers chasing that one perfect batch they can never quite recreate.

Travel & Adventure

Personally, I don’t travel often, so whenever I do, I want to create a journal page that’s very special and memorable.

But these ideas aren’t specifically for big-time travelers; as long as you travel at all, you’ll love adding any of them to your list.

• Travel Bucket List

Every place you want to go, organized however makes sense to you — by country, by vibe, by “someday” versus “soon.” Add a note about why each place made the list. Half the joy of travel is the dreaming stage, and this page is where the dreaming lives.

Good for: dreamers and planners alike.

• Places I’ve Been

A passport-style log of where you’ve actually gone, with dates and a highlight or two from each trip. It doesn’t have to be international — that weird roadside museum totally counts. Watching this list grow is deeply satisfying.

Good for: anyone who wants proof of their adventures, big and small.

• Day Trip Ideas Near Me

The mini-adventures you could take on a random Saturday, researched once and saved forever. Include drive time and one thing to do there, so the plan is basically made in advance. This page single-handedly cures the “we should explore more” guilt.

Good for: anyone who says they’ll explore more but never actually plans it.

I’m definitely starting to think of what kind of places I would add to a page like this. After all, a little trip is sometimes all you really need to shake things up in your brain a bit.

• Packing Checklists

Templates for beach trips, weekend getaways, or that one specific work conference you attend every year. Write them once when your brain is calm, use them forever when it’s not. Future you, packing at 11 pm the night before a flight, will be so grateful.

Good for: over-packers and under-packers alike.

This is definitely a page I never skip. I like to divide it into categories and also add the expected temperature to the list so I can pack the right way.

• Trip Recap Pages

A mini journal entry after each trip, written before the memory gets fuzzy. Favorite moment, funniest moment, what you’d do differently, what you ate that you’re still thinking about. These pages become little treasures years later.

Good for: anyone whose photos outnumber their actual memories of a trip.

Memory-keeping pages are my favorite to create, and this idea is perfect for you to actually use all the ticket stubs and museum brochures you’ve probably accumulated.

• Local Spots To Explore

The staycation list — all the attractions in your own city you’ve somehow never visited. Museums, parks, that famous landmark tourists travel for while you drive past it daily. Work through it slowly and fall a little more in love with where you live.

Good for: anyone who’s lived somewhere for years and still hasn’t seen the “famous” thing.

• Map Page

A hand-drawn or printed map you color in or mark up as you visit new places. It’s the most visual, satisfying way to track your travels. Even a simple outline of your country or state works beautifully.

Good for: visual trackers who love seeing progress.

• Dream Trip Planning Page

Pick the one trip you want most and plan it in glorious detail, even if it’s years away. Research the neighborhoods, the food, the season to go, the rough budget. Planning it makes it feel real — and real things have a way of actually happening.

Good for: anyone whose dream trip has been “someday” for a little too long.

Reflection & Self-Knowledge

Just like with any other type of journaling, your commonplace journal can be a place for you to reflect, learn more about yourself, and dive deeper into who you are and what kind of things matter to you.

And as always, remember that this journal is just for you so you don’t have to hide or perform – it’s a perfect place for self-exploration.

• Core Values List

The handful of things that actually matter to you, named out loud. It sounds simple, but most of us have never actually written them down. Once you do, decisions big and small get noticeably easier to make.

Good for: anyone making a big decision, or just feeling a little lost.

• Life Lessons I’ve Learned The Hard Way

The stuff nobody could’ve told you — you just had to live it. Write each lesson with a line or two about how you learned it. It’s part wisdom archive, part gentle reminder of how far you’ve come.

Good for: anyone who wants a slightly humbling read a few years from now.

• Things I Know Now That I Didn’t A Year Ago

A running list you add to whenever something clicks — big realizations and small practical ones alike. Date each entry so you can see your growth in real time. This is one of those pages that gets more valuable every single year.

Good for: anyone who loves tracking their own growth.

• 30 Things About Me

A self-portrait in list form: favorites, quirks, opinions, fears, dreams. Redo it every year or two and compare — it’s fascinating to see what changes and what stays stubbornly the same. It’s also a great warm-up page if a blank journal intimidates you.

Good for: anyone who’s bad at answering “tell me about yourself”.

I love this idea the most, to the point that I actually create “about me” pages in my usual Bullet Journal every time a new year starts or when I start a new journal. It’s been a very important page for me to track how I’ve been growing and changing and how my life has been developing.

• Personality Test Results

Myers-Briggs, enneagram, human design, love languages — whatever quiz you took at 1 am, record the results here. Add a note about which parts felt accurate and which felt way off. Comparing results over time is half the fun.

Good for: anyone a little too into personality frameworks (no judgment).

• Core Memories Page

The moments that shaped you, big or small — your own personal highlight reel. Write each memory with as much sensory detail as you can recall. This page is a gift to your future self, who will remember less than you think.

Good for: anyone who wants their own “why I am the way I am” explainer.

• Questions I’m Still Sitting With

The unresolved thoughts you’re chewing on, written down with no pressure to answer them. Sometimes just naming a question quiets the mental replay loop. Come back months later, and you might find some have answered themselves.

Good for: overthinkers who want somewhere to put the thoughts.

• Things I’m Proud Of

A page that’s easy to forget to make and so important to have. Include everything — career wins, hard conversations you didn’t avoid, plants you kept alive. On rough days, this page does more for you than any motivational quote ever could.

Good for: anyone hard on themselves who needs a reminder of their own wins.

• Beliefs I’ve Changed My Mind About

Track the opinions and beliefs you’ve genuinely updated over the years, and what changed your mind. It’s a surprisingly powerful page — proof that you’re thinking, growing, and staying open. Very few people ever document this, which makes it even more special to have.

Good for: anyone who values growing over being right.

Hobbies & Creative Pursuits

I love all my hobbies, so of course I came up with plenty of ideas on how you can add things you love to your commonplace book!

And remember, you don’t have to pick one idea and always stick to it. Pick as many as you want and try them out for yourself.

• Craft Project Log

What you made, what supplies you used, and what you’d do differently next time. Add a photo or a little sketch of the finished piece if you like. This page saves you from re-solving problems you already solved on a previous project.

Good for: crafters who reinvent the wheel every single project.

• Skills I Want To Learn

The running list of “I should try that someday” hobbies — pottery, film photography, bread baking, whatever’s been calling you. Write down what draws you to each one. When you’re ready for something new, your next chapter is already waiting on this page.

Good for: anyone with fifteen browser tabs open about a new hobby.

• Playlist Themes

The names and vibes of playlists you’ve made, without needing to write out entire tracklists. Describe the mood, when to listen, and maybe the three defining songs. It’s a fun, creative exercise and a lovely little snapshot of your taste in music over time.

Good for: anyone whose playlists have better names than their actual songs.

• DIY & Home Project Ideas

The Pinterest board that lives in your journal instead — and therefore might actually get done. Sketch the idea, list rough supplies, and estimate the effort involved. Moving an idea from a screen to paper somehow makes it ten times more likely to happen.

Good for: anyone who wants to do the projects, not just save them.

• Creative Prompts To Try

Writing prompts, drawing challenges, photography ideas — collect them all here for the day’s inspiration doesn’t show up on its own. When you’re stuck, you open this page and pick one instead of staring at a blank page. It’s like a vending machine for creativity.

Good for: creatives stuck in a rut.

• Art & Craft Supply Wishlist

The stuff you’re eyeing before you buy it — which, let’s be honest, for us stationery people is a serious list. Writing it down adds a pause between wanting and buying, and helps you prioritize.

Good for: anyone who impulse-buys stationery (guilty).

I created so many of those! It’s very handy for the next time you want a little treat for yourself, or if a holiday is coming up and you don’t know what to add to your wishlist.

• Things I Made That I’m Proud Of

A little gallery of your creations, even if it’s just described in words. Include the messy first attempts alongside the wins — the contrast is the whole point. Hobbies rarely get enough credit, especially from ourselves, and this page fixes that.

Good for: anyone whose creative work deserves more celebrating.

• Doodle & Lettering Practice Pages

Dedicate pages purely to practicing doodles, banners, and hand lettering styles you want to master. Date them so you can watch your progress — the difference between page one and page twenty will genuinely surprise you. These also double as a reference library for decorating the rest of your journal.

Good for: anyone who wants prettier pages but thinks they “can’t draw”.

I would share my drawing pages here, but they really are too raw for the internet. I’ve been trying to learn how to draw anime characters, and it’s been a fun journey!

Nature & Seasons

This could be a cute little thing to explore, especially if you are a nature lover. You could notice and learn so much by paying a little more attention to these pages.

• Weather Log

A small daily note on the weather and how it made you feel. It sounds almost too simple, but patterns emerge fast — you’ll learn exactly how sunshine, rain, and gray weeks affect your mood. That awareness alone is worth the thirty seconds a day.

Good for: anyone who swears the weather affects their mood (it does).

• Seasonal Bucket List

The things you want to do each season, written down before the season slips by. Apple picking, first beach day, a proper snow walk — whatever makes the season feel like itself. This page turns “where did autumn even go?” into actual memories.

Good for: anyone who blinks and suddenly finds it’s winter again.

I try to create a bucket list for each season; it’s a great reference when I realize the weekend is here and I have no plans other than being a couch potato.

• Houseplant Care Log

What you have, when you watered it, and what’s thriving or quietly dying in the corner. Note each plant’s quirks as you learn them — which one is dramatic, which one is unkillable. Your plants will visibly thank you.

Good for: plant parents with more plants than memory.

• Nature Walk Notes

What you noticed on a walk: birds, flowers, weird bugs, the way the light looked. You don’t need to know any species names — “small angry-looking bird” is a valid entry. This page is really a mindfulness practice disguised as a nature journal.

Good for: anyone trying to slow down and actually look around.

• Stargazing & Moon Phase Notes

What you saw in the sky, when, and how it felt to stand there looking up. Track full moons, meteor showers, or just really good sunset-into-night evenings. It’s one of the most peaceful pages you can keep.

Good for: night owls and anyone who loves a full moon.

• Garden Harvest Log

What you planted, what actually grew, and what you’d do differently next year. Even a windowsill herb pot counts. After a couple of seasons, this page becomes your own personalized gardening guide, better than any generic advice online.

Good for: gardeners, from windowsill herbs to full backyard plots.

• First Signs Of Each Season

Record the first crocus, the first snow, the first day warm enough for no jacket. Date them each year and compare — it connects you to the rhythm of where you live in the loveliest way. It’s a tiny tradition that costs nothing and gives a lot.

Good for: anyone who wants to feel more connected to the seasons.

People & Connection

Here is a category that seems very different, and once might think – how exactly do you journal for people and build connections? Well, here are a few ideas that will help you do just that.

• Friendship Timeline

How you met your people, and the moments that mattered along the way. Document the origin story of each close friendship — the awkward first meeting, the moment you became actual friends. These stories deserve better than living only in fading memory.

Good for: anyone who wants proof their friendships are worth documenting.

I also find this idea useful when you’re trying to maintain your friendships, because it helps you remember important details and connect with people more. I do sometimes have the worst memory, so this is definitely a helpful idea.

• Gift Ideas For People I Love

A running list so you’re never stuck the week before a birthday. Add ideas the moment someone mentions wanting something — they always forget they told you, which makes you look like a gift-giving genius. This is easily one of the most practical pages in this whole list.

Good for: anyone who panic-shops the night before a birthday.

• Conversations Worth Remembering

The ones that stuck with you, captured as close to word-for-word as you can manage. Late-night talks, advice from a mentor, something your kid said that was accidentally profound. Written down, these become some of the most precious pages you own.

Good for: anyone who’s had a conversation that changed how they think.

I think another way this layout can help is by growing your ability to discuss and clearly explain your opinion. I know I am very bad at debating, and sometimes coming back to all conversations helps me to see what I could’ve done better and eventually grow this skill.

• Family History Notes

The stories your parents or grandparents told you, written down before they’re forgotten. How they met, where they grew up, the family legends that get retold every holiday. If this page nudges you to call and ask more questions, even better.

Good for: anyone who wishes they’d asked more questions sooner.

• Important Dates

Birthdays, anniversaries, and the small dates that matter only to you — the day you adopted your pet, the day you moved into your place. Keep them all on one page you check monthly. Remembering the little dates is a quiet superpower.

Good for: anyone who’s forgotten a friend’s birthday more than once.

• Letters & Cards I’ve Received

A place to keep the sentiment, even after you recycle the actual card. Copy out the handwritten notes that meant something, with who they’re from and when. All that love collected on a few pages makes for powerful reading on a hard day.

Good for: sentimental people who hate clutter but hate throwing love away more.

I usually add those to my memory-keeping pages.

• How My People Like To Be Loved

Notes on what actually makes each person in your life feel cared for — words, quality time, snacks delivered silently. We learn these things about people and then forget them at the worst moments. This page means less guessing and more genuinely thoughtful gestures.

Good for: anyone who wants to love people the way they need.

I think this is one of the little things that can make you a special friend. Because I think most people (and me, too often) love how they want to be loved, instead of trying to learn the other person’s love language.

• Compliments I’ve Received

Write down the compliments that landed — especially the specific, unexpected ones. We tend to replay criticism on a loop while compliments evaporate in seconds, and this page flips that script. Reading it back is basically free therapy.

Good for: anyone who deflects compliments and remembers criticism forever.

Home & Everyday Life

Want to use your journal for something more everyday and useful? I’ve got you covered; there is an idea for that as well.

• Home Project Wishlist

The “someday” list for your space, from paint colors to the furniture you keep bookmarking. Organize it by room or by budget, whatever helps you actually prioritize. Dreams for your home count as dreams worth writing down.

Good for: renters and homeowners dreaming about their space.

• Products That Actually Worked

Because you will forget the name of that one good moisturizer, the pen that writes perfectly, the sheets that changed your life. Log the product, where you got it, and why it earned its spot. This page ends the cycle of re-Googling and regret-buying.

Good for: anyone tired of re-purchasing the wrong thing.

• Things That Make My Home Feel Cozy

A reminder list for the days your space feels a little off — candles lit, blanket out, that one lamp instead of the overhead light. Once it’s written down, coziness becomes a checklist instead of a mystery. Perfect page to revisit every autumn.

Good for: anyone who wants to come home to somewhere that feels like them.

• Home Routine Notes

The little systems that keep your space running smoother — your cleaning rhythm, laundry schedule, the Sunday reset that actually works. Write down the version that works so you don’t have to rebuild it from scratch after every chaotic month. Boring? Maybe. Life-changing? Also yes.

Good for: anyone who’s rebuilt the same routine three times.

• Grocery Staples List

The stuff you always need, so you stop forgetting it at the store. Organize it roughly by aisle and snap a photo before shopping trips. It’s the least glamorous page in your journal and possibly the one you’ll use most.

Good for: anyone who’s bought the same missing ingredient five times.

• Little Luxuries Log

The small treats that make a regular day feel a bit special — the fancy tea, the long bath, breakfast outside. Keep the list where you can see it, because on autopilot days we forget these options exist. It’s self-care in its most practical form.

Good for: anyone who needs permission to enjoy the little things.

• Repairs & Maintenance Tracker

When you last changed the air filter, flipped the mattress, descaled the coffee machine — the things memory is simply not built for. Date each one and note how often it should happen. Deeply unsexy, incredibly useful.

Good for: anyone who relies on memory for things memory isn’t good for.

• My Ideal Ordinary Day

Describe, hour by hour, what a perfect normal day would look like — not a vacation day, just a really good Tuesday. Then look at which pieces you could actually build into your real life. It’s one of the most quietly revealing pages you can write.

Good for: anyone designing a life they don’t need to escape from.

I found this exercise particularly interesting because it helped me discover some limits in my expectations. For example, every time I thought of an ideal day, it somehow included 8 productive hours of work instead of a day at the beach or a day of reading.

Career, Money & Growth

When it comes to career and money, I would take all the help I can get, and a commonplace journal can help as well.

I figured out my own way, and I hope these ideas help you find the best way to approach this subject.

• Skills I Want To Build

Professionally or personally — the running growth list. For each skill, add one tiny first step you could take this month. Direction beats destination, and this page gives you direction on demand.

Good for: anyone who likes having a direction, not just a destination.

• Course & Workshop Notes

The takeaways from things you paid to learn, so they don’t go to waste. This page alone can double the value of everything you’ve ever enrolled in. And this is actually the best time to practice sketchnoting – add a bit of creativity to your notes to remember the information even better!

Good for: anyone who’s finished a course and forgotten 80% of it.

• Career Wins Log

The stuff you’re proud of that won’t fit on a resume — the crisis you handled calmly, the presentation that landed, the colleague you helped. Date everything. Come review season or interview prep, this page becomes pure gold.

Good for: anyone who blanks when asked “what are your strengths?”.

• People I Met & Want To Stay In Touch With

A simple, low-pressure networking log: name, where you met, what you talked about, one memorable detail. Following up becomes effortless when you actually remember the conversation. No corporate energy required — this works for friend-making too.

Good for: anyone who’s terrible at names but great at conversations.

• Money Goals & Big Purchases

What you’re saving for and why it matters to you, maybe with a little progress tracker to color in. Saving feels different when it’s for something with a name and a picture. This page turns an abstract number into an actual dream.

Good for: anyone who needs a visual to stay motivated.

• Ideas I Don’t Want To Forget

The brainstorm page for side projects, business ideas, and “what if” thoughts that arrive at inconvenient times. No filtering, no feasibility judgment — just capture everything. Most ideas won’t go anywhere, and that’s fine; the one that does will justify the whole page.

Good for: anyone with more ideas than time.

• Advice That Actually Helped

Collect the career and life advice that genuinely worked for you, along with who gave it. Not the generic LinkedIn stuff — the real things real people told you at the right moment. Over time this becomes your personal mentorship archive.

Good for: anyone lucky enough to have gotten good advice at least once.

Health & Body

I find that anything is more powerful when it’s put on paper, and it is especially true when you think about your physical health. I find that when I have my progress and results on paper, it’s much easier and more motivating for me to keep going.

So here are a few ideas for you to try the same approach in your journal.

• Body Log

How you’re feeling physically and the patterns you’re noticing — nothing clinical, just awareness. Headaches, energy dips, that weird shoulder thing: note when they happen and what was going on around them. Patterns you’d never spot day-to-day become obvious on paper.

Good for: anyone trying to understand their own body a little better.

• Movement I Actually Enjoyed

Not a workout tracker — a list of movement that didn’t feel like a chore. The walk that cleared your head, the dance-while-cooking session, the swim that felt like play. When exercise motivation disappears, this page reminds you what movement can feel like.

Good for: anyone who’s struggling to move more.

• Comfort Remedies List

What actually helps when you’re sick, cramping, or just having a rough day — your personal protocols, tested by experience. The exact tea, the heating pad position, the show that asks nothing of you. Future miserable you will not have to think, just follow the list.

Good for: anyone tired of googling “what helps a cold” every single time.

• Skincare Routine Notes

What you’re using, what worked, and what broke you out. Date when you start new products so you can actually connect cause and effect. This page pays for itself the first time it stops you from repurchasing something that didn’t work.

Good for: anyone whose bathroom shelf is a graveyard of half-used products.

Alternatively, you can also create a page with routines for your skin, rather than just the notes. This is very helpful if you use a lot of products and you do skincare cycling.

• Energy Patterns

When you feel most alive during the day, the week, even the month — and when you reliably don’t. Track it loosely for a few weeks, and the pattern will show itself. Then you can schedule your life around your actual energy rather than an idealized version of it.

Good for: anyone trying to work with their body instead of against it.

• Sleep Notes

What helped you sleep well, what wrecked it, and the patterns in between. Late caffeine, screens, that heavy dinner — suspects get confirmed or cleared quickly once you write things down. A few weeks of notes beats months of wondering.

Good for: anyone whose sleep quality feels like a total mystery.

• Things That Calm Me Down

Your personal, tested list of what actually helps when you’re anxious or overwhelmed — not what’s supposed to help, what does. Specific songs, breathing patterns, people to text, places to sit. In a hard moment, a ready-made list is worth everything, because that’s exactly when thinking is hardest.

Good for: anyone who wants a calm-down plan before they need one.

I haven’t created a page for things that calm me down, but I did create a page that I call a comfort list, which is basically the same idea.

Just For Fun

Last but not least is a list of ideas just for fun. Because after all, your commonplace journal is for all kinds of purposes, and I personally don’t think a journal only has to exist for practical things.

• Bucket List

The big stuff, the small stuff, all of it in one place — from “see the northern lights” to “finally try that bakery.” Don’t overthink what qualifies; if you want to do it, it counts. Crossing things off this page is one of life’s great satisfactions.

Good for: everyone, honestly.

• Things That Made Me Laugh

A running list of genuinely funny moments — jokes, memes, autocorrect disasters, things kids said. Comedy is weirdly perishable, so write it down while it’s fresh. This page becomes your personal emergency mood-lifter.

Good for: anyone who needs a pick-me-up on a bad day.

• Weird Facts I Learned

The random trivia that now lives in your brain rent-free — octopus hearts, space smells, medieval history rabbit holes. Give the facts a proper home with a note on where you learned them. Excellent dinner party material, guaranteed.

Good for: anyone who’s ever said “did you know…” mid-meal.

• Dream Journal Snippets

The strange, vivid, or recurring dreams worth writing down — not every dream, just the memorable ones. Capture them fast, because they fade within minutes of waking. Reading them back months later is like flipping through the weirdest anthology ever written, by you.

Good for: anyone whose dreams are stranger than fiction.

• Pet Milestones & Funny Moments

Because your pet deserves their own page too. First day home, weird habits, crimes committed, nicknames accumulated over the years (the list gets long, doesn’t it?). This page will make you smile every single time you open it.

Good for: pet parents who talk about their pet a completely normal amount.

• Guilty Pleasures List

The shows, songs, and snacks you love with zero apology. Writing them down is a small act of self-acceptance — and a handy menu for days that call for pure comfort. Life’s too short to pretend you don’t know every word of that one song.

Good for: anyone ready to stop feeling weird about liking what they like.

• Would-You-Rather & Icebreaker Answers

Collect the best would-you-rather questions and icebreakers you come across, plus your own answers. It’s a fun page to fill with friends or a partner on a lazy evening. You’ll also never again freeze when someone asks for a “fun fact about yourself.”

Good for: anyone who panics during icebreakers.

• My Favorites, Documented Yearly

Current favorite color, song, meal, show, word, everything — written down once a year, every year. It takes ten minutes and creates the most delightful time capsule. Reading five years of these side by side is pure joy.

Good for: anyone who loves comparing who they were to who they are.

Of course, my own favorite pages are often about stationery.

• Alternate Lives Page

The completely honest list of lives you’d live in a parallel universe — bakery owner in a small coastal town, marine biologist, mysterious lighthouse keeper. It’s pure daydreaming, and sometimes it quietly points at something you actually want more of in this life. Either way, it’s a joy to write.

Good for: daydreamers with a rich inner catalog of parallel selves.

And that’s our list; I hope you found some ideas here to try in your own commonplace book, or at least that this list inspired you about what kind of entries to add.

But before you go, be sure you get your freebies!

Free Printables

Not everything on this list needs to be hand-drawn from a blank page — sometimes the easiest way to test an idea is to print it and drop it right in.

In the Resources Vault, you’ll find 50+ free printables — trackers, lists, and pages you can print out and try in your commonplace book before committing to designing your own version.

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More Resources

There is more to learn about a commonplace journal and, of course, more inspiration for how to create your pages.

Check out these posts next:

• What Is A Commonplace Journal? (And How To Start One From Scratch)
• My Favorite Commonplace Journal Ideas (And Why You Need One)
• 70 Things To Do With An Empty Notebook

>>> Which of these commonplace book ideas are you most excited to try first? Tell me in the comments — I’d love to see which pages make it into your journal!

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And remember: Keep Journaling, and Don’t Be A Blob!

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