My Favorite Commonplace Journal Ideas (And Why You Need One)
When it comes to journaling, there are so many different types and journals you can use in your ecosystem. Today, we will be talking about a journal I’ve been using for a while, and I just recently learned it’s called a commonplace book.
So, if you want to learn a bit about what a commonplace book is and what kind of journal ideas you can add if you have one, you’re in the right place.
Here, I will talk a bit about what a commonplace book is and why you would need one (drawing heavily on my own experience with one and the benefits I saw), and then share some of the pages I created.
And in case we have different interests, don’t worry- most of these ideas can be easily customized to the things you enjoy. Use these to get your imagination going and see just a few possibilities.
Here’s something that used to happen to me all the time.
I’d finish an incredible book or binge through an entire anime series, feel genuinely moved and inspired by it — and then two weeks later, I couldn’t remember the main character’s name. Or I’d read a fascinating article, think “I need to remember this,” close the tab, and never think about it again. Or I’d stumble across a word I’d never seen before while reading, look it up, nod along, and promptly forget it existed.
So much good stuff, just… gone.
I’ve been Bullet Journaling since 2018, and somewhere along the way, I realized that while my BuJo was doing an amazing job of organizing my tasks and goals, I had nowhere to put all the things I was consuming. The shows, the books, the manga, the articles, the ideas that stuck with me. It was all just floating around in my head — or more accurately, disappearing from it.
That’s when I started what I call my entertainment journal. And honestly? It’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever made.
In this post, I’m going to explain the whole concept — what a commonplace journal is, why you’d want one, and then walk you through every single page inside mine.
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What Is It & Why To Keep A Commonplace Book
A commonplace journal — sometimes called a commonplace book — is basically a personal collection of everything that resonates with you. Quotes, ideas, notes, reviews, lists, observations, things you’ve learned, things you want to remember.
All in one place.
It isn’t really about staying organised or being productive. It’s about capturing the things you enjoy, the things that matter to you.
We all have different reasons to keep a journal like that, which means the benefits and reasons to start one differ from person to person.
My commonplace notebook is about entertainment and the different types of content I consume. Keeping that in mind, here are just a few reasons I think you should at least give it a try, based on the benefits I’ve started to feel from having one.
- It will help your curiosity. Now that you write down random things you think about or that interest you, you’ll start paying more attention to them and will awaken your curiosity, which means you will also want to learn more about them. Isn’t it amazing?!
- You will be more mindful with thins you consume. Now that you record what you’ve been consuming, what kind of books you’ve been reading, and what shows you’ve been watching, you’ll find that you become more mindful and careful about what you let into your life. Now it’s not just anything playing in the background; you will start taking the time to think more deeply, notice more, and learn from everything.
- It creates an image of your life. Unlike your Bullet Journal, a commonplace notebook isn’t about your to-do list; it is about little thoughts, moments, hobbies, and anything you want it to be about. It’s a fantastic way to kind of simply record your life.
- It becomes your outside brain. Because this notebook has everything – your random thoughts, a recipe you want to try, a list of questions you’ve been pondering. Now all the extra open tabs in your mind are on the journal pages, and so you can come back to them any time. This really helps your mind feel less overwhelmed and, over time, gives you more bandwidth for other important things.
Plus, of course, it is a great idea to put your empty journals to good use.
Anyway, these are the main benefits and reasons I can think of, but I’m sure that when you start yours, you’ll quickly notice what this notebook does for you, depending on the pages you create inside.
And speaking of, let’s dive in and look at my layouts. And most importantly, see how we can transform them into something you enjoy.
My Commonplace Journal Ideas
Now here’s where my version gets a little specific!
My commonplace journal is almost entirely focused on the entertainment and media I consume — anime, manga, books, articles, YouTube videos, and Substack newsletters. That’s my version of it, and it reflects exactly what I spend a lot of my free time doing.
I keep it as a completely separate, dedicated notebook — not inside my Bullet Journal. And I love this decision so much. My BuJo is for planning and productivity; my entertainment journal is purely for the fun stuff.
Keeping them separate means neither one gets cluttered, and I can pick up my entertainment journal on a cozy evening just to browse through it, which feels very different from opening my BuJo.
Below are all the pages I currently keep inside mine. Some are very simple lists, others are more detailed tracking spreads — I’ll walk you through each one so you can decide which ones you’d want to steal for yourself.
Reading Bingo
If you haven’t come across reading bingo before, it’s such a fun concept! You create a bingo card where each square has a different reading category or challenge. Things like “a book set in a country you’ve never visited,” “a book recommended by a friend,” “a book you’ve owned for over a year but never read,” and so on.
The goal is to read books that fill each square and eventually get a bingo — or if you’re ambitious, a full card.
I love this page because I think anything that adds a playful element is a great tool, especially since I’m struggling to get back into reading right now.
As you can see, my bingo card is still empty, so if you have any good book recommendations, leave them in the comments!
Watched Anime List
This is exactly what it sounds like — a running log of every anime I’ve completed.
You might be thinking: can’t I just use an app for this? Sure! But there’s something about having it handwritten in my own journal that makes it feel more personal and meaningful. Plus, it’s right next to all my other entertainment pages, so everything lives together.
Plus, even though I use apps to track my watch progress, none of them provide the visual, structured view this layout gives me.
Even if you’re not into anime specifically, this concept translates beautifully to any type of show — TV series, documentaries, films, whatever you watch. It can actually also work for any books that you’re planning to read this way as well!
And in case you wonder, for the little pictures here, I’m using my HP Sprocket printer – the paper is already a sticker, so it’s perfect for easily adding to your journal.
Anime Review Page
Separate from the simple watched list, this is where I write proper (if short) reviews. Each entry has the show’s name, my rating, a few sentences about what I thought, and some of my favorite characters.
This page helps me pause after every time I finish a series and reflect a little on what I liked and why, what I disliked and why, and how it made me feel.
Again — not just for anime. This works for any shows, films, books, or even podcasts you want to remember more intentionally. A quick review right after you finish something while it’s still fresh is worth so much more than trying to recall it months later.
Watch List
The ever-growing, ever-intimidating list of things I want to watch. We all have one — mine just lives in the journal now instead of scattered across seventeen browser tabs and forgotten recommendation threads.
Something important I added here is the number of seasons, so I know when I’m committing to something long-term.
Just like with all my other anime-themed pages, this could work for any types of things – shows, books, movies. Whatever it is you enjoy, you can use this idea. It can even be a list of different yarn brands if you do crocheting (I said while having no idea about the hobby, but you get the point).
Substack Articles List
For anyone who isn’t familiar — Substack is a platform where writers publish newsletters and long-form articles, usually on very specific topics they’re passionate about. It’s full of genuinely thoughtful, interesting writing, and I subscribe to quite a few newsletters there.
The problem is, great articles pile up fast, and I was becoming overwhelmed by all the things I read and lost a little bit within all the posts.
This page is my solution — a simple running list of Substack articles, and when I read them. That way, I get reminded of the things I might’ve learned. Plus, I also have dates so I can see how I’m doing with this new habit month to month.
If you don’t read Substack, you definitely should. But also, you could use the same list idea for quite literally anything else, from the books you’ve read to the different soil types you tried for your plants.
Favorite Studios Tracker
This one is a little more unique, and I love it so much! For anime specifically, different animation studios have very distinct styles and qualities — so tracking which studios made my favorite shows helps me find new shows I’m likely to enjoy.
But you could adapt this to anything. Favorite publishers if you’re a reader. Favorite production companies if you’re into film. Favorite YouTube channels or podcast networks.
It’s essentially a “sources I trust” page, and it’s incredibly useful for cutting through the overwhelming amount of content out there.
Book & Manga Review
Similar to my anime review page, but dedicated to books and manga. After I finish something, I write a short entry with my thoughts. I honestly don’t organise it in any way, I just let it flow with whatever thoughts I had as I was reading.
This is specifically about manga I’m reading after watching the anime, so a lot of my thoughts here are about the differences and how the same moments feel and are drawn differently.
But if we are talking about books, for example, you can definitely take a very different approach. Add a section for maybe your favorite quotes, main themes, and lessons you saw in the book, your feelings about the book, and about the characters.
Drop List
Shows I started and stopped — and the reason why.
I know, I know. It might seem a little extra to track the things you didn’t finish. But hear me out! When I stop something, I want to know why, so I know which shows to avoid in the future.
And this is why, on this list, you’ll also find me writing a sentence or two about why exactly this particular show didn’t work for me.
This is also a good page to encourage you to listen to yourself deeply and analyse things. I don’t allow myself just to drop something because. I want to be able to dissect what exactly made me drop it and learn to hear my inner self better.
Is this getting too deep? It probably sounds that way. I honestly didn’t start this page with this intention, but I found that it became a good practice for learning more about myself and my preferences.
It’s also a reminder that you don’t have to finish everything, and that’s perfectly okay. Not every show deserves your time, and having a record of the ones that didn’t work for you helps you protect the time you do have.
New Words Page
One of my favorite pages in the entire journal.
Whenever I come across a word I don’t know — while reading, watching something with subtitles, in an article — I write it down here along with its definition and the context I found it in.
It sounds simple, and it is. But the difference between just looking up a word and writing it down is huge. Writing it helps it actually stick. And having all those new words collected in one place means I can flip back through them occasionally, which reinforces them even more.
I’ve genuinely expanded my vocabulary this way in a way that never happened when I was just looking things up and moving on. If you’re a reader or language lover, I can’t recommend this page enough.
Another thing I like doing is trying to incorporate this new word into at least one sentence on the day. Challenge myself to use it more. It’s a fun little thing, and because it’s just a few words, it doesn’t feel like a challenge but rather like a fun game.
YouTube Educational Videos Notes
I watch a lot of educational content on YouTube — deep dives into history, science, creative skills, personal development, and more. And for a long time, I’d watch something fascinating and retain almost none of it because I was just… passively watching.
With this page, I turned it into more of an active learning moment. I add my favorite moments and thoughts as I watch. And the most important section: what are some questions I am left with after the video is done, so I know in which direction to explore next?
It forces active engagement with the content instead of passive consumption, and the difference in how much I actually retain is genuinely remarkable. If you watch a lot of educational content and want to get more out of it, this is the single most impactful page I can suggest adding to your journal.
Article Reviews & Main Ideas
Similar to the YouTube notes page, but for written articles — blog posts, long reads, essays, journalism pieces, anything I read online that I want to actually remember.
For each article, I note the title, where it was published, and the two or three main ideas or takeaways I want to hold on to. Sometimes I add a short personal reaction — whether I agreed, what it made me think about, or how I might apply it.
As a result of this layout, I was actually pushed to think in some important directions. Moreover, now that I have to write about something, I feel like I remember more information.
Plus, it made this book my ultimate hub, where I can easily go back to everything I’ve read and learned, find a quick summary, and uncover my own revelations.
And that’s it, here are some of the pages I currently have in my commonplace book.
But this is just a beginning. I haven’t been using this journal for that long yet, and I’m actually pretty excited to see where this journey will take me. And I hope you’ll join me and also try out a commonplace book.
More Resource
Do you want to get some more ideas and maybe dive deeper into different types of journaling? I’ve got you covered!
Check out these blog posts next:
- Memory Keeping Journal Ideas To Capture Every Special Moment
- Journaling for Beginners: An Easy Guide To Getting Started
- 85 Creative Bullet Journal Ideas
>>> Which page from my entertainment journal are you most excited to try? Tell me in the comments — I’d love to see what your version looks like!
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And remember: Keep Journaling, and Don’t Be A Blob!
