I love pens and notebooks. I have been keeping journals for the last 15 years. I mostly write down thoughts and keep lists, but I am not very structured. I almost never go back and read the things I have written.
A couple of years ago I read about the commonplace notebook. If I had describe it, I would say a commonplace notebook is a physical notebook[1] where you keep track of the best insights you have come across. It is place to log the ideas that resonated the most with you.
Like any journal, a commonplace book can be whatever you want it to be. Here is a reading list that I went through when trying to learn about the commonplace book. I got a lot of insight from these posts.
- Commonplace book - Wikipedia
- How And Why To Keep A “Commonplace Book” | Thought Catalog
- Keeping a Commonplace Book | Toasted Cheese
- What Is A Commonplace Book & Why You Need One
- Keeping a Commonplace Book (Why/How, with Ideas & Examples)
I recently started my commonplace book in a Baron Fig Confidant. We will see how it goes, but I really hope it sticks. So far I have written down a few quotes, and made notes about a couple of the books I read this year. I plan to add anything I learn from books, movies, articles, or any gems that I happen upon in daily life. Like many of the articles stated, it is important to review your commonplace book and keep those insights in the front of your mind as you continue to grow. Maybe this will be a journal I will actually go back to.
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This could also be a digital notebook, but I think a physical notebook would be more effective. ↩
Filed Under: Analog, Journaling