The idea of a “commonplace book” is not new at all. Early examples date way back to the second century, but apparently they reached the height of their popularity during the Renaissance of the nineteenth century. Artists, scientists and philosophers used them to gather up and preserve all their learnings and ideas in one central place. A kind of scrapbook muse.
But then, sometime in the early twentieth century, the term all but disappeared from use. So the concept was new to me when I first heard it mentioned by Brad Dowdy (AKA The Pen Addict). And it was like a light went on. I immediately and instinctively knew that this was the solution that I desperately needed.
My Notebook Nightmare
Perhaps you can identify with my problem: I just had way too many notebooks. They were spread throughout the drawers of my desk and bedside table, in closets, and were taking up valuable space on shelves. I gleefully started each one of them, but most were only partly filled; some had only a few pages written in at all. I didn’t consider any of them “abandoned”, because I always thought I’d need to write more in them one day soon (if I could just remember to).
The situation had gotten completely out of hand. I had dedicated notebooks for:
- Quotations
- Reading highlights
- Church ideas
- Future sermon outlines
- Goals and objectives
- Home improvements
- Finances
- Reminders and lists
… and on and on and on.
But then I heard that phrase, “commonplace book”. Just the name of it seemed to instantly suggest a key to a whole new, and ingeniously simple, system.
What a commonplace book is NOT
It’s not a planner. This is not where you keep your schedule and daily to-do lists. Important reminders with a deadline would get lost in a commonplace book.
It’s not a project tracker. Because it has no one single theme or purpose.
It’s not a journal. It’s not dedicated to processing or reflecting on each day. Sure, there may be very personal things included, but there’ll be so many other things besides. And often they will be curated from other places than just your own life experience.
How to describe a commonplace book
We’re talking about a central depository for notes, summaries, ideas and gleanings. For anything that you don’t want to lose, but want to be able to recall when you can use it.
- Novelists may collect story seeds and writing fragments.
- Poets will record poems by other people as well as their own prose.
- Readers can harvest books of their best points and quotes.
- Scientists might gather up working notes and findings.
Virginia Woolf, Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon, John Milton, E.M. Forster, H.P. Lovecraft. Just a few of the famous luminaries who kept commonplace books, many of which have been preserved or published and can still be read today.
Developing My Own System
To borrow from Tolkien, think “one notebook to rule them all”.
I now keep a commonplace book on the go continuously, and I try to have it near me at all times. I record all kinds of things in it, but perhaps the most important entries (and the organizing principle that makes the whole system work usefully) is the table of contents that I create in the front few pages. Because I’m using my commonplace book for everything from stray thoughts and ideas, to quotations and summaries, not everything is equally valuable for the future. That’s why not everything needs to be entered into the table of contents.
What this means is that I can fearlessly write anything in my commonplace book. It doesn’t have to be brilliant or important. Later I can figure out if it deserves to be indexed in the contents pages.
When I fill a book up completely, I start a new one. I number the completed books and keep them all in chronological order.
Finally, there’s an extra step …
The real magic starts here
After I’ve finished a commonplace book, before it goes up on the shelf, I log every item from the table of contents into a searchable database on my laptop. This, to me, is a powerful joining together of digital technology and analog behavior.
(If you don’t have database software, you can download PortaBase. It’s free and super easy to use. You do not need to make it complex. Just create a basic, searchable database that tracks each and every item with (1) a simple description, (2) the commonplace book number that it’s in, and (3) the page number where it can be found.)
So, here’s my entire notebook system now …
1. My planner
I use the Full Focus Planner by Michael Hyatt. It contains my daily schedule, objectives and to-do list. I write only in lead pencil (a Palomino Blackwing 602) because “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”.
2. My commonplace book
Only one. Ever. I refuse to start extra notebooks now. Everything goes in one place. My personal requirement of this notebook is that the paper be fountain pen friendly, and I prefer to get a notebook that has pre-printed contents pages in the front (but I can always create these myself if necessary).
3. Current project pads
If I am working on a significant project, it’s legitimate to keep every note pertaining to that in one place. I use a thin (50 sheet) wirebound pad for this. (Clarefontaine are my favorites.)
I carry my planner and my commonplace book everywhere I go. Project pads stay in my office, unless I am headed to a meeting specifically about that thing.
Free at Last
This system has replaced dozens of partly used notebooks, and solved my complete inability to find anything. The notes I gather are now a truly useful resource for years to come.
I believe that what I’ve described here is a discipline that can easily be adopted by students, and developed for a lifetime. So, why not get started on your first commonplace book?
[Click here to check out my recommendations for some good notebooks that you could use.]
Did you find this post helpful or inspiring? Leave a comment and tell us how you’re developing your own system.
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