In other posts, we\u2019ve talked about how to read more<\/a>, which books to read<\/a>, how to read books above your level<\/a> and how to write<\/a>. Well, the commonplace book is a thread that runs through all those ideas. It what ties those efforts together and makes you better at each one of them. I was introduced and taught a certain version of this system Robert Greene<\/a> and now I am passing along the lessons because they\u2019ve helped me so much.<\/p>\n A commonplace book is a central resource or depository for ideas, quotes, anecdotes, observations and information you come across during your life and didactic pursuits. The purpose of the book is to record and organize these gems for later use in your life, in your business, in your writing, speaking or whatever it is that you do.<\/p>\n Some of the greatest men and women in history have kept these books. Marcus Aurelius kept one\u2013which more or less became the Meditations<\/em><\/a>. Petrarch kept one. Montaigne<\/a>, who invented the essay, kept a handwritten compilation of sayings, maxims and quotations from literature and history that he felt were important. His earliest essays were little more than compilations of these thoughts. Thomas Jefferson kept one. Napoleon kept one. HL Mencken<\/a>, who did so much for the English language, as his biographer put it, \u201cmethodically filled notebooks with incidents, recording straps of dialog and slang\u201d and favorite bits from newspaper columns he liked. Bill Gates keeps one.<\/p>\n Not only did all these famous and great individuals do it. But so have common people throughout history. Our true understanding of the Civil War, for example, is a result of the spread of cheap diaries and notebooks that soldiers could record their thoughts in<\/a>. Art of Manliness recently did an amazing post about the history of pocket notebooks.<\/a> Some people have gone as far as to claim that Pinterest is a modern iteration of the commonplace book.<\/a><\/p>\n And if you still need a why\u2014I\u2019ll let this quote from Seneca answer it (which I got from my own reading and notes):<\/p>\n \u201cWe should hunt out the helpful pieces of teaching and the spirited and noble-minded sayings which are capable of immediate practical application\u2013not far far-fetched or archaic expressions or extravagant metaphors and figures of speech\u2013and learn them so well that words become works.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u2013Read widely<\/a>. Read about anything and everything and be open to seeing what you didn\u2019t expect to be there\u2013that\u2019s how you find the best stuff. Shelby Foote<\/a>, \u201cI can\u2019t begin to tell you the things I discovered while I was looking for something else.\u201d If you need book recommendations, these will help.<\/a><\/p>\n -Mark down what sticks out at you as you read\u2013passages, words, anecdotes, stories, info. When I read, I just fold the bottom corners of the pages. If I have a pen on me, I mark the particularly passages I want to come back to. I used to use flag-it highlighters<\/a>, which can be great.<\/p>\n -Again, take notes while you read. It\u2019s what the best readers do, period. it\u2019s called \u201cmarginalia<\/a>.\u201d For instance, John Stuart Mill hated Ralph Waldo Emerson<\/a>, and we know this based on his copies of Emerson\u2019s books where he made those (private) comments. You can also see some of Mark Twain\u2019s fascinating marginalia here.<\/a> Bill Gates\u2019 marginalia is public on a website he keeps called The Gates Notes.<\/a> It\u2019s a way to have a conversation with the book and the author. Don\u2019t be afraid to judge, criticism or exclaim as you read.<\/p>\n -Wisdom, not facts. We\u2019re not just looking random pieces of information. What\u2019s the point of that? Your commonplace book, over a lifetime (or even just several years), can accumulate a mass of true wisdom\u2013that you can turn to in times of crisis, opportunity, depression or job.<\/p>\n -But you have to read and approach reading accordingly. Montaigne<\/a> once teased the writer Erasmus, who was known for his dedication to reading scholarly works, by asking with heavy sarcasm \u201cDo you think he is searching in his books for a way to become better, happier, or wiser?\u201d In Montaigne\u2019s mind, if he wasn\u2019t, it was all a waste. A commonplace book is a way to keep our learning priorities in order. It motivates us to look for and keep only the things we can use.<\/p>\n -After you finish the book, put it down for a week or so. Let it percolate in your head. Now, return to it and review all the material you\u2019ve saved and transfer the marginalia and passages to your commonplace book.<\/p>\n -It doesn\u2019t have to just be material from books. Movies, speeches, videos, conversations work too. Whatever. Anything good.<\/p>\n -Actually writing the stuff down is crucial. I know it\u2019s easier to keep a Google Doc or an Evernote project of your favorite quotes\u2026but easy has got nothing to do with this. As Raymond Chandler<\/a> put it, \u201cwhen you have to use your energy to put those words down, you are more apt to make them count.\u201d (Disclosure: for really long pieces, I\u2019ll type it up and print it out).<\/p>\n -Technology is great, don\u2019t get me wrong. But some things should take effort. Personally, I\u2019d much rather adhere to the system that worked for guys like Thomas Jefferson than some cloud-based shortcut.<\/p>\n -That being said, I don\u2019t think the \u201cbook\u201d part is all that important, just that it is a physical resource of some kind. If you do want a book, Moleskines<\/a> are great and so are Field Notes<\/a>.<\/p>\n -I use 4\u00d76 ruled index cards, which Robert Greene introduced me to. I write the information on the card, and the theme\/category on the top right corner. As he figured out, being able to shuffle and move the cards into different groups is crucial to getting the most out of them. Ronald Reagan actually kept quotes on a similar notecard system<\/a>.<\/p>\n -For bigger projects, I organize the cards in Cropper Hoppers. It\u2019s meant for storing photos, but it handles index cards perfectly (especially when you use file dividers). Each of the books I have written gets its own hopper (and you can store papers\/articles in the compartment below.<\/p>\n -These Vaultz Index Card boxes<\/a> are also good for smaller projects (they have a lock and key as well)<\/p>\n -Don\u2019t worry about organization\u2026at least at first. I get a lot of emails from people asking me what categories I organize my notes in. Guess what? It doesn\u2019t matter. The information I personally find is what dictates my categories. Your search will dictate your own. Focus on finding good stuff and the themes will reveal themselves.<\/p>\n -Some of my categories for those who are curious: Life. Death. Writing. Stoicism. Strategy. Animals. Narrative Fallacy<\/a>. Books. Article Ideas. Education. Arguing with Reality<\/a>. Misc.<\/p>\n -Don\u2019t let it pile up. A lot of people mark down passages or fold pages of stuff they like. Then they put of doing anything with it. I\u2019ll tell you, nothing will make your procrastinate like seeing a giant pile of books you have to go through and take notes on it. You can avoid this by not letting it pile up. Don\u2019t go months or weeks without going through the ritual. You have to stay on top of it.<\/p>\n -Because mine is a physical box with literally thousands of cards, I don\u2019t carry the whole thing with me. But if I am working on a particular section of a book, I\u2019ll take all those cards with me. Or when I was working on my writing post for Thought Catalog<\/a>, I grabbed all the \u201cwriting\u201d cards before I hopped on a flight and through the post together while I was in the air.<\/p>\n -It doesn\u2019t have to be just other people\u2019s writing. One of my favorite parts of The Crack Up<\/a><\/em>\u2013a mostly forgotten collection of materials from F. Scott Fitzgerald published after his death\u2013is the random phrases and observations he made. They are aphorisms without the posturing that comes with writing for publication. So many of my notecards are just things that occurred to me, notes to myself in essence. It\u2019s your book. Use it how you want.<\/p>\n -Look at other people\u2019s commonplace books. It\u2019s like someone is separating the wheat from the chaff for you. Try a Google Books search for \u201cCommonplace Book\u201d<\/a>\u2013there is great stuff there.<\/p>\n -Use them! Look, my commonplace book is easily justified. I write and speak about things for a living. I need this resource. But so do you. You write papers, memos, emails, notes to friends, birthday cards, give advice, have conversations at dinner, console loved ones, tell someone special how you feel about them. All these are opportunities to use the wisdom you have come across and recorded\u2013to improve what you\u2019re doing with knowledge passed down through history.<\/p>\n -This is a project for a lifetime. I\u2019ve been keeping my commonplace books in variety of forms for 6 or 7 years. But I\u2019m just getting started.<\/p>\n -Protect it at all costs. As the historian Douglas Brinkley said about Ronald Reagan\u2019s collection<\/a> of notecards: \u201cIf the Reagans\u2019 home in Palisades were burning, this would be one of the things Reagan would immediately drag out of the house. He carried them with him all over like a carpenter brings their tools. These were the tools for his trade.\u201d I couldn\u2019t have put it better myself.<\/p>\n -Start NOW. Don\u2019t put this off until later. Don\u2019t write me about how this is such a good idea and you wish you had the time to do it too. You do have the time. But start, now, and stop putting it off. Make it a priority. It will pay off. I promise.<\/p>\n If anyone wants to post photos of their Commonplace Book or describe their personal method\u2013go for it (or email it to me<\/a>). We can do a follow up post of examples and tips.<\/p>\n Sign up now and receive our free guide \u201c12 Essential Writing Routines To Help You To Craft Your Own<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.writingroutines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/commonplacebook.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhat is a Commonplace book?<\/h3>\n
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How to Do It (Right)<\/h3>\n
Ready to create a writing routine of your\u00a0own?<\/h3>\n