What Is Commonplacing?
In a world of constant information overload, how do we make sense of the ideas, insights, and inspirations that shape our thinking? How do we retain the wisdom we encounter in books, podcasts, articles, and everyday conversations? The answer lies in a centuries-old practice: commonplacing.
building your library
Commonplacing is the practice of collecting and organizing meaningful ideas, quotes, and reflections in a dedicated notebook or digital space. Think of it as your personal library of knowledge—a curated collection of insights that resonate with you, ready to be revisited and built upon.
Historically, great minds like Leonardo da Vinci, Marcus Aurelius, and Virginia Woolf kept commonplace books to capture the ideas that influenced them. Today, in an age where information is abundant but attention is fleeting, commonplacing is more relevant than ever.
Why Start a Commonplace Book?
- Sharpen Your Thinking – Writing down and reflecting on ideas deepens your understanding and helps you form your own perspectives.
- Boost Creativity – By weaving together thoughts from different sources, you create unexpected connections and spark new ideas.
- Enhance Memory & Retention – The act of recording insights makes them more likely to stick with you.
- Build a Personal Knowledge Base – Over time, your commonplace book becomes a rich resource for inspiration, problem-solving, and creative work.
- Create a Legacy of Learning – Your commonplace book can serve as a time capsule of your intellectual journey, something to look back on or even pass down.
How to Start Commonplacing
Starting a commonplace book is simple. Here are a few steps to get you going:
- Choose Your Medium – Whether it’s a physical notebook, a digital document, or a note-taking app like Notion or Evernote, pick a format that suits your style.
- Capture What Resonates – Record quotes, passages, insights, and reflections from books, podcasts, articles, and conversations.
- Organize Your Entries – Use categories, themes, or tags to make it easy to find and revisit ideas.
- Engage with Your Notes – Go beyond collecting—add your thoughts, interpretations, and connections to other ideas.
- Review and Expand – Regularly revisit your entries to deepen your understanding and integrate them into your thinking and work.
A Practice for the Curious and Creative
Commonplacing is more than just a way to store information; it’s a habit of active engagement with ideas. It helps you cultivate curiosity, sharpen your insights, and develop a richer, more connected way of thinking.
If you’re ready to start your own commonplace book, stay tuned—I’ll be sharing more tips, templates, and examples to help you along the way. In the meantime, why not grab a notebook (or open a new doc) and jot down the last idea that truly inspired you?
Let the commonplacing begin!
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