You read a great quote in a book, but you forget it a week later. You have a brilliant idea in the shower, but it vanishes by lunchtime.
Your brain is for having ideas, not for holding them. Therefore, you need an external hard drive for your mind.
You need a Commonplace Book. This 500-year-old habit is the secret weapon of history’s smartest people.
Stop trying to remember everything. Here is how to write it down so you can actually use it.
What Is a Commonplace Book?
It is not a diary. A diary is for your feelings. A Commonplace Book is for your learnings.
Basically, it is a central repository for quotes, facts, recipes, and ideas. Marcus Aurelius kept one (which became Meditations). Bill Gates keeps one. It is a “scrapbook for your brain.”
When you write things down, you stop looping on them. The anxiety of “I need to remember this” disappears because the paper remembers it for you.
3 Reasons to Start One Today
You do not need a fancy notebook. You just need a place to dump your data.
1. It Connects the Dots
Creativity is just connecting two things that didn’t go together before.
When you keep all your random ideas in one place, magic happens. You might see a recipe next to a business idea and realize they are connected. Consequently, the book becomes an idea generator.
2. It Is a Cure for “Information Overload”
We consume too much content.
If you read 50 articles a week but remember nothing, you wasted your time. However, if you write down the one best sentence from each article, you keep the value.
Curating your input forces you to slow down and actually think about what you are reading.
3. It Is a Gift to Your Future Self
Imagine reading a notebook you wrote 5 years ago.
You will find wisdom you forgot you had. It is like having a conversation with a younger version of yourself. Therefore, it is the cheapest form of time travel.
Common Questions About Commonplace Books
Digital or Analog?
Analog (paper) is better for memory because writing by hand engages the brain. But Digital (Notion, Apple Notes) is better for searching. Pick the one you will actually use.
What exactly do I write?
Anything that resonates. A line from a movie. A statistic. A joke. A question you can’t answer. There are no rules.
How do I organize it?
Do not organize it yet. Just capture. You can add an index later. The goal is to capture the thought before it flies away.
Conclusion
Your thoughts are valuable assets.
So, buy a cheap notebook. Carry it everywhere. Catch the ideas before they escape.
Tell me in the comments: Do you use a physical notebook or a notes app? I am a “Notes App” person myself.
