How to Start a Commonplace Notebook

A commonplace notebook is like a personal encyclopedia: a curated collection of quotes, ideas, facts, recipes, research, or anything else worth remembering. More importantly, creating one encourages you to notice, process, and revisit information instead of simply consuming and forgetting it.

A simple system

• Capture interesting information as you encounter it, optionally in a small pocket notebook first.
• Transfer only the most valuable ideas into your commonplace notebook, adding the source and your own thoughts where useful.
• Create an index with page numbers so entries remain easy to find.
• Add categories or color coding later, once you see which topics naturally recur.

Keep it useful
Be selective rather than recording everything. For a book chapter, podcast, or article, start by extracting roughly three key points. Review selected entries weekly or every other week to reinforce what you have learned.

There is no correct format. Start with a single quote or idea and develop your system naturally. A small notebook such as A6 can make the habit feel more approachable.

Original video: The Secret to Becoming More Interesting. (en / 16:01) - Lilla Björn Stationery (YouTube)