WATCH ON YOUTUBE When you don’t know what to write but feel like writing (and perhaps using your lovely stationery), pick up a book and open it up to a random page. You can use this technique for commonplacing, journalling, fiction writing, and even studying. The Random Book Method Open a book to a random… Read More
I’m confident that this is the quickest, simplest, and most versatile system for setting up a commonplace book. WATCH ON YOUTUBE Commonplace Book Setup Write the number ‘1’. Write your entry. Write your source. For your next entry, number it ‘2’, and continue giving each entry its own unique number.
WATCH ON YOUTUBE Here’s a fun writing game to unlock new fields of interest and create a study course that can help fill your commonplace book. Write a numbered list of 10 descriptive words (adjectives, adverbs, etc.) that you love or find evocative. Write a numbered list of 10 subjects, disciplines or classes that interest… Read More
In this two-part video series, I explain how I use index cards for commonplacing, and then “query” my notes in order to compose a personal essay. I also offer some tips for best practices that I’ve gleaned over the years of keeping my Zettelkasten.
What if you could hold a conversation with your book notes? This was the idea that first tempted me to try the Zettelkasten Method, developed by Niklas Luhmann in the 1950s. The basic method is deceptively simple… The Zettelkasten Method Here is the Zettelkasten method, in its simplest form: Assign each index card a unique… Read More