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During the Renaissance/Enlightenment, there was a lot of discussion among intellectuals on how to best keep notebooks/journals. A widely used system was to carr
by wrp 3y ago
During the Renaissance/Enlightenment, there was a lot of discussion among intellectuals on how to best keep notebooks/journals. A widely used system was to carry a small pocket notebook which was filled logbook style, with things entered as they came up. The material from the pocket notebook would later be transcribed to topically arranged journals. I believe I've read reference to this practice going back to Classical times. Given the frequent discussion of jornaling on HN, I'm surprised at the lack of discussion of this method.
- james-bcn 3y agoCan you recommend sources to find out more about this?
- sukunrt 3y agoJohn Locke kept one: https://fs.blog/john-locke-common-place-book/ https://fs.blog/john-locke-common-place-book/
- wrp 3y agoRichard Yeo (2014) Notebooks, English Virtuosi, and Early Modern Science Ann Blair (2010) Too Much to Know: Managing Scholarly Information Before the Modern Age
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- garrickvanburen 3y agoYou may also consider looking into Morning Pages - part of The Artists Way
- psychphysic 3y agoI've tried maintaining a diary and a sketch book and can't usually last more than 6 months before they are lost and totally forgotten. It's still nice to find them in all fairness. I've never found any personal benefit in the moment using them, I'm not sure if 6 months is not enough or for whatever reason they don't work for me.
- L0in 3y agoI tried to keep a physical notebook/common-place book, several times, but after a while i just stopped. I like handwriting but since i started using obsidian i don't believe i will return. I'm thinking perhaps of using papers as first draft or impromptu writing, and then final drafts will be stored or transferred to Obsidian.
- nicholassmith 3y agoI use paper notebooks as the first point for very quick rough notes which I then build on in Notion, for me it works really well as I can quickly write the point down without really needing to look which is better for focus in meetings etc. The act of capturing it twice also seems to embed it better in my memory as well, but your mileage may vary with that.
- Perceval 3y agoYes, for years I would carry around an index card or a small notebook. I would jot down significant thoughts or events in bullet point format. Later, I would write out longform a blog post about the ideas and events of the week, trying to weave it together into a coherent essay. Having something light on me at all times was critical to capture ideas. Letting them marinate for a while was typically a good thing, since I could continue thinking through the angles and making horizontal connections to other things going on in my life.