Building a Digital Commonplace Book
A 21st-century system for capturing, curating, and creating
The commonplace book tradition — collecting passages and quotations organized by theme — meets modern knowledge management.
The Challenge
In today's information-rich landscape:
- Knowledge organization remains essential for sense-making
- The proliferation of information requires robust systems
- Without a plan, saving digital tidbits becomes digital hoarding
The Three-Stage System
1. Consume (Capture)
Purpose: Gather information from multiple streams
| Source | Tool | Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Articles, blogs | Readwise Reader | Highlights sync to vault |
| Podcasts, videos | Manual notes | Key insights captured |
| Books | Kindle + Readwise | Annotations flow in |
| Social media | Bookmarks | Curated for later review |
Key principle: Capture widely, but with intention.
2. Curate (Process)
Purpose: Make sure you get "the good stuff"
- Regular review of captured material
- Progressive summarization to distill key ideas
- Tagging and linking to existing knowledge
- Periodic review cycles (weekly, monthly)
Key principle: Not everything captured deserves permanent residence.
3. Create (Synthesize)
Purpose: Generate new ideas and outputs
- Blog posts and newsletters
- Keynotes and presentations
- Teaching materials
- Research synthesis
Key principle: The system exists to support creation, not just collection.
The Obsidian Implementation
Folder Structure
01 CONSUME — Incoming material, reading notes
02 DEVELOP — Seeds, Plants, Evergreens (growing ideas)
03 CREATE — Projects, outputs, finished work
04 META — Templates, guides, system docs
Note Maturity Tags
| Stage | Tag | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Seed | 🌱_seed | Fresh idea, rough, undeveloped |
| Plant | 🌿_plant | Growing, has structure, needs more |
| Evergreen | 🌲_evergreen | Mature, stable, polished |
Notes can exist in any folder at any stage. They evolve over time and may morph into different areas.
Key Features
- Backlinks connect related ideas organically
- Daily notes for quick capture
- Templates ensure consistency
- MOCs/Groves cluster related concepts
AI Integration (Optional)
Starting point: Google Keep → Google Drive → NotebookLM
This pathway helps you see what a "second brain" can do before building your own.
Recommended evolution:
- Start with hosted tools to learn the patterns
- Move to open-source tools (Obsidian) for ownership
- Add local AI models for privacy and control
RAG requirement: Having all content in one space makes Retrieval-Augmented Generation possible — your AI can actually search your knowledge base.
Critical Consumption
The system supports critical engagement:
- Question sources — Who created this? Why?
- Identify bias — What perspective is represented?
- Synthesis over accumulation — Don't just collect, connect
- Regular pruning — Remove what no longer serves
Practical Tips
- Start small — One capture tool, one processing habit
- Review weekly — Process inbox, update notes
- Create monthly — Turn processed material into outputs
- Iterate — Your system should evolve with your needs
The Goal
A digital commonplace book should help you:
- Remember what matters from your reading
- Connect ideas across domains
- Create new work from synthesized knowledge
- Own your knowledge system (not depend on platforms)
Related
- Digital Self-determination — Owning your digital life
- Self-Hosting for Digital Sovereignty — Full control of your tools
- Digital Resilience — Sustainable practices
The art of selecting and arranging — ars excerpendi — helps synthesize ideas and serves as an aid to composition and argumentation.