The Read to Lead Challenge introduced me to the idea of a “Commonplace Book” (“a way to compile knowledge, usually by writing information into books”) and Ryan Holiday’s approach to it.
I realized I had been doing a form of that:
- Writing articles since 2001
- Creating content and presenting to user groups and conferences since that same year
- Blogging since 2005
- Keeping track of quotes that feed my thinking
- Writing down notes and thoughts on books I read
All of those things are compilations of my knowledge. I didn’t write them down in books but used them to find insights and share them with others.
If you prefer listening to reading:
The challenge provided me with examples and ideas that I have used to improve my processes and system.
Ryan is particular about writing his thoughts on index cards and grouping them in boxes. His process works for him, as he has been a prolific book author for many years. I like one of his main points about doing it that way: to make collecting and organizing those thoughts something he needs to engage his body in. I can relate to that. I prefer a physical scrum board to a digital one. I like having the team walk up to a board, have conversations, and collaborate.
However, I also like storing and organizing information digitally in my Personal Knowledge Management system (PKM). I used Evernote since 2009 and then switched to Obsidian in 2022.
But I deliberately make collecting some information difficult. For example, I read an ebook on Kindle and use its highlighting or note-taking features. In that case, I do NOT use any service to automatically add those to my PKM: I manually transfer those notes and highlights, forcing me to slow down and ponder why those passages resonated with me or triggered questions.
The canvas feature in Obsidian allows me to achieve a “moving cards” feel, offering the best of both worlds. It also makes it easy for me to find information and write out index cards if I’m focusing on a project and want to present it in the physical world. Check out the video I created to show an example of that.
I take notes for quotes and books; besides writing down thoughts or questions they have created, I also make connections using anything that will help me develop the notes further. For example, linking to the authors, my values, and other specific notes.
In the past, I had been very protective of my printed books, never taking notes or using highlighters directly on their pages. The challenge helped me change my approach, and I have been guiltlessly annotating my books, as well as using transparent sticky notes to have more room to write closer to the context of the book. Doing so helps me transfer thoughts into my digital Commonplace Book.
Besides interesting quotes and books I have just read, it has been interesting to:
- Review books I’ve read in the recent past that have impacted my thinking, causing me to research further, ponder the topic, and identify new connections
- Revisit books and experiences I had a long time ago and realize how they shaped my identity
- Finding books from which I only remember one idea or concept that stuck with me, sometimes over decades, then re-reading the book and finding other essential ideas and concepts that I missed the first time through, often because I was not ready for those lessons (due to a lack of knowledge, experiences, or maturity)
Many of the notes I keep in my Commonplace Book develop into the content I share internally at Improving, such as classes in our ImprovingU program. That content may later become blog posts, videos, or presentations, such as a talk I created using AI to supercharge my presentation workflow.
We also have an internal channel for discussing Obsidian and PKM systems in general, and we learn from each other in different ways and perspectives.
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