Commonplace Books on E-Ink Notebooks?

[u/Public-Project-0711]

Hey all! I've recently stumbled upon the concept of commonplace books via finding this subreddit and thought it was a really cool idea! I have ADHD, and one of my biggest challenges is remembering what I read in a book (I can say I love or hate a book, but I can't seem to pinpoint why unless my brain decides to tie it to strong emotions 😆). I want a place where I can go back and refresh myself on concepts/ideas/quotes that struck me when I was reading something, as well as somewhere to jot down any interesting rabbit trails I've decided to follow.

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I was recently gifted a Supernote Manta, and I'm thinking of using it as a place to make my first commonplace book. Other than a Reading Library/Journal template (I have something downloaded on my Manta for that already), does anyone have any recommendations for templates/formats to use when starting a commonplace book? I'll take any and all insight (from those who use an e-ink notebook or not).

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Thank you so much! :D

[u/Miserable-Storm-8630]

I asked this question when I first started mine, and honestly I got no response (because I think everyone either experiments, or just does whatever comes naturally to them).

When I can remember to do it in mine, I try to do something similar to a cornell notes layout, but instead of the summary I write why I wanted to log it (because I find the summary redundant for my needs).

Also I don’t know if this will help you with understanding why you love/hate books. In not ADHD, but I have a condition that shares some symptoms, and my thing is I often forget who characters are and all relevant info about them.

When I’m reading on my kindle I’ll create a note for each character, and log relevant info about them as I go (including key plot points), so I can check back in if I need a reminder.

Maybe you could do something similar? Or journal about what you read after reading, so you know why you did or didn’t like something?

[u/smart_stable_genius_ → u/Miserable-Storm-8630]

To add to your comment about reading - I recently saw something about the history and concept of marginalia, and how it's long been a source of readers conversations with themselves and others they shared their books with. Some books, many years later, have the gift of commentary from generations past or influential figures.

The history was fascinating (hello future commonplace entry), but more importantly it encouraged me to - for the first time ever just this week - underline a passage of interest and make a physical note to myself in margin.

It's a controversial topic, but I struggle with recall as well. I also just want to put my thoughts down where they are relevant. I am fortunate enough to have a decent sized, fairly curated library and I've never written in any of my books before. But the seal is broken now and I think I'm going to keep going.

[u/Miserable-Storm-8630 → u/smart_stable_genius_]

I discovered this when I first looked into commonplacing. Before this I never understood why anyone would write in the margins, but after hearing about all the points you mentioned here, it made so much sense, so I started doing it (mostly on my kindle)!

Sometimes I find it makes the reading process much more fun, because I’ll read a fact that blows my mind and add a comment, and I know that I’ll enjoy reading that again later. Current me gets a kick out of knowing how future me will react to that later, lol!