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My Collection

Maybe 15 years ago I learned about commonplace books, and I started to keep one, noting things I enjoyed in my studies.

Then I learned a better way, putting a category or subject at the top of each two-page spread, then adding quotes in a more organized way. I liked that much better, because the study seemed much more effective. I could find what I was looking for.

Then I learned about having notebooks and notes online. I put my same categories into online notes, and moved to adding information from my studies there. Not only was it categorized, I could search my notes. And my notes were always with me - easily accessed and easily added to.

I've continued that way ever since. I have a LOT of notes saved. My main study notebook has 367 categorized notes at the time of writing, though I have other notebooks for other things, many I would include in the study category. 

Why do I do that? 

I went to my "Journal, Record" note for an answer. How's this? 

Charles Darwin wrote, “Let the collector’s motto be, ‘Trust nothing to the memory;’ for the memory becomes a fickle guardian when one interesting object is succeeded by another still more interesting.”

My initial thought in starting was that I would have a record of other people's words that important to me. If I needed to write something or prepare a lesson, I could easily reference materials from my past studies rather than searching for new material. Like Darwin said, we can't trust our memories to keep track of it all, so a good system in a way expands our brains.

About a year ago I realized - I will NEVER use all that material in the ways I originally intended. So what do I DO with my collection?

Well, I've decided to share. I don't know exactly what this will look like, but sharing Darwin above is the beginning. And like Darwin's finches, this may evolve over time.

"Men do not attain knowledge for themselves alone, nor to keep it locked secretly in their hearts [or their electronic notebooks], like a beautiful jewel in a dark chest. The end of such knowledge is use, service, the increase of the comfort and happiness of the world." --James Allen, The Mastery of Destiny
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