How to Build a Notion Commonplace Book (Step-by-Step)

A few years ago, I read an article by author Ryan Holiday about how and why to keep “a commonplace book.”

A commonplace book, if you’re unfamiliar, is a notebook, digital or otherwise, that you fill with information like ideas from books, notes from courses, thought-provoking quotes, and more.

Holiday’s commonplace book, comprising thousands of hand-written note cards, inspired me to get creative and create one of my own, only digitally.

After writing about how I built an Evernote commonplace book and why I eventually moved it to Notion, I got a lot of questions about my approach to “commonplacing.” 

So, in this article, I’ll share how to build a Notion commonplace book, step-by-step, even if you can’t devote much time to it.

Let’s get started.

Step 1. Take Better Notes 

Years ago, my note-taking was terrible.

I would read a book that would introduce me to an idea that excited me, and like many readers, highlight it with the intention to export and add it somewhere for future reference. 

The problem, though, was when I exported my notes and highlights, they no longer had meaning because they lacked the surrounding context. Without it, it was impossible to retain and recall what I read.

Take the below highlight, for example, from James Clear’s Atomic Habits.

Without the context surrounding the highlight, it’s impossible to know that “It” refers to building “identity-based habits.”

When taking notes, then, it’s important to leave reminders for yourself with regards to what a highlight is in reference to. Doing so makes life easier if you want to write a book summary.

Instances like the above are especially common with highlights referring to the advice given to or acquired by the author. 

For example, in A.J. Jacob’s Thanks a Thousand, Jacobs recounts a conversation between him and his friend Scott Barry Kaufman.

Without returning to the book, it’s impossible to know who “Scott” is, or why his input was included in the book. By leaving a note for myself to return to, however, I have everything I need to edit the highlight for brevity. (More on that shortly.)

Step 2. Export Your Notes and Highlights

To access your notes and highlights, go to read.amazon.com/notebook and log in.

Then, copy the book’s notes and highlights and paste them into your preferred word processor. 

I suggest editing in Google Docs because it’s easier to remove all instance of “Read more at location [NUMBER].” Plus, copyediting is easier due to Google Docs’ zoom function. (I recommend zooming in 150%.) 

I write and edit in Georgia as it’s easier on my eyes.

Here, you’re looking to add information to highlights that need further elaboration. Rewrite highlights that need further context; remove any that are no longer relevant or important to you; compile all books mentioned throughout the book and add a bibliography at the end. 

This is an important step as it’s a chance to rewrite the book’s big ideas in a way that will be easy for you to remember later.

Step 3. Add Your Notes and Highlights to Notion

You’re now going to create a new page in Notion. This will be the central repository for everything hereon. To create a new page, click “New Page” or cmd + n if you’re on Mac.

Then, choose “List” below “Database”:

Next, click “Page 1”:

Finally, copy your notes and highlights from Google Docs and paste them into the page:

How to Format Your Notes and Highlights in Notion

One of my favorite Notion features is its formatting abilities. For example, in my summaries, I like to highlight quality questions in blue.

Of, if, while editing, I come across an important takeaway, I’ll highlight it in yellow.

Notion is rolling out new features all the time. In fact, at the time of writing, they released a callout box—perfect for adding editor commentary where necessary.

If you’re an avid reader and commit to the practice described so far, your commonplace book will grow. To ensure that it’s well-organized from day one, however, I recommend adding a new subpage for each area you’re looking to expand. 

For instance, in my commonplace book, I have a page with a subpage for each book category such as business, marketing, etc.:

You don’t have to follow that recommendation, of course; the above will suffice if you’re new to commonplacing. But if you’re looking to build a well-organized commonplace book from day one, it’s a great practice to follow.

Step 4. Add Context

If you decide to add categories as suggested above, I recommend using “tags” in Notion to add further context to each page. 

Take my “Business” category page, for instance:

As of writing, there are 34 summaries—that’s a lot to go through if I’m looking for a book on a specific subtopic. 

So, to make life easier, I added a property in Notion and called it “Theme” to give it further context. Then, I can add tags like “Mindset” and “Decision Making” to get a 30,000-foot overview of all the subtopic each summary covers.

Here are my current properties, excluding “Theme”:

• Last Updated. This property is mainly for people who buy my commonplace book and want to see when a summary was last updated.
• Context. I created “Context” for books that need more information other than “Theme.” Current tags include “Sam’s Favorites” and “Books with Bibliographies.” (The latter is perfect for reading recommendations.)
• Notes. If I have thoughts on a book—why I like it, how it made me feel—I’ll add it here. Again, it’s a good practice to make life easier for when you return to a summary in the future.

I’m always improving how I use properties. In fact, many of the above came from customer recommendations. 

So, if you can make your commonplace book collaborative—with co-workers, a mastermind group, friends, family—it’s a great way to get feedback to improve the reading experience.

Step 5. Read and Review

It’s all well and good having a commonplace book, but without a practice of returning to it, updating important pages, and reviewing it regularly, it’s as good as a digital paperweight. 

Your reasons for returning to read and review your commonplace book will vary depending on several factors such as availability of time, whether it’s a priority for you, personal and professional goals, and more.

Take professional reasons, for instance. If you’re a marketer, you might return to a book like The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy as a reference guide when writing a marketing campaign. If you’re a writer, professional, or otherwise, there might be a strategy you want to feature in an article you’re writing. (I often do this a lot when writing long-form articles for Sleeknote.)

Of course, if you’re building a commonplace for no reason other than the fact that it’s fun, then there’s nothing more fulfilling than revisiting pages that are memorable and meaningful to you. 

While I keep mine for professional reasons, one of my favorite pastimes, when flying alone, is revisiting a book summary and revising its key takeaways. 

Not only do I remind myself of books that are important to me, but I also remember where I was in my life when I discovered it, how I felt when I was reading it, who I was after reading it. 

There’s more to building a commonplace book that having a central repository for everything in one place—returning to it is often a trip down memory lane it and of itself.  

Conclusion

Building and regularly updating a digital commonplace book has changed my life. It’s helped me get my dream job, triple my income, create more balance in my life, and more.

In this article, I’ve shared how I approach commonplacing. But it’s important to remember that there’s no right or wrong way to build a commonplace book—all that matters is that you get started. 

Do you have a commonplace book? If so, how do manage it? Leave a comment below.