The common place is the art of keeping a “book of common places”, or simply a “common place”.

A cross between a notebook and a diary, most of history’s most renowned luminaries, including the likes of Isaac Newton and Leonardo Da Vinci, kept ordinary books.

More recently, the founders of Intel used “patent notebooks” that bear strong similarities to common ledgers, to record their discovery/invention of the integrated circuit and the microprocessor, two of the most defining technologies of our time.

What is common placement and why is it important?

Not quite for note-taking, nor for scrapbooking, it would probably be better to call it the “Clever Man’s Diary”. It is a way to track, discover and enjoy new ideas.

Although there are absolutely no contemporary sources on how to effectively maintain a commonplace, the principles continue from the past, so you are encouraged to feed your curiosity by researching new ideas (going to art museums, traveling to other countries, reading new books). , visit the opera, etc.).

The goal of commonplace is to cultivate a mindset of discovery.

Reading new books, investigating why certain things happen the way they do, looking at things from a different perspective; the “mentality” of the ordinary is still alive in many people, but unfortunately, the method of maintaining it seems to have diminished somewhat.

Of course, industrialization, the digital revolution and a more connected world have relegated commonplaces behind blogs and social networks. However, they are making a comeback with a series of tools and products designed to help a new wave of intrepid knowledge seekers enjoy themselves.

History of common places

In the 17th and 18th centuries, commonplace was a VERY widely used tool, and was actually taught at universities like Oxford.

As the industrial revolution unfolded, the need for a broad body of knowledge diminished and was replaced with a focus on specific industries (as people were hired in the new cities).

Today, this need for specific knowledge has been complemented by the need to understand and assimilate other cultures (usually because at some point you will sell them). The need to learn new languages, new skills (coding/AI), and stay on top of current events is huge. This is where the need for a new age commonplace is present.

While common books have been with us since the early medieval period (when paper became a much more widely available resource), the idea of ​​common places (i.e. storing your information, ideas, and research in a central repository) has existed for millennia. Obviously, the environment has changed but the principles have remained.

The principles behind common placement

The common point is that you need to satisfy your creative side and use it to create new ideas and projects of your own.

The best way to do this is to create some way to make the implementation of those ideas payeither for the purchase of a product or for the provision of a service.

The commonplace mentality of all the greats of the past was that they put their ultimate goals before any investigation. If they wanted to learn a new language, they linked it to a real-world achievement, as it gave them the ability to track progress, but also ensured they could justify the investment of time required.

Therefore, to grow an effective common place, you need the following:

• New ideas With most of the population fixated on a blinking box that tells them how to think, the best ones focus on broadening their horizons through new ideas. Books, art galleries, museums, and fees are just some of the ways you can fill your mind with new possibilities.
• new projects The true core of the commonplace is the new projects that it encourages you to undertake. These projects not only allow you to express your creativity, but also ensure that you can build on the growth you have already achieved. The key is to understand how to make a profitable project. If you can get paid to enjoy what you Really you want to do, you have basically won the game of life.
• new acquaintances Finally, a common place should put you in the sphere of new acquaintances, who probably would not have listened to you before. Creative types have a very strong commitment to their work. If they feel like you’re going to be a distraction, they’ll just cut you out of their lives. Adopting a common mindset gives you the ability to talk to these acquaintances when you need to.

A new generation of platitudes

The main point of this article is to explain the new type of commonplace that is beginning to emerge, especially with the Internet.

The “common book” of the past, while not dead, is certainly not as popular as it used to be. Apart from the main reason of having to compete with social networks and others, the real reason is that there are many easier, cheaper and more effective ways to extend your creative abilities with personal computing technology.

The modern commonplace is not a book… but a system – designed to give the curator the best opportunity to maximize their potential and receive real-time feedback, whether through community comments or online social engagement (seeing what other people are doing).

If you want to achieve something new with your time, the best thing you can do is get involved. Take your time to look at what Really want to do/build, then take tentative steps to implement something. Once you gain some traction, you’ll be in a position to start trying to speed up your progress. This is where it is important to have a reliable stock system.