NYT on Digital Commonplace Books

I just noticed a piece that the New York Times published back in February on creating digital commonplace books. It’s not very good, or thorough, but I like it whenever the topic comes up, as I think it’s a really underappreciated idea.

In short, the author defines what commonplace books are, provides some links to them, and then a few tools you might employ to create your own, none of which have a real review or recommendation.

I’d started searching on digital commonplace books because I’ve been thinking it’s time for an update here on how mine is going. I’ve kept up with it for almost 5 years now, regularly adding to it as I read. But I haven’t really thought about the process or potential improvements in a really long time.

And then I fell down a rabbit hole on note-taking, knowledge retention, and time management. I started collecting a bunch of notes and drafting some thoughts but I want to take a bit more time to process before sharing them here, so that’s it for now. More to come soon.



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About Me

I’m Victoria Griffith and I am enthusiastic about a LOT of things. Pine trees and mushrooms and the desert. Mountains and motorcycles, travel and photography. Friendship and writing and books and surviving the love of your life’s terminal diagnosis.


I read constantly, think about reading obsessively, and have strong opinions about what makes a great memoir. I write about books here, and I’m working on one of my own.

I was born in Paterson, NJ, call Seattle home, and spend winters in the desert of Southern California, where the light is different and the ocotillos are doing something extraordinary. I try to get out and see as much of the world as time and money will allow.

If you’d like to say hi, you can reach me at vgriff@vgriff.com.

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