Keep what makes you think

A thoughtful collection of original notes on commonplace notebooks built from short original responses. Begin with a small observation, then make room for a closer look.

Explore the journal

commonplace notebooks built from short original responses — an original illustration — ILLUSTRATED STUDY / 14COMMONPLACE LANE

Commonplace Lane is a place for commonplace notebooks built from short original responses. Nothing elaborate is needed to begin.

From the journal

Pages for the everyday.

All six notes

01Observe

An entry heading

Give a reading response a useful descriptive title.

02Observe

A paraphrase with a source

Record the idea in your own words and note its location.

03Practice

A theme across entries

Find an idea that appears in several notes.

04Practice

Two different responses

Compare your reactions to related passages.

05Reflect

A connection paragraph

Explain why two entries belong beside each other.

06Reflect

A notebook review

Create an index of themes that actually appear in the pages.

A note from the notebook

Start where you are.

Keep a notebook and page tabs nearby. This collection begins with commonplace entries and a simple idea: attention is something you can practice.

Find a starting point