Readers have kept commonplace books for centuries — personal anthologies of passages, quotations, and observations drawn from everything they encountered.
When you read slowly enough to notice language, you begin to internalize the rhythms and structures that good writing uses. Speed is the enemy of retention.
The goal isn't to capture everything. It's to force yourself to decide what matters, and why.
The best tool is the one you'll actually use. Friction is the enemy of consistency — keep your note-taking system as simple as the task demands.