I’ve been working on an analog framework to reduce journals into high quality essential commonplace books.

The process as of now:

0. Create a separate journal called BestOf. Get a black pen and a red pen.

1. Write in your daily journal as usual

2. Once you reach the end of your daily journal, take the red pen and underline the text that resonates the most

3. Wait a few days to let the thoughts settle

4. Take your BestOf journal and copy over only the best of the underlined sections using the black pen.

5. (most important) Once every week, review your BestOf journal and strikethrough with a single line what you no longer need.

Over time, this effortful reduction process creates a single repository of the best ideas from all of your daily journals.