Spacing beats rereading
Reviewing a note just as you’re about to forget it makes it stick far longer than rereading it five times in a row. The gaps do the work — see . Probably why so much for exams.
Make It Stick, ch. 3
Write it on a card. We’ll file it next to everything it relates to.
Commonplace is a notebook built like a card index. Every note is short, every note links to others, and the links show up as you write.
Follow a link on the card.
What the index does for you
- Capture from anywhere
- Press ⌥ Spacein any app to jot a card. Clip a web page, forward an email, or record a voice memo — each becomes a card.
- Links as you write
- While you type, Commonplace lists cards you’ve already written about the same idea. Link one with a keystroke.
- Old cards come back
- Each morning you get five older cards related to what you’re working on. Keep them, link them, or let them go back in the drawer.
- Find by meaning
- Search for “why cramming fails” and find the card you titled “Spacing beats rereading.”
- Your files, on your disk
- Every card is a plain Markdown file in a folder you choose. Works offline. Leaving means copying a folder.
Pricing
Personal
Free
Unlimited cards on one device. Every feature, including links, review, and search.
Sync
$5 a month
Everything in Personal, on all your devices. End-to-end encrypted, with a year of version history.