A significant component of The Thinker's Way is the Thinking Notebook. You will be expressing your ideas in your Thinking Notebook, a thinking tool that you will keep. Your Thinking Notebook will enable you infuse the ideas of The Thinker's Way into your own life, applying them to your own personal situation.  Be as honest as you can with yourself, and though you should try to express your thinking as clearly as possible, don't worry about style— it's for yourself.  Thinking, writing, reflecting — these processes all work together to create the habit of thoughtfulness in you, a pattern of thinking that, once it gets established, will grow exponentially.

You may be wondering that since thinking is a mental activity, why is it necessary to record your thoughts in writing? First, writing is a vehicle for creating and communicating  your ideas, a catalyst for intellectual development.  In addition, the process of writing stimulates your mind, helps shape your thinking, and enlarges your understanding of the world.  Just as significantly, writing creates a permanent record— a "snapshot"— of your thinking process at a specific point in time. You can return to your thinking snapshot as often as you wish, evaluate its logic and coherence, and use it as a foundation upon which to build a more insightful understanding.  Finally,  in order to actually learn to think through reading a book, it is necessary to become actively involved in the experience— thinking, articulating your ideas, evaluating the quality of your reasoning, and refining and improving your thinking process.

Your notebook can be of your choosing, and, of course, using a computer works just as well and has a number of additional advantages.  Whatever the notebook form, the key to success is developing the discipline and commitment to engage in the process, thinking deeply and expressing your ideas as clearly and specifically as possible.  Feel free to engage in the Thinking Activities in this website, and record your responses in your Thinking Notebook.