George Carlin’s Odd Writing System
I spent hours figuring out how to take good notes and use them for writing.
Evernote, Notion, Apple Notes, OneNote, Keep, Roam Research, DevonThink, Notion, Keep….
I tried them all.
I was borderline obsessive with the whole thing.
Then, I discovered George Carlin.
While in the gym or out for a run, I binged on his comedy albums on Spotify. After listening to several albums, I dove into his autobiography Last Words.
Funny? Certainly, but fascinating too. I wanted to know how Carlin combined so many pithy observations from media like the news, radio, books, and plays with his personal life and insights.
It turns out Carlin spent a lifetime writing notes for himself about politics, pop culture, and the pains of daily life. In an interview with Vulture, Carlin explained he’d collected over 1,400 files on his computer. They contained notions, ideas, data, and materials from over 44 years. He said:
“So if I write something down, some observation — I see something on television that reminds me of something I wanted to say already — the first time I write it, the first time I hear it, it makes an impression. The first time I write it down, it makes a second impression, a deeper path. Every time I look at that piece of paper, until I file it in my file, each time, the path gets a little richer and deeper so that these things are all in there.”
Carlin also kept paper notes.
Hundreds of them.
Categorised by theme, topics, and random and varying interests. After Carlin died in 2008, his daughter Kelly found not one but THREE packed storage units packed full of notes and observations.
George Carlin’s odd writing system
The difference between Carlin and many note-takers?
Hint: it wasn’t a Notion database.
Carlin didn’t stuff these notes in the back of a wardrobe, a filing cabinet, a personal journal, or some Notion template… and forget about them.
He’d write a note about something interesting. A few days or weeks later, he’d rewrite and expand on that note into pithy observations. He’d also figure out how his notes connected to each other.
Then, he’d turn them into bits for his shows. The result sounded like an off-the-cuff riff to the untrained listener… a riff months or even years in gestation. Carlin said,
“ I’m drawn to something and start writing about it, and then you really start writing, and that’s when the real ideas pounce out, and new ideas, and new thoughts and images, and then bing, ba-bam ba-boom, that’s the creative part.”
The National Comedy Centre in Jamestown, New York, acquired Carlin’s notes after he died in 2008. His estate archivist believes Carlin learned early, “A good idea is not of any use if you can’t find it.”
George Carlin’s odd writing system
Amusingly, Carlin got a kick out of being able to type in words like “Asshole” and “Minister” into Spotlight on his Mac and watching his notes appear.
Carlin didn’t use this specific term, but his note-taking system was a type of Zettelkästen. That German word roughly translates as Slipbox. It describes the process of capturing, revising, and sorting a series of notes over time. Carlin is only one example of a creative who relied on this note-taking system for his work and writings.
Other prolific note-takers with similar systems include politicians like Ronald Reagan, writers like Anne Lamott, and German scientific researcher Niklas Luhmann (who popularized Zettelkästen).
They all created a habit of recording observations, random ideas, and personal anecdotes. Reagan turned his observations into captivating speeches. Luhmann published dozens of books and scientific papers. Ann Lamott has written over a dozen fiction and non-fiction works.
How I Take Notes Like George Carlin
You don’t need to pay for fancy Notion templates or lose sleep searching for the best note-taking app. Anyone can build a note-taking system like Carlin. Here’s my Zettelkästen process in a nutshell:
- When you see, read, or think of something interesting, write it down. Don’t assume you’ll remember It later.
- Record your notes regularly AND in one place. That way, they’re easy to find.
- Review your notes every few days, rewrite them, and expand them. Write about what interests you.
- When editing your notes, consider how note A connects to note B, B connects to note C, etc.
- Practice turning notes into a public-facing work like a Twitter thread, blog post, article, newsletter, or other content type. Don’t let them sit on your computer or notebook.
Building this type of system means you’re far more likely to stumble across ideas that you’ve forgotten about. You’ll also find random connections between ideas from different domains.
Sure, some materials won’t be usable. Carlin didn’t turn all 1400+ notes into bits for his shows. But Carlin’s odd-note-taking system was the genesis for his life work:
- 14 stand-up comedy shows, albums, and HBO specials
- Five books
- Dozens of TV and film appearances
By taking and writing notes like this, you’re gradually smaller writing pieces into more substantial works, much like a Russian doll.
Note by note.
Day by day.
Piece by piece.
And that’s much easier than trying to create a perfect note-taking system or writing a masterpiece.
Write on,
Eric G. Reid
Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Skinny Brown Dog Media
