My Idea Library

Mara Vale keeps one place for what she reads, the concepts she wants to test, and the small observations she might otherwise forget. This library is for returning to an idea, not collecting notes for their own sake. Each branch has a distinct job: Reading Notes records what a book actually changed in her thinking; Ideas in Progress turns a promising thought into a small experiment; Everyday Observations saves concrete scenes and reflections before the details fade.

How Mara uses it

• Capture a specific claim, image, or question while it is fresh; include where it came from.
• Revisit reading notes on Friday and move only actionable questions into Ideas in Progress.
• Review observations on Sunday for patterns worth developing, without forcing every entry into a project.

Current threads

The books The City After Rain and Small Places, Deep Time both raise questions about how people notice change in familiar places. The neighborhood listening-walk idea explores that question in practice. Recent bus-stop and market observations offer possible starting scenes. Mara plans to try one 20-minute walk before proposing anything larger.

Next review

• Finish the two book entries with one question and one useful takeaway each.
• Test the listening-walk route with one neighbor and record what felt awkward.
• Compare the week's observations before deciding which idea deserves another hour.

Reading Notes

Ideas in Progress

Everyday Observations