Zettelkasten
Zettelkasten is a method of [[knowledge management]] through note taking developed by Niklas Luhmann, a German scholar. The original sytem predates computers and operated on a sytem of index cards. The intention of Zettelkasten is to produce a system of note taking that allows connections between diverse topics by organizing concepts in a flexible manner that avoids silos and rigid hierarchies. In this manner it prefers the usage of bidirectional linking over tags or folder structures.
The Writing Cooperative and Andy Matuschak give a series of steps towards producing good notes using this system:
- Notes should be atomic, covering only one idea
- Notes should be self contained. Reference external sources, but incorporate them into the note.
- Notes should be densely interlinked
- Allow organization to occur organically rather than through hierarchy
- Notes should be conceptual rather than topical
- Notes should take advantage of the gneration effect, they should sumamrize and not quote.
- Notes are open for addition, not closed.
- As notes grow add narrative notes that link interconnected ideas as well as notes that index related ideas.
Zet
RWXRob describes his system during his 2022 BOOST. Each Zet is a text file identified by an isosec which contains a title (under 50 unicode characters), a body (under 30 lines), external references and tags.
An Information Funnel
Idea: The structure of organizing incoming information begins from awide funnel in the form of RSS, social media, and personal interactions. Add a link-saving site at the narrow point of this funnel, e.g. Wallabag or Shaarli and liberally save articles of interest or read articles into this bucket.
The link bag is still a source of raw material. The best articles are incorporated into the refernces of notes.
Notes become the basis for blog posts or the foundation of ongoing projects.
External References
- Clear, David B. Zettelkasten — How One German Scholar Was So Freakishly Productive, The Writing Cooperative. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
- Matuschak, Andy. Evergreen Notes,Andy's working notes. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
- Luhmann, Niklas. Communitcating with Slip Boxes, Retrieved 2022-05-10.
Linked References
- knowledge-management
Knowledge management is general [[Personal Productivity Practice]] expressed in [[Zettelkasten]] but also as a form of attention management that surrounds [[Deep Learning]]. As we approach peak attention capitalism, we also see an increased need to monitor and manage knowledge extraction, storage, and refreshment. Knowledge today is abundant, but quality sources providing high signal to noise can be hard to come by -- a tired mind is given to receiving information through low quality or deceptive sources.
- personal-productivity-practices