Author:: [[Al Khan]] Date Finished:: URL:: https://leananki.com/zettelkasten-method-smart-notes/ Rating:: Tags:: #📩 #pkm # Zettelkasten Method: How to Take Smart Notes for Knowledge Management  [[Notetaking allows you to focus on thinking instead of remembering]]. [[The less powerful the programming language the more you can do with data stored in that language]]. ## Highlights Some content creators are more prolific than others by a large extent, and the common thing they have is *they take notes* ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga89zvrk1vbr4v4gq9scnz1)) it wasn’t note-taking itself that’s wasteful. It was rather the *way* we’re taught to do it — **we’re not taught to produce useful notes, much less those we can use for a lifetime**. I realized that we don’t appreciate note-taking because the way we’re told to do it isn’t working. We rarely even question *why* we take notes in the first place ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga89s71yer61xmkhkvq212x)) And so I finally came to the truth. The point of note-taking isn’t just to *capture* important information. It’s not even to improve your retention ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga8aqz0krjwrr1t8vfs33rz)) The point of note-taking is to think better ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga8amca282n3tz2syw0rvbc)) **notes allow you to focus on *thinking rather than remembering***. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga8exr3c47xx94yqkzv3z4c)) Computer Science in the 1960s to 80s spent a lot of effort making languages which were as powerful as possible. Nowadays we have to appreciate the reasons for picking not the most powerful solution but the least powerful. **The reason for this is that the less powerful the language, the more you can do with the data stored in that language** ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga8s30a14xp8rah1qr5gmgd)) Plain-text (usually .md, .txt extension) is the least powerful solution for the Zettelkasten, but it allows you to do more things with the data stored in it. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga8rs4qf5f4c55bksg0bj64)) - Note: Put under a note about future proofing your work. Add to intermediate packets note. You can use scripts to visualize your notes, you can migrate to a different program without much work, and more importantly, plain-text documents are here to stay ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga8rdvm0cnb0e3k64dmt2k5)) After that, your notes can be turned into evergreen notes — the **Zettel**. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga93med8ttpk4pxxvx889p9)) - Note: Zettels refer to the evergreen notes you create from the process of creating notes using the zettelkasten notetaking method. linking from an old note to a new note makes it part of the existing network. It *builds upon* the existing infrastructure. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga99gy0k9h5jfg1m0p4qprv)) - Note: While you can link from new to old or from new to not existing notes, the best way to make notes future proof is to have them linked in an old evergreen note you can find again in the future. I created a unified workflow that’s easy to follow: ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9jxxtgf9p94rherq79edr)) When you can recall a related note, link *from* it immediately; otherwise, ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9jpq6sq6ecxrg5620c6h2)) Find potentially related structure notes. We’ll talk more about structure and hierarchy later, but if there aren’t any of these, skip to step 5. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9jrd7z97jftqc01ta7xbm)) Decide if: • The new note falls directly in that structure note; or • The new note is related to a note within it. (could be both) ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9jtjb7byajh94pyb7adfh)) When a higher-level insight emerges, (i.e. you decode a higher-level insight from the notes you connected) create a structure note. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9k0zjpavwt2zgs2r28pgv)) Repeat steps 2-4 until you’ve exhausted your options. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9k2mh3e2vsrkbjm20m6t3)) Click on tags and find some potential relations. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9k42egrjxz79ajmwvd5cc)) Do a full search for related keywords. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9k673tfs6pz3vf97ytwqz)) Go back to step 4. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9k7vzrjd6mc6sdx4dbxmg)) Author:: [[Al Khan]] DateFinished:: URL:: https://leananki.com/zettelkasten-method-smart-notes/ Rating:: Tags:: #📩 #🟥 #pkm # Zettelkasten Method: How to Take Smart Notes for Knowledge Management  ## Highlights Some content creators are more prolific than others by a large extent, and the common thing they have is *they take notes* ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga89zvrk1vbr4v4gq9scnz1)) it wasn’t note-taking itself that’s wasteful. It was rather the *way* we’re taught to do it — **we’re not taught to produce useful notes, much less those we can use for a lifetime**. I realized that we don’t appreciate note-taking because the way we’re told to do it isn’t working. We rarely even question *why* we take notes in the first place ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga89s71yer61xmkhkvq212x)) And so I finally came to the truth. The point of note-taking isn’t just to *capture* important information. It’s not even to improve your retention ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga8aqz0krjwrr1t8vfs33rz)) The point of note-taking is to think better ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga8amca282n3tz2syw0rvbc)) **notes allow you to focus on *thinking rather than remembering***. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga8exr3c47xx94yqkzv3z4c)) Computer Science in the 1960s to 80s spent a lot of effort making languages which were as powerful as possible. Nowadays we have to appreciate the reasons for picking not the most powerful solution but the least powerful. **The reason for this is that the less powerful the language, the more you can do with the data stored in that language** ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga8s30a14xp8rah1qr5gmgd)) Plain-text (usually .md, .txt extension) is the least powerful solution for the Zettelkasten, but it allows you to do more things with the data stored in it. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga8rs4qf5f4c55bksg0bj64)) - Note: Put under a note about future proofing your work. Add to intermediate packets note. You can use scripts to visualize your notes, you can migrate to a different program without much work, and more importantly, plain-text documents are here to stay ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga8rdvm0cnb0e3k64dmt2k5)) After that, your notes can be turned into evergreen notes — the **Zettel**. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga93med8ttpk4pxxvx889p9)) - Note: Zettels refer to the evergreen notes you create from the process of creating notes using the zettelkasten notetaking method. linking from an old note to a new note makes it part of the existing network. It *builds upon* the existing infrastructure. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga99gy0k9h5jfg1m0p4qprv)) - Note: While you can link from new to old or from new to not existing notes, the best way to make notes future proof is to have them linked in an old evergreen note you can find again in the future. I created a unified workflow that’s easy to follow: ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9jxxtgf9p94rherq79edr)) When you can recall a related note, link *from* it immediately; otherwise, ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9jpq6sq6ecxrg5620c6h2)) Find potentially related structure notes. We’ll talk more about structure and hierarchy later, but if there aren’t any of these, skip to step 5. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9jrd7z97jftqc01ta7xbm)) Decide if: • The new note falls directly in that structure note; or • The new note is related to a note within it. (could be both) ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9jtjb7byajh94pyb7adfh)) When a higher-level insight emerges, (i.e. you decode a higher-level insight from the notes you connected) create a structure note. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9k0zjpavwt2zgs2r28pgv)) Repeat steps 2-4 until you’ve exhausted your options. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9k2mh3e2vsrkbjm20m6t3)) Click on tags and find some potential relations. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9k42egrjxz79ajmwvd5cc)) Do a full search for related keywords. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9k673tfs6pz3vf97ytwqz)) Go back to step 4. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gga9k7vzrjd6mc6sdx4dbxmg))