Introduction

For the past few months, I've been working as a senior software engineer, a significant milestone given that I switched careers only three years previously. Swift progression in such a competitive industry requires rapid learning of new concepts, languages, and techniques. My interest in personal knowledge management led me to refine a note-taking process that I believe has been instrumental in my growth. A turning point was discovering Zettelkasten, a system that transforms note-taking into a tool for creativity and discovery.

Note-taking as a thinking tool

At its core, the Zettelkasten method transforms note-taking from a passive act of recording information into an active process of thinking, learning, and discovery. This system of knowledge management was pioneered by German sociologist Niklas Luhmann in the mid-20th century. The term "Zettelkasten" translates to "note box" and refers to the primary component of Luhmann's method: a collection of note cards that resembles a library's index system.

But unlike a traditional library catalog, a Zettelkasten isn't static. Instead, it functions as a dynamic, living system designed to facilitate thinking. Through his Zettelkasten, Luhmann was able to write over 70 books and hundreds of academic articles, attributing much of his prolific output to the system's ability to spark creativity and connect ideas.

The power of Zettelkasten lies in its interconnectedness. Each note in the system is linked to others, forming a web of ideas. These connections mimic the way our brains work, allowing new insights to emerge from the relationships between notes. As you build your Zettelkasten, you're not just archiving information—you're creating a tool that actively helps you think and generate new ideas.

Luhmann's approach relied on meticulously organised physical note cards, each marked with unique references for easy cross-linking. Over his lifetime, he amassed around 90,000 notes, with few existing in isolation. Instead, they formed an intricate network of thoughts, discoveries, and reflections that he could draw upon when writing.

Creating a Zettelkasten in the digital age

Today, with the advantage of digital tools, creating and maintaining a Zettelkasten is easier than ever. Modern note-taking apps eliminate the need for manual referencing, allowing you to focus on capturing and linking ideas effortlessly. Whether you're a writer, researcher, or learning is simply part of your daily work, a digital Zettelkasten can serve as a powerful thinking companion.

In this article I want to share with you the ingredients and workflows of a successful Zettelkasten system so that you can create your own.

Building an Effective Zettelkasten

The Zettelkasten is a powerful tool for thinking, learning, and generating ideas. However, setting it up without understanding how and why it works can lead to the creation of a static archive of notes—or worse, a repository of forgotten ideas. To get the most from this system, it's crucial to develop workflows that make it dynamic and meaningful.

The Zettelkasten note-taking process

One of the first things you realise when you start to get serious about maximising the benefits of note-taking is that context is important. In a Zettelkasten system, there are generally three types of note, and the way that you record a given note will be driven by the context in which you are taking that note. This will probably make more sense when we look at the different types of note contained in the system.

Fleeting Notes

Imagine you are out for a walk, watching a movie at the cinema or in the pub with friends and an idea ocurs to you, or you see/hear/learn something that resonates with you, and you want to make a note of it. You would record it in a Fleeting Note.

These are simply ideas or thoughts that pop into your head. You can record them however you like: jot them in a notebook; write them on a napkin; record a message on your phone. Whatever recording method you choose, it needs to be incorporated into a workflow that ensures the note will be captured and processed later.

The process of making Fleeting Notes should not distract you from whatever else you were doing. It is simply a means of capturing thoughts or ideas that might otherwise be lost.

Literature Notes

Literature Notes are more 'formal' notes taken while reading a book, article, or studying any material. They serve as a foundation for building Permanent Notes later.

Key Tips for Literature Notes:

• Note what resonates with you. Focus on ideas or concepts that stand out.
• Use your own language. Avoid copying and pasting; instead, rephrase in your own words.
• Use direct quotes sparingly. Save quotes only if they are truly impactful or worth preserving.
• Include bibliographic details. Record the source of your material for easy reference later.

Where to Create Literature Notes

You can write these notes digitally or by hand, depending on your preferences or circumstances. Digital notes make it easier to link back to them when creating Permanent Notes.

Luhmann's Approach to Literature Notes

Luhmann used note cards for his Literature Notes. He wrote brief notes about what he had read on one side and bibliographic details on the other.

• For academic writing, detailed references were essential.
• If you're not writing academic papers, less rigorous references may suffice—but always note the origin of your ideas.

Why Using Your Own Language Matters

One of the most critical tips is to always use your own words. Highlighting passages in a book or saving clippings in an eReader app often leads to neglect—you likely won't revisit them.

Instead, take the time to create Literature Notes in your own words. While it may feel like extra work, this effort is key. Translating ideas into your own language deepens your understanding and ensures they stick with you.

Permanent Notes

Permanent notes are the heart of a Zettelkasten. Creating them involves two key stages:

1. Wrting the Permanent Notes
2. Integrating them into your Zettelkasten

Before diving into the workflow, let's understand how your Permanent Notes should look.

Attributes of Permanent Notes

Each Permanent Note should be:

• Atomic:

  • Focus on a single idea or concept.
  • Be self-contained and make sense on its own.

• Original:

  • Written in your own words.
  • Include a link back to its source.

• Polished:

  • Ready for publication with minimal editing.

The key idea is to fully understand the subject matter before writing. Crafting well-thought-out notes ensures they serve as strong building blocks for generating new ideas, writing, and learning.

Workflow for creating Permanent Notes

Here's how to regularly create high-quality Permanent Notes:

• Review Notes:

  • Go through your recent Fleeting Notes and Literature Notes.
  • Focus on notes created since your last review.

• Reflect:

  • Consider how each note relates to:
    • Your interests
    • Current projects
    • Ongoing research or learning activities
  • Ask: What thoughts, questions, or connections arise?

• Write Permanent Notes:

  • Extract meaningful ideas or insights from your review process.
  • Follow the attributes listed above to craft each note.

• Connect:

  • Relate your new note to existing Permanent Notes.
  • Think about how it fits into your Zettelkasten and what new connections it creates.

Workflow for integrating newly created Permanent Notes into your Zettelkasten

To make your Zettelkasten truly powerful, your notes need to be well-connected. Follow these steps to integrate new Permanent Notes effectively:

• Link FROM your new note

  • Add links from your new note to existing notes that are related. This connects your new idea to the broader network.

• Link TO your new note

  • Ensure your new note is easy to find by linking to it from other notes. These might be:

    • Related notes that reference similar ideas.
    • Your Main Index or an Entry Point Note (starting points for key topics - see the next section for an explanation of these special types of note).
    • A new Entry Point Note (see the next section).

Note categorisation/organisation

There are different schools of thought on how a digital Zettelkasten should be structured and how its content should be categorised. Some people like to organise their Permanent Notes into folders, each folder containing notes on a similar subject. Other people like to use tags as the primary means of categorisation.

I organize my notes in two distinct ways:

• Literature Notes: Stored in separate folders for each book, course, or article.
• Permanent Notes: Kept uncategorized in a single folder to maintain flexibility.

To apply structure to my Permanent Notes, I use Maps of Content (MOC):

• Main Index:

  • A central MOC note listing all major subject areas alphabetically.
  • Each entry links to an Entry Point MOC Note for a specific subject.

• Entry Point Notes:

  • Contain links to related notes within the subject area.
  • This system maintains the interconnectedness that is essential to the Zettelkasten method.

Note-taking software

There are many apps you can use to manage a Zettelkasten system. Here are a few I've tried over the years:

• Evernote: Too structured and cumbersome for my needs.
• Roam Research: A web-based app. I prefer not to store my notes in the cloud or risk them being owned by someone else.
• SimpleNote: Too basic and lacks the linking capabilities essential for this system.

The choice of app is personal and depends on your preferences. However, if you're just starting and aren't committed to a specific tool, I recommend Obsidian.

Note: I'm not affiliated with Obsidian or compensated for this recommendation—I just believe it's the best tool for the job.

Why I recommend Obsidian

• Your notes are written in Markdown format, which is essentially plain text. There is no proprietory file format.
  • This means that, with a little shell scripting/Unix knowledge, you can automate some of your processes and/or edit files en masse.
  • It also means that your notes will never become redundant. Plain text is unlikely ever to be an unrecognised format.
  • Your notes are 'portable': they are not tied to a specific application.
• Your notes exist on your own machine, not in the cloud.
• You can (for a very small fee) sync your notes across multiple devices (with end-to-end encryption and your notes still live on your own device(s)).
• It enables two-way linking between notes.
• It can show a visual representation of your notes as a network graph. This is both cool and incredibly useful.
• There is a vibrant community with thousands of plugins.
• It is free (unless you need to use the sync process).

Conclusion

Effective note-taking is such a fundamental part of the learning process that I believe it should be taught in schools. Unfortunately it isn't and most people don't have an effective system. Anybody who does have an effective system has a significant learning advantage.

There are many note-taking systems out there. I have introduced you to the one that works best for me. It does involve work, but that's the point: learning effectively requires work. And once you get used to the workflows it becomes easier to integrate into your daily life and takes less work than you might imagine.

In the long run, making sure you understand concepts up front actually saves time. You spend less time revisiting aspects that you didn't properly understand in the first place.

Give it a try. What have you got to lose?