Hi Reader,

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Happy Thursday! I've been reading How to Take Smart Notes by Sonke Ahrens, and I'm learning a lot about the Zettelkasten note-taking method. This is just one of the ways that you can use an app like Obsidian, and over the course of the next few weeks, I'm going to share how I'm implementing the principles of Zettelkasten.

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Article of the Week: 3 Lessons from 800 Note Cards in the Zettelkasten by Herbert Lui​

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This article reads like a case study from a guy who's implemented the Zettelkasten note-taking method for over a year (and amassed 800 note cards!). He makes some great points about the purpose of the Zettelkasten and what he's learned about his ideation process as a result.

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What is a Zettelkasten?

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Niklas Luhmann was a German sociologist who took notes on index cards and used a numbering system to organize them. Here are some of Luhmann's guiding principles:

• Only one thought or idea per index card
• Notes must be written in complete sentences, in his own words
• Notes were added to the Zettelkasten in numerical order behind the preceding note
• Luhmann used keywords to "tag" notes, but allowed topics to emerge organically (a "bottom up" approach)

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For example, your very first note is #1. A new note is labeled #2. Then #3, and so on... unless your new note is the continuation of a previous thought, in which case it would be labeled "3a." In this way, Luhmann created threads of thought within his Zettelkasten, and his numbering system led him from one note to the next.

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Luhmann's system was entirely physical, using pen and paper, but we can use apps like Obsidian to start our own Zettelkasten and draw connections between notes (with hyperlinks!).

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Here's the big idea: "Storage" is not the purpose of a Zettelkasten. It's about capturing thoughts and ideas in your own words to facilitate learning and understanding. Luhmann never "copy/pasted" from his reading material, but rather processed what he'd read and then elaborated on the ideas or concepts he found most interesting. His notes, then, were not simply summaries of a particular text, but a unique thought of his own (inspired by the original source).

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Zettelkasten emphasizes connection over collection. Every time Luhmann added a note to his Zettelkasten, he was forced to think about where it fit in relation to his existing notes. By the time he went to write an article or a book, he had extensive material to pull from; his threads of thought became the backbone for his chapters.

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Luhmann's Zettelkasten did much of the heavy lifting. This is no ordinary note-taking; certainly not what I'm used to, quoting from interesting articles and then jotting down quick bullet points in a mere summary of the material. Luhmann's process looked like this:

1. Read; take "literature notes" to jot down the bits of information that were most compelling
2. Elaborate; transform literature notes into "permanent" notes for the Zettelkasten
3. Connect; think critically about where the note belongs and how it connects to preexisting threads of thought

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This is an intentional, thoughtful method. I believe that it requires practice and training, especially if you're not used to taking notes in this way. In the coming weeks, we'll dive deeper into each step of Luhmann's process to better understand the Zettelkasten and its potential to transform our writing and ideating.

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Have a question about Zettelkasten? Hit "reply" to send me a message! I'd love to answer your questions in the coming emails.

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Happy 4th of July weekend! :)

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Sincerely,

Brooke H