Hi Reader, Happy Thursday! I'm back with another installment of our series about implementing Zettelkasten in Obsidian. Article of the Week: 5 Common Misconceptions About the Zettelkasten Note-Taking Method (friend link) This is an article about what Zettelkasten ISN'T, to help us better understand what it IS. Before I read How to Take Smart Notes by Sonke Ahrens, I made a lot of assumptions about this method that were just plain wrong. Here's a teaser: Misconception #4: That archival storage...
about 3 years ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Happy Thursday! We're diving back into our Zettelkasten series today. For the past several weeks, I've written about the Zettelkasten or "slip-box" note-taking method and how I'm implementing it in Obsidian. Let's chat about "fleeting" notes, and the different ways to capture them as we're reading / watching / consuming content. You can check out this article for a quick refresher on Luhmann's three types of notes, and a case study using one of my own notes as an example. Fleeting...
over 3 years ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Happy Friday! I'm pausing our Zettelkasten series to share some exciting news: the Obsidian mobile app has launched (both for Apple and Android)! This has been a long time coming. When Obsidian arrived on the scene (and it's still fairly "new"), it did not have its own mobile app. And this is a big deal, because it's convenient to edit and sync notes across devices. There were workarounds, of course - because Obsidian notes are saved locally as markdown files (not tied to a...
over 3 years ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Happy Thursday! I'm excited to continue our series on the Zettelkasten note-taking method... Last week, I wrote about Luhmann's three types of notes (fleeting notes, literature notes, and permanent notes). Moving through this 3-step process is meant to facilitate learning and understanding. But what does that look like? There's a lot of content on the internet about how Zettelkasten works in theory, but very little to SHOW us how it works in practice. So I wrote an article to show...
over 3 years ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Happy Thursday! Last week we started a new series about the Zettelkasten note-taking method, which emphasizes connection and inspired the bidirectional linking of programs like Obsidian and Roam Research. Over the course of the next few weeks, I'm going to share how I'm implementing the principles of Zettelkasten. Quick disclaimer: There is no "right" or "wrong" way to take notes, and there's no right or wrong way to use Obsidian. I've been interested in learning more about...
over 3 years ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, 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. Article of the Week: 3 Lessons from 800 Note Cards in the Zettelkasten by Herbert Lui This article reads like a case study from a guy who's implemented the...
over 3 years ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Happy Friday! Keep scrolling for a simple (but super fun) Obsidian tutorial about changing your "theme." Podcast of the Week: The James Altucher Show ep. 719 - John Lee Dumas: The Common Path to Uncommon Success Typically I share an article, but this week I'm listening to Altucher's podcast and this is a particularly fantastic episode about what it means to "find your passion" (the intersection of passion and skill) and become successful at it. Dumas has some great advice about...
over 3 years ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Happy Thursday! I have exciting news to share... I'm building an online course! This has been a long time coming; I've had such a great response to the Obsidian-themed content I've shared in this newsletter, and I've realized how valuable it would be to package these resources for beginning note-takers. The course is still in the early stages, but I want to hear from you! Next week, I'll send out a survey to give you the chance to shape the direction and content of the course. So...
over 3 years ago • 1 min read