A Zettelkasten is a personal tool for thinking and writing that creates an interconnected web of thought. Its emphasis is on connection and not mere collection of ideas.
Early this year, Conor White-Sullivan introduced me to the Zettelkasten method of note-taking. I would say that this significantly increased my research productivity. I’ve been saying “at least 2x”. Naturally, this sort of thing is difficult to quantify. The truth is, I think it may be more like 3x, especially along the dimension of “producing ideas” and also “early-stage development of ideas”. (What I mean by this will become clearer as I describe how I think about research productivity more generally.) However, it is also very possible that the method produces serious biases in the types of ideas produced/developed, which should be considered. (This would be difficult to quantify at the best of times, but also, it should be noted that other factors have dramatically decreased my overall research productivity. So, unfortunately, someone looking in from outside would not see an overall boost. Still, my impression is that it's been very useful.)
My Zettelkasten workflow is the basic Zettelkasten method, but modified to work for me as a fiction writer.
My goal is twofold: (1) I hope to motivate those who prefer paper-based thinking systems, and (2) I hope to present an alternative perspective for those who use digital Zettelkasten systems. I hope my perspective will add one or two valuable insights you can add to your Zettelkasten workflow (even a digital one).
Are you satisfied with how you manage all those great ideas you’ve read about in books? No? Learn about the Zettelkasten method!
Heard about the Zettelkasten method and looking to get started using it? This guide will teach you everything you need to know to get started taking and organizing notes using the Zettelkasten method.
The Zettelkasten method makes you smarter, more productive and effective at work. But can it work for distributed teams and remote employees? 🤔
I've been lurking on this forum for a while, playing around with methods and generally absorbing information.
Zettelkasten to jedna z metod przechowywania notatek. Fiszki przechowywane w pudełku przypadną do gustu nie tylko fanom katalogowania!
Writing your first Zettelkasten note is intimidating. Most of the resources on Zettelkasten are principle-based, with few examples of how to implement the principles in practice. The premise is that…
Learn how the Zettelkasten works as a system, what a Zettel is made of, and how to grow an organic web of knowledge.
Zakk Fleischmann provides a step-by-step guide to creating publication-ready text out of notes and highlights.
A proven system to cross-pollinate ideas.
Zettelkasten Method was developed by Niklas Luhmann, and is a personal knowledge management system. Doing this well can help you generate new ideas for writi...
I’ve just finished reading the amazing book from Sönke Ahrens about “How to take Smart Notes”[1]. As a visual thinker and sketchnoter my first idea was to use this method to combine visual thinking with networked thin…
If you really want to take smart notes, learn the Zettelkasten Method. Not only will it help knowledge management, but will help you learn better, too.
The Zettelkasten is a note-taking method that focuses on connecting note cards together. After writing 800 note cards, here's what I learned.
I am working hard on the “Building Blocks” chapter of the Zettelkasten book and I want to finish it first to show it to the public. It covers all parts of the toolkit. To sketch a structure and talk about its components, I need to get the requirements and implementation done before talking about workflow details. Today, I want to show you a birds-eye view of the overarching systems metaphor I’m using in the book.
