📝Zettelkasten process

tags

§ Zettelkasten

source

Ahrens₂₀₁₇

Process:

1. Make fleeting notes (write random ideas that come into your head)
2. Make literature notes
   • store those in bibliography
   • be selective (esp. with quotes). don’t skip thinking about what your read
3. Make permanent notes
   • use it to develop ideas, not collect them → Zettelkasten is about developing ideas, not collecting them
4. Link it to other notes, add it to index cards (Structure Zettel)
5. Trust the process.
   • don’t cling to topics
   • the slip box will naturally accumulate what interests you
   • build topics bottom-up
6. Take all the relevant notes on the topic together. Look for what’s missing or redundant
   • Don’t wait for a finished topic—give yourself time to do more reading and note-taking.
7. Translate your notes into argument (don’t copy)
8. Edit and proofread