📖Interview and Q&A with Sönke Ahrens on How to Take Smart Notes

13:48 the main surprise about Zettelkasten is that there is no surprises. It’s simple and that works, there is no magic formula. There is no hidden secret.

you need to adjust it to your own needs

hierarchy is no problem. it’s just doesn’t have to be set

what people get wrong

• people are hard on themselves for not having a perfect system

• search for a perfect system

• difficulties is not an issue—it’s just a learning curve

~27 how to start

• you don’t have to transfer all your old notes, at least not immediately

• try to externalize what you already know, don’t start from the blank page

• you can start from the top (have a project/topic and go top-down)

• look for a problem in the field / where you can contribute / what bothers you. this gives you a kind of focus/filter

see your zettelkasten as a dialog

37:00 people tend to read what they know already

• (ask other people for the most controversial/weird book?)

how to get insights?