Zettelkasten, also known as the slip-box system is an open-ended process of writing, learning, and thinking invented by Niklas Luhmann. carolyn March 2021 @ulver48, See Heidegger, What does thinking mean?, P. 128. October 10, 2022 The most catchy one is the graph view, which provides a visual overview of all notes and how they link with each other: The graph view offers several adjustment and filter options, so that you can customize the view and refine your research. Would you like to go deeper and really level up your personal knowledge management (PKM) skills? This tutorial is a introduction to the system in a practical way. I havent been able to find any of these online to study. Vol. Note 8 - The system as a research tool cf. But simply a wink to the markdown (md) format Obsidian uses to format notes.). For example, I have a sequence of notes about how awesome dogs are. So I started to summarize one main aspect witch is important for a reader of Ahrens book to work with the Zettelkasten method. You could even bypass their syncing service by using the cloud storage you already use, like Dropbox, Google Drive, or iCloud. 11 - Example of a Note Size - Andys Working Notes - Source for this particular note. I added the tools Im using in this process and also the page numbers from the book as a reference for further reading and understanding the underlying method. However, getting a Zettelkasten to nest inside your knowledge management system is challenging, but the rewards can be tremendous, having everything at your fingertips. Writing your first Zettelkasten note is intimidating. Bob Doto. Using Obsidian as your Zettelkasten app is the best way to ensure longevity in your notes. Oct 31st, 2022. by Sascha. After having recently discovered Zettelkasten, its become clear that I do need a complete re-work of my notes in the near future! Youll learn even more powerful insights to take your note-taking and digital Zettelkasten to the next level. Writing your first Zettelkasten note is intimidating. Obsidian is a versatile toolbox: with 25 core plugins, 854 community plugins, and 174 themes, plus custom styling, you can tweak Obsidian to work and look exactly how you want it. In oder to have an effective Zettelkasten workflow you need to connect every note to another one. This post over on Zettelkasten De forum made me realize I should probably work on creating a very simple zettelkasten guide. When I started to write my first notes with Obsidian I followed the rule Start early and learn by experiment.. This is where your Zettelkasten files will live: The name you give your vault doesnt really matter, so its up to you how to name it. When I have enough information to write a blog or essay, the essay becomes part of my zettelkasten. Tags: Markdown/LaTeX, Personal Knowledge Management, Scientific Writing In this way, you can tailor your Obsidian Zettelkasten to your needs. Zettelkasten, note box in German, is a broad term that can represent a different set of ideas depending on who you talk to. A single database holds all of my notes. Currently I'm using cheap index cards I got from Office Depot. GitHub - groepl/Smart-Sketchnotes: eBook working title: "How to take SMART SKETCHNOTES with Obsidian and Zettelkasten". I'm having a really hard time finding good quality supplies for my analog zettlekasten. December 2021 Update: Havent forgotten about this project, still work on it here and there. Taking smart notes is great, but taking smart sketchnotes would be even greater. WebMchtest du lernen wie du die Zettelkasten Methode in der Obsidian App umsetzen kannst? And their website allows you to download the app for Windows, Mac, and Linux. So now that you know why you cant go wrong choosing Obsidian as your Zettelkasten app lets dive deeper into setting everything up. But usually Im more focused on resurfacing ideas Ive been developing already. Each note also has a local graph option, which reveals only the closest relationships to the current note. Yet, most Zettelkasten apps like Mem, Roam, whatsoever, work online. Inherent in the process of storage is structure. Mix and match Some community plugins do a single thing extremely well, like Calendar and Kanban . also 8.8. If folgezettel containing 20.4c, 20.4c1, 20.4c1a, b, and c, are sufficient to generate a blog, then the blog will carry an LID code of 20.4c1d. WebZettelkasten Obsidian Templates Settings. GitHub - beaussan/update-time-on-edit-obsidian. Apologies if this is obvious, but any help would be appreciated. Over the centuries you see the cycle of information explosion and creation of tools to manage it, such as the index and table of contents. Within the folder you can place your templates (notes). https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v32/n11/keith-thomas/diary, Evergreen note-writing helps insight accumulate. I 'll put these hints in a separate description to clean up the YAML. (For setting things up, create your vault locally. How can PARA and Zettelkasten workflow live together? Obsidianis expandable by a bunch of free plugins. Opening up Obsidian for the first time, you need to make big decisions about organizing your notes in your Obsidina vault. The essence of science is the control and securing of individual knowledge in the context of the whole. Used for filtering & searching of ideas Not because it may (or may not) work. Newport, Cal. Instead of just structuring material for future reference (e.g. Both semantic memory and episodic memory are forms of explicit memories, which in turn is a form of long term memory. Methodology III. So its safe to say his notes were his lifes work. Tools like Obsidian allow you to take smart notes and replicate his note-taking system in digital format. Alphabetically, youd use an index. Here are some of my ideas about using tags: How to use Tags. Currently I'm using cheap index cards I got from Office Depot. The reason for this is that it allows you to use the information of a note in multiple contexts. Read an article about note-taking 6.1. I have the starter kit installed in Obsidian but I am just struggling with how exactly to use all of the elements. Putting text sources into the Zettelkasten. Simply because its one of the best Zettelkasten apps out there. But Im still looking for an alternative on iOS. Thank you for visualizing the idea, it is helpful and easier to conceptualize the structure. So you are transcluding your Dailys into a Weekly. While that isnt possible, it is still interesting to see some of the different manifestations talked about throughout history. If you enjoyed reading my article, I invite you to visit Jewelry Art by Linda, where every piece is lovingly crafted by hand with meticulous attention to detail. Mike Rohde is an experience and interface designer who has created usable and compelling applications for mobile, web, and dedicated devices. As the saying goes: you have to understand the rules before breaking them. A good way to think of this is through the concept usability of information. In reality your zettelkasten should be wider ranging and include whatever you find interesting. Im reading along, and I want to capture an idea. Otherwise he could have just used a numbered list for notes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, new note 6) where the newest note is just the highest number. As you see I repeatedly make use of the letter a in this sentence. WebObsidian is one of the best and most supported cross-platform Zettelkasten apps out there. But this is not always necessary, more of a personal preference, usually depending on how well you know the material. Once finished I will transfer them over to this post. Its a tool to create concept maps from notes of our Zettelkasten. Manually? The third-party service Mastodon Bookmark RSS allows you to subscribe to your Mastodon bookmarks via RSS, so you dont forget to make use out of them. Maybe not freehand, but at least a palette of shapes (typical flowchart or UML). Personal Knowledge Management, The fact that Obsidian uses flat files also makes your notes easier to work with. Tags allow me to recreate a logical outline if I choose, and Folgezettel will enable me to build an archive from the ground up. He created sequences of notes (1 - 1a -1b - 1c), which allowed him to easily pull out all the notes on a given topic when he needed them. How are you updating the modified date? But usually Im more focused on resurfacing ideas Ive been developing already. Based on: https://theknowledgeworker.substack.com/p/how-to-take-smart-notes-in-obsidian Setup Install the obsidian-citation-plugin, by going to 'Settings' > 'Community plugins' (turn Safe mode OFF) > 'Browse'. Im still so fascinated by it! And you can install for free. For teaching others zettelkasten, I take what I see as the core layers of structure used by Luhmann and either adopt or adapt them for a digital medium. This is why I love taking literature notes in Obsidian. I like to summarize the idea the note contains in the title: Now, in the editor, start typing the content of your note. As a visual thinker and sketchnoter my first idea was to use this method to combine visual thinking with networked thinking. The note you mentioned is only an example for a fleeting note. In this step, you simply copy and paste an idea verbatim into your inbox. Especially, given the fact that operating systems and digital environments evolve fast. Tags is like categories in a blog? I will often embed further research into notes itself (e.g. 2- Importing your highlights into Obsidian. You dont need to save anything. You start by storing the information on paper of various sizes and qualities. However, getting a Zettelkasten to nest inside your knowledge management system is challenging, but the rewards can be tremendous, having everything at your fingertips. What are your takes on the second brain? the field you are studying) is the context. WebSimilar to Roam, Obsidian is a note-taking software many people use for knowledge management. I also have a zettelkasten dashboard nested among all the others. Remember: I want to get you off the ground by the end of this article!). 48 Followers Born and raised in Honolulu, Colin has lived in Spokane, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. 12 minute read. Undergraduate students are not developing new knowledge but instead developing an understanding of existing knowledge. You can find Luhmanns ZettelKasten here: This is how you truly replicate Niklas Luhmanns Zettelkasten. You can unsub anytime. You can formalize the knowledge into a model that you memorize. This is why, I would encourage you to use a dedicated note-taking capturing tool. The output is stored as .png and linked with Obsidian in a special folder for images. In this way, you can tailor your ObsidianZettelkasten to your needs. Obsidian does this automatically for you. I just published my first templates for Project Notes: GitHub - groepl/Obsidian-Templates: A repository containing templates and scripts for #Obsidian to support the #Zettelkasten method for note-taking.. Any ideas for improvement? I still comment somewhat frequently on Zettelkasten de and am an avid user of Obsidian. This means that I want to take advantage of autocompletion, and for that its key to have distinctive phrases that I can use and reuse in various contexts. my previously posted series about personal knowledge management. The simple is only more system- capable, easier to define systematically, easier to incorporate into the system than the complex, and therefore clearer. But you may also start your first fleeting note from one of the given templates. Again, Im not a fan of overcomplicated templates. The fact that Obsidian uses flat files also makes your notes easier to work with. I would then create a link to the wider context, saying why episodic memory is important to the field of cognitive psychology. As a creative person youre an idea-maker, not an idea-manager! 1898 Introduction to the Study of History by Charles Langlois and Charles Seignobos suggest the best way of proceeding is to make notes on separate pieces of paper with each showing its origin. As a beginner, the most helpful parts for me are concrete examples of how you add and edit notes over time, such as how you evolved notes on semantic memory. One of founders of the London School of Economics, amongst many other things. The value of your Zettelkasten resides in your notes. What all this suggests is that you should keep in mind how you plan on using your zettelkasten when you start to add layers of structure. Now that you have a bunch of fleeting notes, its time to add them to your Zettelkasten in Obsidian. It works well on my PC. I have tasks, projects, and appointments all laid out daily so I can be comfortable with the landscape. I know Evergreen Notes is part of the Starter Kit but I think its the best refinement Ive ever run into. Zettelkasten is a note taking system that will supercharge your learning process. Some slips have been transcribed (you can use google translate on these notes). Migrating my Zettelkasten from Roam to Obsidian was pretty easy: I downloaded a backup of my Roam database as markdown, then used my Macs built-in file system tools to move all my notes into different folders for Literature, Reference, and Permanent notes. Back then, computers werent democratized as today. Sorry for that. The note title automatically inserts and the date (based on the format in the settings). All notes were contained in one giant box. It provides a unique way of organizing information because Obsidian is based on the Zettelkasten concept: a vault of interconnected and dynamic notes. New York: Business Plus, 2012. Edmund, thank you for your posts on Zettlekasten. The idea is to get you to practice the process and giving you all the tools necessary to start your own Zettelkasten system. How to Use Folgezettel in Your Zettelkasten: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started. Writing.BobDoto.Computer, 2019. 8 minute read Obsidian works on- and offline Deep work doesnt happen online. Yes, the good old Folgezettel system we all know and love. Im not as active here as I dont find the knowledge work discussions as interesting. a - smallest unit of usability is the letter. Questions I have; enter the system no differently than the notation from a book. Im still so fascinated by it! Combined with the Zettelkasten approach to notes, Obsidian allows for a powerful storage and retrieval system for all of my notes. You then create pointers to the different sections of information so that you can easily find them again. You ca January 24, 2023 paragraph- is often seen as the smallest unit of thought as it is usually what is necessary to get an idea across, with sentences being the parts that support or explain the paragraph (Shore 2016, pg 28). Is there any articles for building a Zettelkasten from tex files ? It provides a unique way of organizing information because Obsidian is based on the Zettelkasten concept: a vault of interconnected and dynamic notes. And as youve no doubt guessed, I have something (many things) he doesnt, i.e., computer, internet, Obsidian, etc. 7 - Structuring for Retrieval - An important aspect of the zettelkasten to understand is that Luhmanns method of structure facilitated his end use case (writing). This means that I want to take advantage of autocompletion, and for that its key to have distinctive phrases that I can use and reuse in various contexts. https://niklas-luhmann-archiv.de/bestand How does the process looks like, when all my notes are already in my Zettelkasten? WebZettelkasten Setup for using the Zettelkasten system in Obsidian. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, using the Zettelkasten as a Fiction Writer, using the Zettelkasten for Everyday Living. Obsidian led to a very confusing slip-box and I quickly abandoned it. GitHub - beaussan/update-time-on-edit-obsidian. Some people use templates in Obsidian to kickstart their notes: may it be for taking booknotes or journaling. At the moment, there are over 600 plugins availablewritten by the Obsidiandeveloper team as well as by a vivid user community. Great. Another form of structure is the creation of arguments and the corresponding evidence, including counter evidence. 4 minute read Migrating my Zettelkasten from Roam to Obsidian was pretty easy: I downloaded a backup of my Roam database as markdown, then used my Macs built-in file system tools to move all my notes into different folders for Literature, Reference, and Permanent notes. comments. Ive read online that the practice of keeping a note box goes back a long way and technically isnt unique to sociologist Niklas Luhmann. In fact, Obsidian has all the features (and even more) he implemented in his analog slip-box. The point of structure is to add order so that you can repeat tasks such as retrieval of a note. Certainly, we normally do this when we read, but were limited to our faulty memory of other works which might be related. Psychology . You want to do the same thing with textbooks. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, Obsidian Starter Kit - Zettelkasten Style! But there you will have some more dimensions to keep in mind. Creative ideas are nothing else than idea combinations. November 7, 2022 (If thats not the case, pick the right OS). Note Taking at its core is the storage of information. Newport, Cal. How are you updating the modified date? Zettelkasten, in combination with Linking Your Thinking (LYT) and supported by Obsidian, is an interesting and promising way to organize your second brain. Obsidian will recognize this as a link to the note called Productivity. For me its the best solution. However, I decided to create a permanent note on the Zettelkasten method, which I added to the permanent note folder: I also created another permanent note on the Hypertext theory, because when I read the book I realized, that the Zettelkasten method and the Hypertext theory relate with each other. 86ff. Susskind, Richard E., and Daniel Susskind. @Edmund thank you for sharing! For the latter, see e.g. The next step is to transform those fleeting notes into permanent notes. In general, Zettelkasten IDs are useful if the primary concern is to avoid duplication. 4 minute read. For the former, see e.g. Obsidian is one of the best and most supported cross-platform Zettelkasten apps out there. Ill let you know when Ive had the chance to really dig into this specific page and flesh it out more. After demonstrating how to set up a basic Zettelkasten with DEVONthink, we now repeat the same for Obsidian. WebSimilar to Roam, Obsidian is a note-taking software many people use for knowledge management. Ive been thinking about doing that, but I have structure in my Daily that Im not ready to let go (eg, link to same day last year; files modified today; and a this-day-in-history type note that has notable things that happened today in prior years from my prior notes (birthdays, etc). In the case of a [paper zettelkasten], the base structure would take the form of writing notes on paper and just putting them in a giant pile. Because shiny object syndrome is real! Simply because it takes too much time to manage. At the moment I readed your book, and reading external sources with your book. We tend to think only of the slip-box when discussing the Zettelkasten methodology, but that would be a mistake. Once youve done that then start with step 1 of the Core Zettelkasten Workflow. Links - to show connections between ideas Hi! Grad School Essentials: A Crash Course in Scholarly Skills. I am on Linux, so I cannot use the Archive. Or even doing something as simple as including a tag in the note. Hiking, trips, and journal entries all become fodder for this writers mill (much to my childrens dismay). An example would be very helpful. For example, Im not going to create notes for every word in the english language because that would be a waste of time. Can you advise a new(ish) user on work flows? section - can be thought of as multiple paragraphs. Obsidians workflow is much looser than logseqs. With a Zettelkasten, though, the process becomes more individualized, and a large portion of the work of making a Zettelkasten comes from finding and taking note of the linkages between ideas. Yes, may be I expected your question. Criticism of the leading solution attempts in the State teach their own standpoint without development. See 2A. The purpose of a Zettelkasten is to connect ideas. I created a Zettel note template (havent we all) and entered the quote and other relative information as frontmatter (all the standard stuff +1). Should project notes be a type of notes of their own in our Zettelkasten? Zettelkasten, note box in German, is a broad term that can represent a different set of ideas depending on who you talk to. On the opposite end, you are wasting time by taking notes on concepts youll never use or write about. And you can install for free. It started innocently with a question I | by Steven Thompson | Jan, 2023 | Medium. I hate digital clutter and feature creep. Obsidian works on- and offline Deep work doesnt happen online. Bibliography - will reference books in notes using (Author Date, page) and link to zettelkasten wide bibliography in this note. Zettelkasten De is where I first learned the intricacies of the system (probably like a lot of people). the Obsidian help pages or one of the many YouTube or blog tutorials (e.g., sitepoint.com). The zettelkasten system is about introducing a fifth function, that of development. How the Writing Inbox Method Can 10x Your Writing Output. However, to create a great permanent note, the goal is to rewrite everything in your own words (also called the Feynman technique.). Keep in mind, that notes in Obsidian are entirely based on Markdown. Using Note-taking methods could be the first step to extend your mind. To create a new file within your fresh new vault, go to file > new note. English Translation of All Notes on Zettelkasten by Luhmann. Markdown/LaTeX, You can formalize the knowledge into a more useful form that can then be referenced later. Ill explain. But beware of frying your brain with overcomplicated productivity wizardry. You want to be in the middle, where you are taking notes on concepts that you dont know so well but will still use in your working life. My sketchnote shows the integration in my workflow. , 2020. Some Zettelkasten purists like to use unique identifiers or use complicated prefixes. Obsidian works on all major platforms. While both tools use markdown and share some functionalities, they look and work differently. The reader would then select the information they want to reference using the sorted pointers. This is why you see so many productivity freaks using wifi and internet-blocking apps. (There are some workaround but theyre far beyond this beginner guide. Dynamically through a plugin? Zettelkasten, in a sense, is just a very particular set layers. Or are you using it to build external models, that once finished, become mental models? 4 - Zettelkasten & Structure - Note Taking is about storing information for later retrieval because we have a limited memory. The idea is to get you to practice the process and giving you all the tools necessary to start your own Zettelkasten system. But itd be a waste of time to do so before that becomes necessary. If you are not using Zettelkasten you may also benefit from: What are your experiences from using templates? Tell me about your own experiences? For most of time the tools have been centered around the core four note functions involved in referencing: storage, sorting, selecting, summarizing (Blair 2010, pg 15). Currently I'm using cheap index cards I got from Office Depot. January 17, 2023 9 - Note Size - A common question people have regarding the zettelkasten and note taking in general is one of note length. So picking the right Zettelkasten app is crucial. Hopefully I have a solution for the next update. A fleeting note is a note you capture on the fly. This creates a new note within your vaul.t. Now, you have a collection of fleeting notes that need to be processed. @Edmund I have several question about your vault and methods. This is how new knowledge is created. Ill assume here that you already have a basic understanding of a zettel note and the purpose and reasoning behind putting notes into your own words and connecting one note to another, forming a web of interconnecting ideas. What are your takes on the second brain? the field you are studying), Link it to the related concept of episodic memory. ARE YOU TIRED OF TAKING NOTES WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT WITH THEM? But with respect to the Zettelkasten, the only software that I found easy to use is the zkn3. How the ideas connect to each other and the wider picture (e.g. Say for example that the study I did has implications for other concepts. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights.