What is the Zettelkasten method and how it will help you remember everything in the world

What is the Zettelkasten method

A zettelkasten is a note-taking technique that helps you structure information so that you remember it better and use it more effectively. The materials organized with its help are a network of knowledge, individual facts in which are linked using links and tags.

Each note here contains only one thought, formulated briefly and concisely. It also indicates the source of the information and the path to other records that are close in content or somehow related to it.

It can be organized in both digital and analog form. For example, the author of the method, sociologist Nicholas Luhmann, initially used a card cabinet, on each from which some thought was fixed, gleaned by him while reading a book, talking or reflections.

Thanks to this, the name of the method appeared: in German, “zettel” is a piece of paper, and “kasten” is a box. That is, "Zettelkasten" is a box with notes.

How is this method different from other note-taking options?

Luhmann introduced several important rules that make the Zettelkasten stand out from other methods. Here they are:

1. Each card is assigned a unique number. - it uses numbers, letters and punctuation marks. Let's say the first card is "1". The second, not related to it in meaning, is “2”, and so on. A note that somehow correlates with the first card is assigned the number "1,1". And to comment on it, you need to write "1,1a". Thanks to this, you can expand the catalog in any direction.

2. Notes are linked. To do this, at the bottom of each form, numbers of cards that are close in meaning are added. This improves navigation: you can navigate through the card index and find new connections between ideas.

3. The system must have a subject index. To do this, separate table of contents cards are created with links to the numbers of the corresponding forms in the card file.

Thanks to the Zettelkasten method, Luhmann was eventually able to link together about 90,000 ideas, each of which he kept in a file cabinet for 40 years. Using this system, the sociologist wrote more than 70 books and 400 scientific articles, becoming one of the most productive scientists.

Neither a notebook, nor sticky notes on a whiteboard, nor Notes on the phone would have helped to achieve such results: most of the notes would have sunk into oblivion, because the ideas would not have been connected.

The same thing is happening in digital services like Evernote, Bear and Box Notes - the space quickly turns into a collection of disparate facts. Even if you remember each of them, it will still not be easy to notice the connections.

Benefits of the Zettelkasten Method

Thanks to this method, you can create your own knowledge network, so that you can then draw ideas from it for work and studies.

Content is consumed more consciously

By having a structured filing cabinet, the process of consuming content becomes work. You will begin to carefully study the information and highlight only important ideas that will be worthy of keeping them.

Previously, you would simply put a bookmark in a book or copy a favorite quote into notes - and, most likely, you would never return to them. However, now you will not have the feeling that the podcast you listened to or the article you read will go into oblivion when you close them.

Information is remembered better

Everyone knows that lecture notes helps understand the material better. However, this process can be improved by replacing the linear approach to note-taking with the non-linear approach offered by the Zettelkasten method.

According to one research, compiling concept maps requires a large cognitive effort from a person to select, analyze and organize facts, which improves the understanding and memorization of data. Thanks to this method, you will have a better chance of moving information from short-term memory to long-term memory.

Creativity develops

Austin Kleon, author books “Steal like an artist” is one of the main manifestations of the borrowing of ideas in creativity. He argues that truly new and original projects do not exist - they are all built thanks to the material that was before them.

In this case, the Zettelkasten is an ideal method for formulating new thoughts based on the information you already have. After all, as we have noticed, it helps to discover the connections between them. This leads to small insights: “And why didn’t I think about this before?”

Increased productivity

If you have a pre-set goal - for example, to prepare for exam or write a scientific article, then the Zettelkasten will help you achieve it faster.

Firstly, you already have a well-defined process for searching and selecting information, which allows you to automate your actions. Secondly, knowledge is acquired better and thanks to this it is more convenient for you to manage them in the future.

And thirdly, one of the important productivity metrics of any content creator is the number of new ideas. And the Zettelkasten method, as we found out, helps to detect them well.

How to put the Zettelkasten method into practice

Some adherents of the method claim that absolutely all ideas can be entered into the database, even if they seem useless at the moment. After all, you never know what they can be useful for - after all, the “second brain” is created for life.

Other people who practice the note-taking system believe the opposite: it is important to at least roughly understand the purposes for which you are collecting all this content. Perhaps you are writing a book, leading blog, invent new technology and so on. The Sattelkasten will help organize and template the information needed to achieve these goals.

It is up to you to decide which of these opinions you agree with. Be that as it may, if you decide to try the Zettelkasten, here are a few steps that you will need to take in order for the method to become part of your work routine.

1. Choose a venue

There are many options, from the offline solution that Luhmann used to a wide variety of digital services. In the first case, a small box and a set of cardboard cards will be enough to start.

The choice of online services is quite large: Obsidian, Notion, Zettlr, SlipBox, Trello, The Archive and others.

Many people prefer Obsidian because it has several important advantages. Firstly, the notes that users create are not stored on the manufacturer's server, but on their personal computer or in cloud. And even if the manufacturer suddenly stops servicing the project, then everything that has been collected over many years will not disappear anywhere.

Secondly, this application has a beautiful laconic design and cool visualization of links. So, when there are more notes, the graph begins to resemble a map of the starry sky.

In any case, the choice is yours. You can test several options at once and choose the right one.

2. Create a note template

This will help structure your thoughts and introduce a system for automating actions. A note can be organized like this:

• title with keywords;
• a brief description of the idea;
• the date the note was created;
• tags;
• links to primary sources;
• links to notes related in meaning.

In Obsidian, which we talked about above, you can customize your template, which will be used every time a new entry is created.

When there is a lot of information on one topic, you can collect it in a note-table of contents. For example, in the picture above there is a card with links to notes about animals.

3. Stick to note-taking principles

In order for the Zettelkasten to take root, it is important to adhere to the rules introduced by Luhmann:

• Only add one idea per note.
• Keep your notes stand-alone - self-contained and complete. Thanks to this, they can be freely moved and understood without reference to primary sources.
• Write down ideas in your own words so you can understand them even after a long time.
• Link notes to each other. Sam Luhmann said: “Each record is an element that inherits its characteristics from the network of connections in the system. A note that is not associated with it will be lost and forgotten."
• Add links to primary sources - this will prevent plagiarism and help you return to the original information.
• Write down your thoughts - they are as important as the ideas peeped from others.
• Enter table of contents notes to make it easier for you to navigate the system.
• Don't delete old notes - you never know when you'll need them. In addition, with the help of them you can track the evolution of your thoughts.

4. Form a Habit

In order for the method to really work, you need to practice regularly.

If you are not ready to drop everything and enter new information into the database every time, you can create a temporary folder where you will quickly drop ideas without linking them to the rest of the notes. And then, at a certain time, sit down and analyze the accumulated material - for example, once a week.

So during the day you will not waste time thinking about how new information fits into the existing knowledge network.