Summary

The provided content is a curated list of influential resources and literature on Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) and note-taking, particularly focusing on the Zettelkasten method and its application within digital tools like Obsidian.

Abstract

The article acknowledges the foundational work of previous authors in the field of Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) and note-taking, emphasizing the importance of these resources in the author's own understanding and practice. It highlights four key pieces of literature: "Communicating With Slip Boxes" by Niklas Luhmann, which introduces the Zettelkasten method; "Building a Second Brain" by Tiago Forte, which outlines a digital note-taking and organization system; "How to Take Smart Notes" by Sönke Ahrens, which provides a detailed guide on implementing the Zettelkasten method; and "Digital Minimalism" by Cal Newport, which offers strategies for focused technology use to enhance productivity. The author also mentions a personal journey of integrating these concepts into their own system and suggests that readers develop a philosophy of technology use to avoid distraction and improve their PKM experience.

Opinions

The author believes that the Zettelkasten method, as pioneered by Luhmann, is a superior way to manage ideas non-hierarchically through bi-directional links, which can be implemented in digital tools.
Tiago Forte's Building a Second Brain (BASB) is highly recommended for its practical CODE system (Capture, Organize, Distill, Express) and PARA method of organization, although the author has found it necessary to supplement with aspects of the Zettelkasten method.
"How to Take Smart Notes" is considered a comprehensive resource for understanding and applying the Zettelkasten method, with insights on note-taking practices that enhance learning and creativity.
"Digital Minimalism" is praised for its impact on the author's approach to technology, advocating for a philosophy that prioritizes focus and productivity over distraction.
The author suggests that a minimalist approach to technology can significantly improve one's PKM experience by reducing the temptation to constantly try new tools and instead focus on what truly adds value.
The article concludes with an invitation for readers to share their own influential PKM resources and acknowledges the value of ongoing learning and adaptation in personal knowledge management practices.

Obsidian User? PKM Fan? 4 Resources to Upgrade Your Note-Taking

You’re all reading my work on note-taking, Obsidian and PKM, but I was far from the first person to write about these topics. I’m standing on the shoulders of giants in this respect and I wanted to acknowledge the most influential pieces I’ve read in my journey since focusing on productivity and PKM about a year ago. I daresay you’re much better off learning from them than from me…

These are mainly older, well-established pieces of writing that I’ve encountered and learned from. This isn’t to say that they’re the only resources to do with Obsidian and PKM that exist. There are people producing high quality content every day on the internet, not least here on the Obsidian Observer. I plan to make an article in the future on the newer short-form pieces that I’ve encountered and gained value from.

For now, in no particular order, here are the most influential pieces that PKM and Obsidian users can read:

Communicating With Slip Boxes by Niklas Luhmann

Niklas Luhmann pioneered the Zettelkasten method, using it in the 20th century for his research. It’s become a very popular means of managing ideas and knowledge without conforming to any kind of file structure or hierarchy of folders.

Slip boxes work by linking your notes to each other dependent upon their content. Luhmann did this on physical pieces of paper, but we can easily achieve this in digital programs such as Obsidian, thanks to bi-directional links. This way, the more relevant information that has more links to other notes is more easily accessible when looking into your notes to generate thoughts and ideas.

In the piece, Luhmann puts forward the idea that you should foster a relationship between your notes — each listening to what the other tells them. Once your body of notes reaches a substantial size, you can look into it and generate new ideas and perspectives simply by following and analysing links that you have made between each note. The slip box begins holding more ideas and complexity than the brain would be capable of, so we can generate fresh ideas through managing this complexity externally.

Overall, a short but very influential piece. This piece explains the underlying concepts and reasoning behind the Zettelkasten method, rather than providing practical steps to achieve it, making it worth reading if you want to delve deeper into the topic.

Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte

I bet this was the first thing that came to your mind when I said that I was going to be talking about PKM literature. It’s hard to talk about the topic without mentioning this book and for a good reason. Tiago Forte thoroughly outlines a simple and effective way to manage all of your knowledge digitally, from capture to output.

Building a Second Brain, or BASB, is based on the acronym CODE, which stands for capture, organise, distill and express. The book covers each step in detail. The best thing is that it’s written for those working digitally, so is an excellent option for those who work in Obsidian.

Capture covers how to scrape only the most influential and stimulating ideas from the internet. ‘Organise’ introduces the PARA method of organisation, so revolutionary that Tiago is shortly releasing a book dedicated entirely to mastering this framework. It stands for:

Projects — Short-term goals and outcomes that you are aiming for
Areas — Longer-term responsibilities or interests you have in your life
Resources — Notes and information that contain relevant information for access in the future
Archive — Information that isn’t relevant to current areas or projects; kept just in case you need to reference it in the future

Distilling your thoughts is to find the essence within them. You turn your highlights and captured information into original notes and summaries. Express means to turn your these original efforts into content that is ready to be published for others to gain value from.

Excellent for those who want to use their second brain for managing ideas along with projects. Recently I realised though, that PARA doesn’t have everything I’m looking for in an organisation system. Because of this, my current system contains elements from PARA and Luhmann’s Zettelkasten. This article has some more details about my current system fusing Zettelkasten and PARA.

How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens

How to Take Smart Notes is a piece which elaborates on Niklas Luhmann’s Zettelkasten Method. Ahrens gives detailed information about the steps to building an effective slip box — one that he claims can help you to:

Learn more effectively
Write better papers — for the academics
Be more creative
Solve problems more efficiently

It’s a one-stop resource for everything related to building and managing a slip box. You’ll learn about types of notes found in a Zettelkasten, from fleeting to literature and permanent notes.

It’s also a top resource to learn about general note-taking practices. Ahrens explains why to take notes in your own words and why you link your notes. He gives processes to review your notes and how to be selective about what you take notes about.

It’s quite a long book for the topic, but if you want a complete resource for linking your thinking, then this is the book to read. It’s particularly relevant for those of you who use Obsidian and other software that’s based on creating links between notes.

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

One of the most influential pieces I’ve read in any respect in the last year, but I can comfortably apply its concepts to PKM.

Before settling with Obsidian, I wasted time procrastinating over my work by distracting myself with shiny new productivity software. I can say that this book has eliminated a lot of this distraction for me, mainly by helping me to develop a ‘philosophy of technology use’. If you’ve read some of my previous pieces, you’ve likely encountered this phrase already, but I’ll continue to reiterate it because of how influential I think it is.

The book sheds light on the motives behind much of the services and platforms that you can find on the internet. It gives you some steps to claim your life back from technology, including deleting social media and cultivating some high-value leisure activities to fill your time with.

By developing a minimalist philosophy of technology use, you’ll be able to disregard much of the tools and tips that you come across in favour of what will actually improve your PKM experience.

Since integrating the principles found in this book, I’ve been able to interact with productivity content mindfully and without distraction. Instead of being a hindrance, it now enriches my experience in many areas.

Honourable Mentions:

Digital Zettelkasten by David Kadavy — A short book on how to implement Luhmann’s techniques in a digital environment
Deep Work by Cal Newport — A massively popular piece on how you can eliminate distractions and focus on work for long, unbroken chunks of time
Evergreen Notes by Andy Matuschak — Not a single piece but many short, inter-linked notes around the idea of ‘Evergreen Notes’, which are short, atomic notes similar to those you’d store in a Zettelkasten

Conclusion

If I had to create a literature starter kit for those who want to learn more about PKM and effective note-taking practices, I would include all the articles I linked in this post. Let me know what other pieces I should include — what resource made the most difference when you were learning how to manage your knowledge? Thanks for reading!

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