avatarEsteban Thilliez

Summary

The Zettelkasten method is an effective Personal Knowledge Management system that involves creating a collection of concise, interconnected notes, each representing a single idea, to facilitate understanding and the development of new knowledge.

Abstract

The Zettelkasten method is introduced as a powerful tool for managing personal knowledge, emphasizing the creation of 'atomic notes' that encapsulate single ideas for clarity and ease of connection. This approach encourages the division of complex concepts into simpler components, enhancing the ability to link notes and avoid redundancy. The system is built on the concept of permanent notes, which are clear, concise, and designed for long-term comprehension. Connections between notes are crucial, ensuring that knowledge is built upon without unnecessary repetition. Each note, or 'Zettel', is given a unique identifier for easy reference, although some users may choose to forgo this practice. The Zettelkasten system comprises three key components: the inbox for initial note-taking, the archive for permanent notes, and the reference database for external sources. Implementation can vary, from digital tools like Obsidian to traditional pen and paper. The method is acknowledged as potentially challenging to grasp and apply but promises significant benefits for organizing and leveraging one's knowledge base.

Opinions

  • The author endorses the Zettelkasten method as a means to build and maintain a personal knowledge base effectively.
  • The use of unique IDs for notes is presented as a standard practice in Zettelkasten, though the author personally does not adhere to this.
  • The author suggests that while the method may seem complex, mastering it leads to superior knowledge management.
  • The article promotes the idea that connections between notes are essential to prevent duplication of content.
  • Digital tools like Obsidian are recommended for implementing the Zettelkasten method, with the author providing a personal example of such an implementation.
  • The author encourages readers to engage further with their content on Medium, inviting them to clap, follow, or subscribe for more insights on self-improvement and knowledge management.

Zettelkasten: Optimize your Knowledge

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

Want to start a Personal Knowledge Management system but don’t know where to start? First, it can be useful to know some methods for storing knowledge such as the one we will talk about today: Zettelkasten.

What is Zettelkasten?

Zettelkasten is a method you can use to manage your knowledge. A Zettelkasten is a collection of atomic notes. This means your notes are as little as possible because you split big concepts into a lot of little concepts. For example, if I want to take notes about trading, I won’t put everything inside one note but I will split the knowledge between multiple notes: indicators, fundamental analysis, market efficiency, Eliott Waves, …

The purpose of Zettelkasten is to maintain and build a personal knowledge base and to facilitate the development of new knowledge or research coming from that knowledge.

Permanent notes

The idea behind Zettelkasten is to build permanent notes. It means clear and concise notes you want to be able to understand in the future. And everyone should be able to understand your permanent notes.

Connections

Another principle behind Zettelkasten is to build connections between your notes. It avoids writing multiple times the same thing.

For example, if I’ve attended a Machine Learning course at University, I can make notes for it, but I don’t want to create the same notes when I will look at a Machine Learning course on YouTube at home. Instead, I will try to find connections and make notes for new things I have not seen at University, or adjust my notes if I discovered different things in my YouTube course.

In Zettelkasten, a note is called a Zettel, and every Zettel should have a unique ID name/number so that it can be referenced later (personally I don’t use this ID concept because I don’t like it).

One note = one idea

This is the core of the atomic notes principle. Every note should be reduced as much as possible so that you can easily connect ideas. You should write one main idea in one note and link it to other notes if it’s relevant.

Implementation

There are 3 essential building blocks of a Zettelkasten:

  • The inbox: the entry point of the system. When you have an idea, you just make a note and this note goes to the inbox. Then, you have to process notes in the inbox to create permanent notes. Notes in the inbox are a bit like drafts.
  • The archive: the place where you can look for information. Your permanent notes are stored here.
  • The reference database: the place where you store the books you read, the articles you read, the videos you watched, …

Concretely, you can implement these blocks any way you want. You can use notebooks and post-its if you want (even though I’m not sure it’s efficient and scalable).

I won’t talk more about the implementation as I’ve shared my own implementation of Zettelkasten through Obsidian (an app allowing you to write in markdown files) here: A Great Setup to Organize your Life with Obsidian — Part. 1 — Introduction and PKM. Even if you don’t want to use Obsidian to implement Zettelkasten, you can have a look at this article as it shows an example of an implementation.

Final thought

Zettelkasten is a good method of organizing your knowledge. It is based on some simple concepts, but it may be hard to understand and apply. But once it is mastered, you will be the king of knowledge!

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Productivity
Knowledge
Obsidian
Personal Development
Knowledge Management
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