Zettelkasten

Zettelkasten Method

History

  • The method was developed by German sociologist Niklas Luhmann (1927–1998).
  • Luhmann used special rules for numbering, internal referencing and keywords. The cards were numbered not by content, but by place in the card index.
  • Cards with links were nodal points that provided connections with other cards.

Zettelkasten ideology

  • The set of notes is metaphysical. Connections add dialecticity.
  • Communications are two-way.
  • The link points to the entire card.

Principles

  • Principle of atomicity.
    • Each note should contain only one idea.
  • The principle of autonomy.
    • Each note should be independent and understandable on its own.
    • Notes must be independent.
  • Link notes to each other.
    • Avoid notes that are not connected to others.
    • A lonely note is a lost note.
  • Explain connections between notes.
    • The connection must have some justification.
  • Write in your own words.
    • The wording must be your own.
    • There should be no blind copying.
    • see Thinking in writing
  • Add your own thoughts to Zettelkasten.
  • Refer.
    • Always add links to original sources to your notes.
    • It will be clear what prompted the idea.
  • Don’t worry about the structure.
    • The structure creates itself.
  • Add notes for communication.
    • Once you start connecting seemingly random notes, add notes to connect.
    • These are special notes designed to connect other notes together and explain their relationships.
  • Add table of contents notes.
    • As ideas begin to coalesce into themes, add table of contents notes.
    • They contain collections of links to other notes that organize ideas into a specific order.
  • Never delete.
    • The notes may be useful in the future.

Explanations

Atomicity

  • One note - one idea.
  • The idea can be used in different contexts.
  • Refer to it, reuse it many times.
  • You can recycle notes and break them down into smaller ideas.
  • Retrieving information from a note shouldn’t take much time.

Autonomy

  • The note should be self-explanatory.
  • Any action with a note should not depend on its neighbors.
  • Changing a note should not change the information from its associated notes.
  • Understanding of the note should not be affected by changes in neighbors.

Linking notes

  • One way to find notes is to navigate through connections.
  • If a note is not related to anything, then it is very difficult to stumble upon it.
  • There is a high probability of not noticing it and losing it in a heap of other information.
  • Connections add dialectic.

Notes in your own words

  • Knowledge is processed information.
  • A quote is not processed information. We use Zettelkasten to work with knowledge.
  • It is necessary to rewrite the idea you come across in your own words. You need to write a note in the language that you will use later.

Do not delete outdated notes

  • Do not delete entries, even if you think that it is no longer relevant or that the idea is not correct.
  • It’s better to make a new one, in which you explain why this particular note is no longer relevant.
  • Link it with the old one. Over time, it will be possible to track how the idea developed.

Explain the connections between notes

  • A link to another note should be accompanied by a brief description of why the link was made.
  • After some time, it may not be at all obvious why certain notes were linked. The explanation will help you remember this.
  • When thinking about a note, you often want to return to what prompted you to think about it.
  • A link to the source will help you remember where exactly the idea came from. References to sources are required when publishing articles.

Don’t worry about the storage structure

  • The lack of structure is an advantage.
  • The structure will not limit your thoughts by placing them in any box.
  • The structure will form itself.
  • It can be changed during the review.