![]() ![]() But his slip-box was much more than just a collection of notes. Over the years, his slip box became a research database made up of thousands of index cards. ![]() You can view the full archive at the University of Bielefeld An example of one of Luhmann's index cards. Instead of adding notes to existing categories or their respective texts, he kept all of his notes in one place (the slip-box) by writing each note on an index card, giving it a distinct number, and connecting it to related notes. So Luhmann decided to turn note-taking on its head. The sum of all notes does not amount to something greater. While these techniques are better than not taking notes at all, he realized they all have one fundamental flaw: once written down, ideas stay passive they do not mingle with each other. The book covers how Luhmann organized his note-taking in a scalable way that allowed him to reach an unprecedented level of productivity with 58 books and 400+ articles being published by the end of his 30-year career.Īfter spending years commenting in the margins of text and collecting notes by topic, Luhmann realized his system wasn’t leading anywhere. How to Take Smart Notes explains the Zettelkasten (German for “slip-box”) note-taking methodology created by the German sociologist, Niklas Luhmann. Favorite Quote "If you want to learn something for the long run, you have to write it down, If you want to really understand something, you have to translate it into your own words." Instead of wasting your time searching for notes, quotes, or references, the Smart Notes method lets you focus on what counts: thinking, understanding, and developing new ideas. The key to good and efficient writing lies in the intelligent organization of ideas and notes. Oh, and one more excellent resource (and an amazing example of a modern Zettelkasten -with some peculiarities- in action), maybe for after you have read How to take good notes, are Andy Matuchak’s Notes, which have amazing ideas buried in them, if you don’t mind the difficulty of looking for them without a normal “index”.How to Take Smart Notes is a book on note-taking for students, academics, non-fiction writers, or anyone who wants to improve their thinking. I would also recommend the (free) program called Remnote, which can help to make a great Zettelkasten with a lot of possibilities that a physical one can’t do (I believe the best known predecessor is called Roam-Research, which is great also, but fairly expensive). Personally, it has totally revolutionized the way I read, research and write, and have greatly enriched my intellectual experience of the world. A truly great and useful read, even if a little dry at times. It explains the Zettelkasten method, as developed and used by the German sociologist Niklas Luhmann, as well as it’s principles and the ideas on which it stands. It addresses a more narrow theme, how to develop a system for storing information in writing that is simple yet immensely powerful for idea generation, deep interconnected knowledge and even “natural” memorization (i.e., without the use of mnemonics), based in comprehension and development of meaning in knowledge. I’ve read both of them, and I definitely recommend you read Sönke Ahrens book too. ![]()
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