# [[A System for Writing]] ![[A System for Writing.svg]] ## Summary > [!abstract] Summary > Contents ## Thesis > [!question] What are the main points of the book? > What was the author trying to say? Identify the overarching ideas and how the author connected them. ### A Zettelkasten is a system for thinking and writing A Zettelkasten (ZK) is a system for consuming, processing, connecting, and refining ideas with the goal of creating something with them at the end of it. The process consists of the following steps: 1. Capture ideas in the form of [[Fleeting Notes]] (short, random thoughts) or [[Literature Notes|Reference Notes]] (highlights of or thoughts regarding content you've consumed). 2. Create [[Permanent Notes]], which Bob calls "Main Notes". 3. Seek connections between main notes. 4. Add navigation and structure by using: [[Folgezettel]], [[Hub Notes]], [[Structure Notes]], and [[Keyword Indexes]]. 5. Use your ZK to create something. ### Fleeting notes and reference notes capture raw ideas Fleeting notes are random thoughts that you jot down throughout the day. Reference notes are ideas from other sources (a video, book, or other form of content). Both are ideas that have captured your attention, even if you don't have a plan for what to do with those thoughts. Fleeting notes should be staged in an [[Inbox]] and then either trashed, stored in a "sleeping" folder, or turned into a [[Permanent Notes|main note]] in your ZK. Reference notes should be turned into main notes or stored in a folder that is separate from the rest of your ZK. ### Main notes are atomic and broadly applicable Main notes should at least be "atomicish": they should contain a simple idea that is abstract enough that it can lend insight to a wide variety of contexts. Main notes should be regularly pruned to keep them as modular as possible. Main notes should have: - [[Folgezettel]] - [[Links]] to other related main notes or reference notes - a simple, single thought or idea - a filename/title that summarises its contents ### Links should be contextual Every main note should ideally have a few links: to the reference or fleeting note(s) that inspired it or to other main notes that are related to it. Instead of just adding a link, though, you should explain why you're linking it. Assume that when you stumble on this note in the future, you will no longer be able to follow your train of thought. ### Cultivate a structure to traverse your ZK As your ZK grows, it becomes more and more unwieldy. Bob Doto suggests several ways to structure it to keep it useful. [[Folgezettel]] are unique alphanumeric IDs you can assign to notes. (Example: `1.1 Doubt is a form of care`) Folgezettel do not impose hierarchy or semantic logic; they are more chronological and topical in that they only provide a way to group similar topics together. When you create a new main note that follows on from another, you should alternate between numbers and letters. (Example: `1.1a In Site Reliability Engineering, doubt in the reliability of a system is essential to making it reliable`) [[Hub Notes|A hub note]] is a note on a topic that lists all the existing main notes that are about it. It does not provide context or try to make them fit together; it just lists them all. A [[Structure Notes|structure note]] is also a note on a topic, but it reads like an outline of a book or article on the topic. It does still link to relevant main notes, but it also highlights aspects of the topic that are yet unexplored. Later, it can serve as the starting point for creative work. A [[Keyword Indexes|keyword index]] is a list of all keywords and all the notes that refer to it. An index provides no context; it just exists as an alternate way to traverse your ZK. ### You can use your ZK to start from abundance when you're creating something To create using your ZK, first identify ideas to write about: - Folgezettel to identify clusters of thought that you're interested in - Reference or fleeting notes to reveal what you've consumed - Structure notes to see whether you have enough to work with Then, you can actually create content in increasing lengths by: - Publishing main notes as "short short content" like tweets/Mastodon posts - Iterating on reactions and responses to main notes and creating new main notes accordingly - Using structure notes as a foundation for longer form content ### Keep logs to manage writing projects With a ZK, you'll probably end up having multiple projects in flight. To manage them, create two logs. A [[Daily Log]] where you write down what you've worked on today, how it went, and what you'd like to do next ([[Interstitial journaling]]). A [[Creative Log]] per project or topic (Bob Doto recommends one file per topic even if there are different projects within that topic) where you keep track of individual work sessions: what you did exactly, what sections you'd like to improve, or other thoughts that occurred to you. Start every day by reviewing yesterday's daily log, and then follow those threads through to the creative logs that you want to work on. ## Antithesis > [!question] What was missing? > Identify points the author made that you disagree with or feel should have been included. What are some related ideas from other authors that might conflict with this author's ideas? ### Lack of focus on digital implementations The book was about the Zettelkasten process in general, whether an analog or digital ZK is used. However, I think it would have been more useful to focus on how to implement ZK digitally, including things like: - How to use [[Links]] and [[Backlinks]] - Digital alternatives to [[Folgezettel]] (unique filenames, auto-generated timestamps) - Databases and querying your notes ([[Dataview plugin]], [[Obsidian Bases plugin]]) - Plugins that provide structure, like [[Obsidian ExcaliBrain]] or [[Obsidian Breadcrumbs plugin|Breadcrumbs]] - Properties and [[LATCH approach for PKM metadata|LATCH]]-style metadata to provide additional context to main notes - Automation tools around publishing your work - Search (basic and advanced), find and replace - [[Version Control System|Version control]] - "Read it later" tools like [[Readwise]] to automate the most tedious part of the process (creating reference notes) ### No spatial or visual elements The book only talked about ZKs that are wholly textual. [[Zsolt Viczián]]'s work on [[Visual Thinking]] could be applied here to create a foundation for a [[Visual Zettelkasten]], or at least a ZK that incorporates more visuals. Visual mapping tools could also have been used to add ways to situate main notes *spatially* as well as semantically. For example, using [[Canvas]] or [[Obsidian Excalidraw]] could have been used as a structure note like a storyboard of related notes. ### Some elements of ZK are archaic This is more to do with the general concept of a ZK than this book, but I continue to find some elements of ZK archaic and unnecessarily restrictive. It was created for an analog system and that really shows. Here are some things that still grate on me: - Folgezettel - Distinctions between main and structure notes. I don't see see why I have to determine what type of note something is as long as I'm constantly refining it. - The implication that notes in a ZK are somehow more important than fleeting notes, project management notes, journal entries, etc. - The lack of integration of digital tools (as simple as search) ## Synthesis > [!question] Middle ground > How would you reconcile conflicting ideas? What are some other similar ideas you've heard of from others? How is this relevant to you? ### The principles of ZK are still solid when applied in moderation If I were to distill the essential and most useful parts of ZK, it would be these: - Capture all thoughts you want to keep track of, whether they come from you or from content you consume. - Process those notes based on time available and importance. - Add links and metadata to every note that you create to contextualise it. Don't create orphaned notes. - Consider methods of resurfacing/reviewing your notes that work for you, such as: - Digital tools and plugins - [[Obsidian Excalidraw]]/[[Canvas]] - [[Obsidian ExcaliBrain|ExcaliBrain]]/[[Graph view]] - [[Dataview plugin|Dataview]]/[[Obsidian Bases plugin]] - [[Obsidian Breadcrumbs plugin]] - [[Strange New Worlds]] - [[Dice roller plugin]] - [[Lightning rods]] page that tries to identify clusters of thought - Using traditional ZK methods - [[Folgezettel]] - [[Hub Notes]] - [[Structure Notes]] - [[Keyword Indexes]] - [[Word cloud]], [[Artificial Intelligence|AI]]? - Make stuff with your ZK - Start with reference notes and main notes - Cultivate structure notes - Use automation tools for publishing ([[Buttondown]] for newsletters, for example, or [[Quartz]] or [[obsidian-playbook/Obsidian Plugins/Core Plugins/Obsidian Publish|Obsidian Publish]] for publishing raw notes) - Process created notes back into your vault. ## Related - [[Zettelkasten]] contains my thoughts on this topic based on this book and other sources - [[Bob Doto]] is the author of this book - [[A Real Zettelkasten Workflow in Obsidian]] is a livestream I did with [[Bob Doto]] and [[Tristram Oaten|Tris Oaten]] where we discussed our differing viewpoints on ZK. - [[Live - How to Sketch Your Mind in Obsidian and more, with Zsolt Viczián]] is a livestream where I talke to [[Zsolt Viczián]] about how to create a [[Visual Zettelkasten]] %% # Excalidraw Data ## Text Elements ## Drawing ```json {"type":"excalidraw","version":2,"source":"https://github.com/zsviczian/obsidian-excalidraw-plugin/releases/tag/2.0.25","elements":[],"appState":{"theme":"dark","gridSize":null,"viewBackgroundColor":"#ffffff"}} ``` %%