Categories play the main role in dividing mine thoughts from authors
The Idea from 2024
- An unplanned insight helped crystallize my understanding of the role each tool in my note-taking framework plays.
- I was a staunch opponent of separating types of notes, as Sonke describes in his book. In my view, this division seemed redundant and excessively meticulous. But the more I analyze my approach to managing information, the more I recognize parallels with the original Zettelkasten hierarchy of notes.
- As I like to say, patterns emerge naturally if a person works consistently; the right tool finds its rightful place among others. And usually, the fewer tools, the better.
- As it turns out, I have all categories of notes in my vault: fleeting, literature, permanent, and project notes. Whatβs absolutely essential, and what I wish to emphasize, is that each type of note has a unique tool and applicationβdistinct in its physical manifestation and in the underlying thought process.
- Iβve also noticed an intriguing feature: itβs not the note itself that drives the meaningful use of the tool, but rather the tool that imbues the note with purpose.
- Pen and paper are the tools I rely on for fleeting notes; they allow me to think more slowly and deliberately than I would with a keyboard and screen.
- Even now, as I write this note, Iβm βcheatingβ by glancing at a notepad where Iβve jotted down ideas on this topic.
- Zotero and the Zotero integration plugin are indispensable components of my workflow with ideas that arenβt my own.
- These tools enable me to create literature notes, which include my brief commentaries and comprehensive annotations from the source. I keep these notes distinct from the rest of my vaultβthey arenβt even indexed by the search engine.
- Obsidian is the central tool in this suite; itβs where my permanent notes reside.
- Within this vault, the main intellectual work takes place. Plugins like Canvas, Excalidraw, Excalibrain, and others serve a single purpose: to create a distraction-free environment where deep thinking and synthesis can occur.
- Canvas in Obsidian, along with the Longform plugin, are the tools I use to initiate, develop, and complete any large-scale projectsβfrom writing a book to structuring an essay.
- I consider these project notes. I could, of course, use a plain note to gather all my thoughts, but I find linear text to be an inadequate method of organization. Even an outline lacks the hierarchical capabilities I need.
The Idea from 2021
Categories play the central role in distinguishing my own thoughts from those of other authors.
- A fleeting note is essentially an inboxβa space for ideas roughly sketched βon the back of a napkinβ or quickly recorded in a note-taking app on my phone.
- Bibliography is where I store ideas, citations, and sources that arenβt my own; they act as reference points for future research.
- Zettelkasten holds my own ideas, which develop on the foundation of someone elseβs work, applied in a personal context and compared with my existing knowledge and experience.
- Digital garden is where I cultivate ideas that, to my mindβs eye, have the potential to βtake flightβ and be enriched by cross-pollination with ideas from other gardens.
Why is it important to keep notes separated? It creates an ever-evolving cycle of growth. An idea follows a spiral trajectory, ascending and expanding over time.
UPD: 220821 An additional thought supporting my perspective was expressed by Alexey in his garden. Although his idea pertains to GTD, the underlying concept remains universally applicable.
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