A System for Writing

A : [[book]]

Written by : [[Bob Doto]]

Bob presents a [[system]] for [[writing]] - the [[Zettelkasten]] method.

[[personal knowledge management]].

The mind is for having ideas, not holding them (David Allen)

Some tension with spaced repetition etc? In that spaced repetition is all about trying to hold ideas in the mind.

if your zettelkasten is filled with every random thought you have, in whatever unedited state you capture it, your zettelkasten will soon become an unpleasant place to visit. Engaging with the slip box should feel exciting, not anxiety-producing.

Do i do this? The notes in my journal are closer to fleeting notes than main notes. That's OK though, I think. Journals are OK for that purpose.

Note-taking is writing, and writing is a path toward knowing

Why take notes? It helps you to understand what you think about things.

Taking notes marks the beginning of the externalization process

[[Fleeting notes]]

fleeting notes must be transformed into main notes if they’re to become useful

Reference notes

The most important thing about any form of reference note-making is to, at some point, return to the note

If you’re using a digital platform, create a folder within your “Zettelkasten” folder titled “Reference Notes.

Do i really need a separate folder?

Main notes

They’re the fundamental building blocks of your future writing and the primary components with which you will develop and challenge your thinking

Main notes. I think I've been using claims for roughly this.

Facts

To enhance the value of captured facts, it’s best to rephrase them in your own words

The more you integrate a fact into your own thinking, the more likely the fact will find its way into the broader network of ideas stored in your zettelkasten

Rephrase facts in your own words

Note makers sometimes question whether facts should coexist with personal thoughts, because facts appear less valuable. When copied from a source, facts are essentially quotes, especially when copying someone else’s words. Accumulating uncontextualized facts leads to a network of other people’s concepts, which will not necessarily improve your writing. To enhance the value of captured facts, it’s best to rephrase them in your own words.

[[Folgezettel]]

There's benefits to doing folgezettel even if you're using a digital system that doesn't need them as ids per se

[[Folgezettel makes you consider your new notes more carefully]].

so too is folgezettel a form of “eufriction,” a slowing down to better engage with the work in front of you. Having to manually apply alphanumeric IDs to notes decelerates the note-making process just enough to force you to think about what you’re doing. It builds good habits. It strengthens mental connections. It’s the kind of friction needed to help those who tend to dump links in their notes without taking the time to convey why they’ve done so