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Digital Zettelkasten: Principles, Methods, & Examples
Are you an academic, author, or blogger or anyone else who wants to make writing a breeze?
The Zettelkasten method is the perfect way to harness the power of technology to remember what you read and boost creativity. Invented in the 16th century, and practiced to its fullest extent by a German sociologist who wrote seventy books and hundreds of articles, the Zettelkasten method is exploding in popularity. Writers of all types are discovering that digital tools make the method more powerful than ever, turning your digital life into an “external brain,� or “bicycle for the mind.�
In Digital Principles, Methods, & Examples, blogger and nonfiction author David Kadavy shares a first-principles approach on how to adapt the Zettelkasten method to simple digital tools of your choice.
How to structure your Zettelkasten? Kadavy borrows an element of the Getting Things Done framework to make sure nothing you want to read falls through the cracks.Naming convention pros/cons. Should you adopt the classic “Folgezettel� technique, or do digital tools make it irrelevant for your workflow?Reading workflow. The exact steps to follow to turn what you read into detailed notes you can mix and match to produce writing.Staying comfortable. Build a workflow to maintain your Zettelkasten without being chained to your computer.Examples, examples, examples. See real examples of notes that illustrate concepts, so you can build a Zettelkasten that fits your workflow and tools.
Digital Principles, Methods, & Examples is short, to the point, with no fluff, so it won’t keep you from what you want � to build your Zettelkasten!
The Zettelkasten method is the perfect way to harness the power of technology to remember what you read and boost creativity. Invented in the 16th century, and practiced to its fullest extent by a German sociologist who wrote seventy books and hundreds of articles, the Zettelkasten method is exploding in popularity. Writers of all types are discovering that digital tools make the method more powerful than ever, turning your digital life into an “external brain,� or “bicycle for the mind.�
In Digital Principles, Methods, & Examples, blogger and nonfiction author David Kadavy shares a first-principles approach on how to adapt the Zettelkasten method to simple digital tools of your choice.
How to structure your Zettelkasten? Kadavy borrows an element of the Getting Things Done framework to make sure nothing you want to read falls through the cracks.Naming convention pros/cons. Should you adopt the classic “Folgezettel� technique, or do digital tools make it irrelevant for your workflow?Reading workflow. The exact steps to follow to turn what you read into detailed notes you can mix and match to produce writing.Staying comfortable. Build a workflow to maintain your Zettelkasten without being chained to your computer.Examples, examples, examples. See real examples of notes that illustrate concepts, so you can build a Zettelkasten that fits your workflow and tools.
Digital Principles, Methods, & Examples is short, to the point, with no fluff, so it won’t keep you from what you want � to build your Zettelkasten!
79 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 24, 2021
433 people are currently reading
1,547 people want to read
About the author
David Kadavy
25books272followersDavid Kadavy (@kadavy) is a bestselling author, blogger, podcaster, and speaker. Through his blogging at kadavy.net and his podcast, Love Your Work, he helps people find satisfaction through following their crafts, even if it takes them down unconventional paths. David's writing has appeared in Quartz, Observer, Inc.com, The Huffington Post, McSweeny’s Internet Tendency, and Upworthy. He has spoken in eight countries, including appearances at SXSW at TEDx. He lives in Medellín, Colombia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
August 27, 2021
A quick and basic introduction to the Zettelkasten method of knowledge management.
Not as detailed as but also not as long and challenging to unravel.
Read this book to see if ZK is for you. Read Ahrens to get a deeper understanding.
Then read the posts at Zettelkasten.de to learn to how actually do it.
Not as detailed as but also not as long and challenging to unravel.
Read this book to see if ZK is for you. Read Ahrens to get a deeper understanding.
Then read the posts at Zettelkasten.de to learn to how actually do it.
December 18, 2024
This is the book that serves as a bridge connecting the inanity of YouTube tutorials, and the insanity of Sonke Ahren's How To Take Smart Notes. It does not replace the function of either one, but helps in solidifying snippets of information in a subject fraught with inconsistent renditions and explanations. It does not assume you know nothing, but the only requirement is the mental agony of finding about the Zettelkasten system to a certain degree before turning to it. The author does provide explanations from scratch in a step-by-step manner - but the magic lies in the book cementing understanding gained from other sources, not giving a 101 course.
While a functional bridge, it is not one without holes. The climax of the Zettelkasten lies in the optimal conversion of Literature notes to Permanent notes, which was covered, but not in satisfying detail. There should have been more examples to illustrate the conversion and give the reader a larger sample size to minimise variance. The usefulness of the graph view (in select applications) and its implementation to generate ideas and link notes was missing, a system that cannot be compromised on.
The book will change the way the reader approach reading, should they pursue using the Zettelkasten system or not. The author explains the idea of linking and how it enables content organisation and creation, making Chapter 12 one of the most important. The reader may or may not build the ideal Zettelkasten after reading this book, nor should they expect themselves to, but the workflow reworked will be far superior to the former. In the end of the day, only the individual can decide what best suits them, based off of works such as this and other guides out there, mixing and matching to feel at their best.
While a functional bridge, it is not one without holes. The climax of the Zettelkasten lies in the optimal conversion of Literature notes to Permanent notes, which was covered, but not in satisfying detail. There should have been more examples to illustrate the conversion and give the reader a larger sample size to minimise variance. The usefulness of the graph view (in select applications) and its implementation to generate ideas and link notes was missing, a system that cannot be compromised on.
The book will change the way the reader approach reading, should they pursue using the Zettelkasten system or not. The author explains the idea of linking and how it enables content organisation and creation, making Chapter 12 one of the most important. The reader may or may not build the ideal Zettelkasten after reading this book, nor should they expect themselves to, but the workflow reworked will be far superior to the former. In the end of the day, only the individual can decide what best suits them, based off of works such as this and other guides out there, mixing and matching to feel at their best.
August 28, 2021
I think this book complements "How to Take Smart Notes" by Sönke Ahrens. If you are confused by "Digital Zettelkasten", I recommend you read Ahren's book first.
My main problem with Ahren's book was the lack of practical examples on how to use Zettlekasten. Kadavy's book shows you how he uses Zettlekasten. This book provides the best explanation about it I have read so far. But I wish that Kadavy had included more examples too.
I hope that Kadavy build upon this book in order to write a comprehensive guide to Zettlekasten.
My main problem with Ahren's book was the lack of practical examples on how to use Zettlekasten. Kadavy's book shows you how he uses Zettlekasten. This book provides the best explanation about it I have read so far. But I wish that Kadavy had included more examples too.
I hope that Kadavy build upon this book in order to write a comprehensive guide to Zettlekasten.
February 14, 2022
This "book" respects your time, you can read this during one lunch break.
As someone who has watched and read dozens of videos and blog posts about Zettelkasten systems, I didn't get anything new out of this. It doesn't even recommend any specific digital tools.
Basically this book tells you to "just put some Markdown files into your computer" and "then take fleeting notes, turn them into literature notes and then into permanent notes".
I came out not feeling any more inspired to finally start implementing a rock solid Zettelkasten system for myself.
The search for the holy grail continues...
As someone who has watched and read dozens of videos and blog posts about Zettelkasten systems, I didn't get anything new out of this. It doesn't even recommend any specific digital tools.
Basically this book tells you to "just put some Markdown files into your computer" and "then take fleeting notes, turn them into literature notes and then into permanent notes".
I came out not feeling any more inspired to finally start implementing a rock solid Zettelkasten system for myself.
The search for the holy grail continues...
June 2, 2021
This book is a really nice practical overview of the Zettlekasten method. I particularly liked that it approached the method from a digital perspective. I am currently reading Taking Smart Notes and I have found this book simplified things and addressed many of my questions.
September 22, 2022
4.5
Rzeczowo, krótko i na temat. Nie wiem do czego się można przyczepić, bardzo dobrze wszystko wytłumaczone na przykładach - w końcu!
Rzeczowo, krótko i na temat. Nie wiem do czego się można przyczepić, bardzo dobrze wszystko wytłumaczone na przykładach - w końcu!
July 22, 2021
Бесполезная книга если вы читали хоть что то еще по теме Zettelkasten
December 21, 2023
Since I have a lot of information input throughout my days, I'm in search for a system that can help me remember ideas I come across and synthesize them into new ideas too. David Kadavy has designed a digital version of German sociologist Niklas Luhmann's note system. The pros, in my opinion, is the ability to hyperlink notes together and capture what is most important to your projects and goals. If done well, you can follow trains of thought through your Zettelkasten, prompting new ideas and connections. The 'con' is that it takes a lot of work to set up, but as Kadavy reminds me: there's no quick-and-easy way to do it. It takes work. If you want to remember what you're learning, you have to put in the time (unless you have incredible memory, which I do not purport to having). Kadavy strongly recommends writing and re-writing what you're learning and processing.
I'll probably use a combination of Kadavy's digital Zettelkasten and Tiago Forte's PARA method. I have been trying the latter for a few months now and find it difficult to navigate. Kadavy might help a bit, but I'm still trying to figure out what is the best way to organize my digital life.
I'll probably use a combination of Kadavy's digital Zettelkasten and Tiago Forte's PARA method. I have been trying the latter for a few months now and find it difficult to navigate. Kadavy might help a bit, but I'm still trying to figure out what is the best way to organize my digital life.
January 11, 2024
Sách tóm tắt một s� khái niệm chính yếu nhất trong cuốn How to Take Smart Notes nhưng không đi vào c� th�, nên lời khuyên là nên đọc cuốn của Sonke Ahrens trước đ� có cái nhìn căn bản và toàn diện hơn v� Zettelkasten.
Sách là s� b� sung hữu ích cho khái niệm Zettelkasten vào thực t�, t� những nguyên lý, phương pháp áp dụng đến cách tác gi� dùng. Nhưng s� tốt hơn nếu tác gi� phân tích k� hơn v� một ví d� c� th� t� đầu đến cuối đ� người đọc có cái nhìn toàn diện và thấu đáo v� c� h� thống.
Trong s� các videos mình tìm xem v� cách áp dụng Zettelkasten, đây là video mình ưng nhất:
Sách là s� b� sung hữu ích cho khái niệm Zettelkasten vào thực t�, t� những nguyên lý, phương pháp áp dụng đến cách tác gi� dùng. Nhưng s� tốt hơn nếu tác gi� phân tích k� hơn v� một ví d� c� th� t� đầu đến cuối đ� người đọc có cái nhìn toàn diện và thấu đáo v� c� h� thống.
Trong s� các videos mình tìm xem v� cách áp dụng Zettelkasten, đây là video mình ưng nhất:
October 7, 2023
Good explanation of ZK without all the fluff.
It describes different methods of setting up ZK digitally.
I don't see the point of using the date format as an individual identifier because it has no meaning to me and has no relational significant to other points of data in my ZK other than knowing the creation date of my note.
One part of the book that I disagree with is that I don't think Fogelzettel style of giving each card an "ID" is hierarchical. You know, the one where he has 1, then 2, then he figures that there's an idea he has that relates to 1 but not 2, so he makes a 1a card to branch off of "1" as its stem.
While this may seem hierarchical, it's more of a continuum in the grand scheme of things, than it is a hierarchy, as the whole system relies on randomly giving a number to a specific card and not a broad yet specific topic like "sociology". In this way, the card can be more conceptual and transdisciplinary (e.g. if your permanent note says something like form fits function, this can fit both the fields the fields of biology and engineering, and literally tons of other fields, because it is a principle of nature).
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January 3, 2022
Un manual breve y conciso que resume el libro de Sönke Ahrens , y su implementación en un sistema digital. Si has leído el otro libro y te pareció muy complicado, este tiene la ventaja de ser una guía paso a paso. Y además, no gasta una página más de las necesarias en explicar nada.
February 22, 2022
A short and specific overview of zettelkasten. Not as thorough or as good as Ahrens book, but short and sweet.
July 24, 2023
I finished it in an afternoon. That speaks to its length, not my ambition.
It’s what it looks like on the box, and it does it pretty darn well. It just doesn’t do much more than that. It could easily be a YouTube video, and feels like it was written to avoid competition. Kudos to the author, it worked� I ain’t complaining. It’s just not a highly intellectual deep dive into Obsidian note taking. It’s intellectual, and it explores zettelkasten in Obsidian very well, but at the end of the day, that’s what it does. Having seen enough YouTube videos on the same topic, it didn’t provide much new. It only made me think deeper into the ideas presented. Books have a magical ability to do that. Respect.
It’s what it looks like on the box, and it does it pretty darn well. It just doesn’t do much more than that. It could easily be a YouTube video, and feels like it was written to avoid competition. Kudos to the author, it worked� I ain’t complaining. It’s just not a highly intellectual deep dive into Obsidian note taking. It’s intellectual, and it explores zettelkasten in Obsidian very well, but at the end of the day, that’s what it does. Having seen enough YouTube videos on the same topic, it didn’t provide much new. It only made me think deeper into the ideas presented. Books have a magical ability to do that. Respect.
September 24, 2023
Muito bom! Claro, curtinho, didático. Me tirou muitas dúvidas.
July 8, 2023
Clearly explained Zettelkasten, just what I wanted.
July 28, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed the concise nature of this book and its comprehensive coverage of the Zettlekasten method. It provided a well-rounded overview of the methodology and went beyond mere theoretical discussions in some cases. Unlike other books I've read on this subject matter ("Zettlekasten"), this one takes into account the digital aspect of utilizing the Zettlekasten method, rather than focusing solely on the traditional analog approach involving pen and paper. This nuanced approach adds a fresh perspective and makes the content more applicable to modern workflows and tools.
January 23, 2023
A short and sweet guide to using Zettelkasten (a non-hierarchical process for knowledge management and idea generation) in a digital form, from the point of view of a non-academic writer. See .
The author provides a practical guide in the form of how he does his zettlekasten work, which unlike most books on the subject is written with a mind to expressing the general ideas behind it, not just an unexplained "this is how I do it myself." While he has opinions about why certain implementation details are better than others, such as why digital forms are better than analogue forms, they are not dogmatic declarations, but explanations of his preferences, with reasoning behind it, and an acceptance that other people may have different values.
As a capsule summary of Zettelkasten, I think produces a good summary, without going into the detailed justification and theory the way primary sources would. In that sense, this book was perfect for my current needs of getting clarity around some use cases, but I imagine it may not really give you the full gist of why you would do this process at all.
In particular, this book was the first time I saw a fully spelled out process for taking books I read and producing, through various steps, permanent notes out of them, which is something I deeply appreciate as most explanations on the internet are either too specific with no elaboration on the principles around those choices, or only make sense for academics as that is where this zettelkasten process came from.
As someone who is very much into the task management process, I did appreciate how well the author's process mapped onto that. I got some heavy insights out of the author's use of "contexts", i.e. environments and situations where the author could do some zettelkasten work, to map out what are the best places, situations, and specific moments where certain parts of the whole knowledge/idea management process could be done in small anytime steps instead of it all blocking in large chunks. I will have to think about my own process around this since I do struggle to find the time/motivation for certain aspects.
I'm giving this a five because it gave me valuable suggestions for my current situation that I have not been able to find well-expressed elsewhere; However, I suspect this book doesn't stand on its own, that you will need to read additional material like the primary source and also do the same experimentation I (and presumably this author) did to fine-tune it all to work for them. For example, this book doesn't go into effective ways for gleaning understanding out of a book ( might help there), and it doesn't go deep into the art of how Zettelkasten idea should be shaped (which the primary text will help a lot on.)
The author provides a practical guide in the form of how he does his zettlekasten work, which unlike most books on the subject is written with a mind to expressing the general ideas behind it, not just an unexplained "this is how I do it myself." While he has opinions about why certain implementation details are better than others, such as why digital forms are better than analogue forms, they are not dogmatic declarations, but explanations of his preferences, with reasoning behind it, and an acceptance that other people may have different values.
As a capsule summary of Zettelkasten, I think produces a good summary, without going into the detailed justification and theory the way primary sources would. In that sense, this book was perfect for my current needs of getting clarity around some use cases, but I imagine it may not really give you the full gist of why you would do this process at all.
In particular, this book was the first time I saw a fully spelled out process for taking books I read and producing, through various steps, permanent notes out of them, which is something I deeply appreciate as most explanations on the internet are either too specific with no elaboration on the principles around those choices, or only make sense for academics as that is where this zettelkasten process came from.
As someone who is very much into the task management process, I did appreciate how well the author's process mapped onto that. I got some heavy insights out of the author's use of "contexts", i.e. environments and situations where the author could do some zettelkasten work, to map out what are the best places, situations, and specific moments where certain parts of the whole knowledge/idea management process could be done in small anytime steps instead of it all blocking in large chunks. I will have to think about my own process around this since I do struggle to find the time/motivation for certain aspects.
I'm giving this a five because it gave me valuable suggestions for my current situation that I have not been able to find well-expressed elsewhere; However, I suspect this book doesn't stand on its own, that you will need to read additional material like the primary source and also do the same experimentation I (and presumably this author) did to fine-tune it all to work for them. For example, this book doesn't go into effective ways for gleaning understanding out of a book ( might help there), and it doesn't go deep into the art of how Zettelkasten idea should be shaped (which the primary text will help a lot on.)
June 6, 2024
(promo)
My best book notes:
“A Zettelkasten � especially a digital one � is a bicycle for the mind.�
“the Zettelkasten method hijacks our short attention spans to help us be productive.�
“Zettelkasten is German for “slip box� (Plural: Zettelkästen). In analog form, a Zettelkasten is literally a box filled with slips of paper, each slip with a note on it, as well as metadata used to organize those notes. The Zettelkasten method is a way of organizing paper in a non-hierarchical way. Instead of being restricted to keeping a note only under one category, or having to make multiple copies of the same note to put in various places, notes are organized so that you can arrive at one individual note through various routes, and that note can lead you to various other notes � much like today’s internet, but in paper form�
“A Zettelkasten helps you produce writing. As a writer myself, I’m biased in this viewpoint, but I have a hard time imagining an ultimate use for a Zettelkasten other than writing. Yes, a Zettelkasten helps you retain what you read � but so you can turn that knowledge into writing. Yes, a Zettelkasten helps you retrieve knowledge when your memory fails you � so you can turn that into writing. Yes, a Zettelkasten helps you decide what to read next and develop your ideas � it even helps you have ideas. But what is all that for? To produce writing.�
“Retain what you read: No more forgetting what a book was about the moment you finish reading it. The Zettelkasten method helps�
“break reading down into a series of engaging rituals that repeatedly expose you to the most interesting things you’ve read � thus helping you retain what you read.�
“Retrieve it quickly: No more fumbling through pages to try to find that passage you want to reference. With your digital Zettelkasten, you can copy and paste the exact quote in seconds�
"Know what to read next: Your Zettelkasten helps you follow your curiosity in a productive way. If you’re looking for something to read, you can look in your Zettelkasten to see what sparks your interest. "
"Have ideas: Because your Zettelkasten frees your mental energy from having to remember and retrieve things you read or wrote long ago, you have more mental energy available to think about new ideas. "
“Search engines and the internet are not a substitute for your notes. Your notes contain more than just simple facts, managing your notes builds your memory, and your notes help you store and develop ideas in-progress.�
“productivity is about Mind Management, Not Time Management�
“Paper notes may help you remember the material better. Research suggests that writing by hand improves retention.�
“Permanent notes are explanations of a single idea, annotated with metadata about the subject of the note, other notes that note is related to, and the source of the note.�
“Experienced readers ask questions while reading and relate to other possible viewpoints. Inexperienced readers take the viewpoint as a given. They don’t think about what’s not mentioned in the text.�
(promo)
My best book notes:
“A Zettelkasten � especially a digital one � is a bicycle for the mind.�
“the Zettelkasten method hijacks our short attention spans to help us be productive.�
“Zettelkasten is German for “slip box� (Plural: Zettelkästen). In analog form, a Zettelkasten is literally a box filled with slips of paper, each slip with a note on it, as well as metadata used to organize those notes. The Zettelkasten method is a way of organizing paper in a non-hierarchical way. Instead of being restricted to keeping a note only under one category, or having to make multiple copies of the same note to put in various places, notes are organized so that you can arrive at one individual note through various routes, and that note can lead you to various other notes � much like today’s internet, but in paper form�
“A Zettelkasten helps you produce writing. As a writer myself, I’m biased in this viewpoint, but I have a hard time imagining an ultimate use for a Zettelkasten other than writing. Yes, a Zettelkasten helps you retain what you read � but so you can turn that knowledge into writing. Yes, a Zettelkasten helps you retrieve knowledge when your memory fails you � so you can turn that into writing. Yes, a Zettelkasten helps you decide what to read next and develop your ideas � it even helps you have ideas. But what is all that for? To produce writing.�
“Retain what you read: No more forgetting what a book was about the moment you finish reading it. The Zettelkasten method helps�
“break reading down into a series of engaging rituals that repeatedly expose you to the most interesting things you’ve read � thus helping you retain what you read.�
“Retrieve it quickly: No more fumbling through pages to try to find that passage you want to reference. With your digital Zettelkasten, you can copy and paste the exact quote in seconds�
"Know what to read next: Your Zettelkasten helps you follow your curiosity in a productive way. If you’re looking for something to read, you can look in your Zettelkasten to see what sparks your interest. "
"Have ideas: Because your Zettelkasten frees your mental energy from having to remember and retrieve things you read or wrote long ago, you have more mental energy available to think about new ideas. "
“Search engines and the internet are not a substitute for your notes. Your notes contain more than just simple facts, managing your notes builds your memory, and your notes help you store and develop ideas in-progress.�
“productivity is about Mind Management, Not Time Management�
“Paper notes may help you remember the material better. Research suggests that writing by hand improves retention.�
“Permanent notes are explanations of a single idea, annotated with metadata about the subject of the note, other notes that note is related to, and the source of the note.�
“Experienced readers ask questions while reading and relate to other possible viewpoints. Inexperienced readers take the viewpoint as a given. They don’t think about what’s not mentioned in the text.�
(promo)
May 29, 2023
First of all, it would take a really long time to define what a "zettlekasten" is and what its purpose is, hence the need for book so unfortunately I can't write a review for a general audience like I normally would. To write such review would take pages and pages, probably about 10. So I'm going to have to assume that readers of this review already know what is zettlekasten is and want to set one up.
This book does not toggle out about be theory behind zettlekasten or its history. For that people should read "How to Write Smart Notes." But That Was the Problem with How to Write Notes. It Didn't Actually Teach You the How Part�
This Book Is Actually the Only One I Know of That Gives You Good Guidance on How to Set up a Zettlekasten in the Modern World Where Your Zettlekasten, Note Collection or Library Is on a Computer Instead of in a Bunch of Physical Index Card Boxes. This Book Isn't Very Long at All, but It Shouldn't Be. Setting up a Zettlekasten Is Actually Relatively Simple Once You Understand the Framework behind It and Have a Framework for Your Own Working Note Collection. The Hard Thing Is Actually Doing the Tedious Daily Work of Collecting Your Notes Organizing and Reorganizing Your Zettlekasten As He Grows. The Problem Is That This Process Can Discourage You from Reading Books and Magazines Instead of Encouraging You. Once You Have a Basic Zettlekasten Structure Set up It's Just a Matter of Adding Notes from Every Single Thing That You Ever Read. So It's Good That This Book Is Short. Because You Don't Need to Spend Your Time Reading a Book on How to Set up a Zettlekasten. You Need to Spend Your Time Setting up Your Zettlekasten, Doing It Not Reading about It. For That This Is the Book I Would Recommend and This the Only Book I Would Recommend Because after You Read This Book You Don't Need to Read Any Others
This book does not toggle out about be theory behind zettlekasten or its history. For that people should read "How to Write Smart Notes." But That Was the Problem with How to Write Notes. It Didn't Actually Teach You the How Part�
This Book Is Actually the Only One I Know of That Gives You Good Guidance on How to Set up a Zettlekasten in the Modern World Where Your Zettlekasten, Note Collection or Library Is on a Computer Instead of in a Bunch of Physical Index Card Boxes. This Book Isn't Very Long at All, but It Shouldn't Be. Setting up a Zettlekasten Is Actually Relatively Simple Once You Understand the Framework behind It and Have a Framework for Your Own Working Note Collection. The Hard Thing Is Actually Doing the Tedious Daily Work of Collecting Your Notes Organizing and Reorganizing Your Zettlekasten As He Grows. The Problem Is That This Process Can Discourage You from Reading Books and Magazines Instead of Encouraging You. Once You Have a Basic Zettlekasten Structure Set up It's Just a Matter of Adding Notes from Every Single Thing That You Ever Read. So It's Good That This Book Is Short. Because You Don't Need to Spend Your Time Reading a Book on How to Set up a Zettlekasten. You Need to Spend Your Time Setting up Your Zettlekasten, Doing It Not Reading about It. For That This Is the Book I Would Recommend and This the Only Book I Would Recommend Because after You Read This Book You Don't Need to Read Any Others
May 2, 2023
This book is an opinionated take on how to practise Zettelkasten with digital tools. Thus, from the outset, chapter 7, "Digital or paper?", appears unnecessary. Unfortunately, the rest of the book is of moderate value to the reader who seeks a broader evaluation of digital approaches to Zettelkasten.
Overall, the book is easy reading but reveals little to a target audience that already knows about Zettelkasten. In my opinion, the content is more appropriate as a blog series, which, unconstrained by a minimum word count, could present the information concisely.
But, at the low price of the Kindle edition, this book is perhaps getting unfair criticism, especially since some passages in it are insightful. For example, "The bottleneck to the production of great ideas is not the speed at which we can write, nor the amount of writing you have to do." It is true that in this information age, the quality of ideas is a more appropriate measure of productivity than quantity of them. Yet, to come up with good ideas and bring them to fruition, we must dedicate a lot of time to thinking, which is counter-intuitive to the established notion that speed equals productivity.
I recommend the book to people who are already set to doing Zettelkasten digitally and who want to learn how the author does it.
Overall, the book is easy reading but reveals little to a target audience that already knows about Zettelkasten. In my opinion, the content is more appropriate as a blog series, which, unconstrained by a minimum word count, could present the information concisely.
But, at the low price of the Kindle edition, this book is perhaps getting unfair criticism, especially since some passages in it are insightful. For example, "The bottleneck to the production of great ideas is not the speed at which we can write, nor the amount of writing you have to do." It is true that in this information age, the quality of ideas is a more appropriate measure of productivity than quantity of them. Yet, to come up with good ideas and bring them to fruition, we must dedicate a lot of time to thinking, which is counter-intuitive to the established notion that speed equals productivity.
I recommend the book to people who are already set to doing Zettelkasten digitally and who want to learn how the author does it.
September 24, 2022
I would read 'How to Take Smart Notes' by by Sönke Ahrens before anything, it is the most robust source for learning Zettelkasten process.
I've read a few short "getting started" guides to building a digital Zettelkasten which distill ideas from 'How to Take Smart Notes'. This is short but generally has useful advice that absolutely will help in setting up a Zettelkasten (slip box) process in a tool like Obsidian. I personally liked this better than 'How to Take Smart Notes in Obsidian'.
I think some of the advice he lays out is very useful. Topics covered include: highlighting, summarizing reading concepts, naming files, keywords patterns, contexts for processing, converting notes to permanent notes, and overall structure/metadata.
I started using Obsidian and learning this method pretty haphazardly, and have had to make many revisions to my process before perfecting what worked best for me. Everyone will do this differently but some of his advice could definitely give you a head start, and each topic he shows multiple examples since there is no singular way to do this.
Only real criticism is that I would have liked to see some of the chapters fleshed out a bit more. A few of the topics he covers are only a couple pages, even though the information is useful.
I've read a few short "getting started" guides to building a digital Zettelkasten which distill ideas from 'How to Take Smart Notes'. This is short but generally has useful advice that absolutely will help in setting up a Zettelkasten (slip box) process in a tool like Obsidian. I personally liked this better than 'How to Take Smart Notes in Obsidian'.
I think some of the advice he lays out is very useful. Topics covered include: highlighting, summarizing reading concepts, naming files, keywords patterns, contexts for processing, converting notes to permanent notes, and overall structure/metadata.
I started using Obsidian and learning this method pretty haphazardly, and have had to make many revisions to my process before perfecting what worked best for me. Everyone will do this differently but some of his advice could definitely give you a head start, and each topic he shows multiple examples since there is no singular way to do this.
Only real criticism is that I would have liked to see some of the chapters fleshed out a bit more. A few of the topics he covers are only a couple pages, even though the information is useful.
August 13, 2023
I finished David Kadavy's Digital Zettelkasten - Principles, Methods, & Examples in a day. The cover describes it as a "A Short Read" and it's not wrong. It's 12,970 words or so, or 99 pages.
It was a succinct overview of the Zettelkasten note-taking method. It was practical but didn't capture the excitement that Sönke Ahrens imbued into How to Take Smart Notes. I suspect I would have been lost without having read Ahrens' longer book and watched a number of YouTube videos discussing the method first.
At the same time, Kadavy's practical approach from the writer's perspective matched mostly what I have in mind for how to use Zettelkasten, since I too am using it primarily for writing. Will it help create a fully-formed book straight out of my notes? No. I agree with Kadavy when he says, "Some people dream of dynamically including the contents of each note to magically construct an already-written article from existing notes.... I think that’s overrated."
But I think Zettelkasten note-taking helps tremendously to retain what I consume. Rather than assuming I'll somehow retain it all in my brain, now I know that the most resonant bits are stored away for future use, ready to be integrated with future ideas. That's a powerful method indeed.
It was a succinct overview of the Zettelkasten note-taking method. It was practical but didn't capture the excitement that Sönke Ahrens imbued into How to Take Smart Notes. I suspect I would have been lost without having read Ahrens' longer book and watched a number of YouTube videos discussing the method first.
At the same time, Kadavy's practical approach from the writer's perspective matched mostly what I have in mind for how to use Zettelkasten, since I too am using it primarily for writing. Will it help create a fully-formed book straight out of my notes? No. I agree with Kadavy when he says, "Some people dream of dynamically including the contents of each note to magically construct an already-written article from existing notes.... I think that’s overrated."
But I think Zettelkasten note-taking helps tremendously to retain what I consume. Rather than assuming I'll somehow retain it all in my brain, now I know that the most resonant bits are stored away for future use, ready to be integrated with future ideas. That's a powerful method indeed.
November 12, 2023
I've read Sönke Ahrens' How to take Smart Notes in 2018 and thought it was very inciteful but at the time. There were no digital implementations of zettelkastens available. In the years after, lots of digital zettelkasten tools have been developed: Roam, Obsidian, Logseq, Zettlr, etc. I read this kindle book because I thought it would be an interesting take on how to use the digital zettelkasten tools.
I was very disappointed. The kindle book is very short with some sections being only a few lines long. All it really does is give a brief outline of what zettelkasten is and how the author understands it. This feels like a short blog post turned into a kindle book written with chatgpt. The examples shown also looked like the author just made them up in 10 minutes before taken a screenshot since the links were shallow and only comprised of two or three entries. Contrast this with a proper zettelkasten system where individual entries will have indexes to 15 to 20 other entries.
Overall, I don't recommend this book. Just read How to take Smart Notes to understand how zettelkasten works and if you want to use a digital version, just use Obsidian or Roam Research but note that Roam now cost money with the best value being $500 for 5 years.
I was very disappointed. The kindle book is very short with some sections being only a few lines long. All it really does is give a brief outline of what zettelkasten is and how the author understands it. This feels like a short blog post turned into a kindle book written with chatgpt. The examples shown also looked like the author just made them up in 10 minutes before taken a screenshot since the links were shallow and only comprised of two or three entries. Contrast this with a proper zettelkasten system where individual entries will have indexes to 15 to 20 other entries.
Overall, I don't recommend this book. Just read How to take Smart Notes to understand how zettelkasten works and if you want to use a digital version, just use Obsidian or Roam Research but note that Roam now cost money with the best value being $500 for 5 years.
November 26, 2024
Este es un libro muy cortito, que me parece un muy buen acompañamiento al de Ahrens, porque en donde se queda corto es en los ejemplos, cosa que el de Kadavy tiene bastantes.
No es mejor libro que el de Ahrens, son muy diferentes, y como digo, complementarios. En el de Ahrens está la teoría, el por qué, en el de Kadavy está el como. Tampoco tiene tantos ejemplos como me gustaría, pero son suficientes, quizás agregar más añadiría volumen innecesario.
Quedan claro los conceptos resumidos de los tipos de nota, y además aporta algo de "rituales" para hacer del método un hábito.
Es una buena lectura para entender más el método, sin embargo no lo leería aislado, primero hay que ver algunos videos en YouTube o leer el libro de Ahrens.
No es mejor libro que el de Ahrens, son muy diferentes, y como digo, complementarios. En el de Ahrens está la teoría, el por qué, en el de Kadavy está el como. Tampoco tiene tantos ejemplos como me gustaría, pero son suficientes, quizás agregar más añadiría volumen innecesario.
Quedan claro los conceptos resumidos de los tipos de nota, y además aporta algo de "rituales" para hacer del método un hábito.
Es una buena lectura para entender más el método, sin embargo no lo leería aislado, primero hay que ver algunos videos en YouTube o leer el libro de Ahrens.
January 20, 2023
A very fast read, David Kadavy's "Digital Zettelkasten" is chock-full of ideas to help you get started in building your own Zettlekasten personal knowledge management system. While some reviewers posted negative comments, I found his suggestions and examples to be really helpful and a jump start to getting my system up and running. I do take issue with the need to write down everything rather than copy-and-paste and think that brain power might be more productively spent looking for key connections between ideas; nonetheless, David makes the point that writing things down helps us interpret an author's writings in a context that makes sense for us. In addition, typing stuff out engages the "incubation" mode of the creative process. This is a point he also makes in "Mind Management, Not Time Management" (which I also recommend). Bottom line is that given the modest investment in time needed to read this book (you can buzz through it in an evening), the payback is very worthwhile.
May 16, 2023
Zettelkasten is an exceptional method that enables me to construct an external brain. As Umberto Eco astutely observed, there is a vast expanse of knowledge that remains unknown to individuals who merely photocopy texts, deluding themselves into thinking they have comprehended the material. Consequently, many people dismiss the importance of taking notes. However, it becomes clear that relying solely on fleeting original notes without organizing them within a personal knowledge framework renders them essentially useless. Transforming these ephemeral notes into well-structured literature notes and establishing connections between them is of utmost significance. Moreover, it serves as valuable input for further learning. Yet, input alone is insufficient. The most effective learning method entails output. By engaging in output activities, one can assess their comprehension and assimilation of the knowledge they have acquired. In essence, it is crucial not to deceive oneself, as this truth resonates throughout one's entire life.
November 8, 2021
I've found this book after reading Kadavy's article on the . Since I was struggling to figure out how to use the zettelkasten method, I had found his article very interesting and useful. However, I still had some questions about it, so when I saw he had written a book that extended on that article, I bought it.
I was expecting more detail on the method, about how it worked, how to develop a process to go about it. Unfortunately, I didn't find any of that. In fact, I'd not be able to tell the book was much more different from the article, except that it had a long intro on the method, and more fluff on some of his article's sections, none of which add any value to the main thesis of his book, which is to explain the principles, methods, and examples of the zettelkasten method. What a disappointment.
I was expecting more detail on the method, about how it worked, how to develop a process to go about it. Unfortunately, I didn't find any of that. In fact, I'd not be able to tell the book was much more different from the article, except that it had a long intro on the method, and more fluff on some of his article's sections, none of which add any value to the main thesis of his book, which is to explain the principles, methods, and examples of the zettelkasten method. What a disappointment.
January 27, 2022
A great follow-up read to . I first read "How to Take Smart Notes" a few months ago and found difficult to apply it to my workflow. Then 's book provided a complete example of a functioning Zettelkasten workflow, and after reading it let me go back to ' and get much more out from my reading. Recommended.
August 7, 2024
After reading Building a Second brain, this feels repetitive and not very useful.
I would recommend reading that book over this to get a more detailed and better system to manage your notes. I infact see that most of the useful concepts in this book are present in that one. Though the opposite does not hold true. I appreciate that the author put in so much information in such a small book that took 1 hour to read. But there are better books on the topic out there, rendering this not very helpful.
I guess one thing that came out of this book for me was since I am researching on the topic I was also considering reading 'How To Take Smart Notes'(The German for which is Das Zettelkasten-Prinzip) which I will no longer need given that this book got inspiration from it and I feel I am doing good enough on this particular area of life now
I would recommend reading that book over this to get a more detailed and better system to manage your notes. I infact see that most of the useful concepts in this book are present in that one. Though the opposite does not hold true. I appreciate that the author put in so much information in such a small book that took 1 hour to read. But there are better books on the topic out there, rendering this not very helpful.
I guess one thing that came out of this book for me was since I am researching on the topic I was also considering reading 'How To Take Smart Notes'(The German for which is Das Zettelkasten-Prinzip) which I will no longer need given that this book got inspiration from it and I feel I am doing good enough on this particular area of life now
August 21, 2021
I read it after reading , hoping it will make some steps clearer to me and help me create a digital slip box.
It did have few useful tips but in general it lacks real explanation on digital tools.
Because it is a short read I would suggest it for anyone starting to create a digital Zettelkasten (Slip Box), just don't expect any mind blowing ideas and techniques.
It did have few useful tips but in general it lacks real explanation on digital tools.
Because it is a short read I would suggest it for anyone starting to create a digital Zettelkasten (Slip Box), just don't expect any mind blowing ideas and techniques.
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