Learn Zettelkasten by Example #1: The Collector's Fallacy
Intro Blurb
I've talked a lot about how Zettelkasten is complicatedZettelkasten shouldn't be complicated, but it is.Zettelkasten is Complicated There are a lot of things I like about Zettelkasten, but one thing I don't like is how complicated it is to set up. According to the building blocks of Zettelkasten blog post, a typical Zettelkasten system consists of an inbox, an archive, and a reference database. Inbox**: the gateway into your knowledge system (e.g. Google Notes, Email, Apple Notes, etc.) Archive**: the one, trusted place to look for information (e.g. Obsidian, Roam Research, etc.) Reference Data but I've never dove deeper into exactly how I use Zettelkasten to take notes. In order to lead by examplelead by exampleLeading by example makes followers more inclined to follow, every week, I will read an article and take connected notesThe simplest way to use Zettelkasten for note managementEverywhere I look, I find complicated Zettelkasten workflows that require a multi-step setup process. On top of the setup, notes must be regularly reviewed and categorized. For some, this workflow may be a godsend, but for most, it's overkill. I'm here to unveil my method of using Zettelkasten. It may be unconventional, so beware. Zettelkasten Concepts Zettelkasten can be distilled into two principles: take atomic notes and make connections. What this means is to take notes that are limited to. Hopefully, this process can give you ideas about how to improve your Zettelkasten workflow. Also, feel free to suggest articles you want me to read next week.
My Notes
Article Link: https://zettelkasten.de/posts/collectors-fallacy/
- I collect things mainly because of loss aversionloss aversionthe fear of losing something is a greater motivator than the prospect of gaining something I don't want to potentially lose some knowledge I find meaningful
- merging content, information, ideas, and thoughts and processing it is what integrates knowledge into our brain connecting ideas is powerfulconnecting ideas is powerful* encourages you to revisit old ideas and improves learning. * helps you discover new ideas through connections. * allows you to reuse your ideas in a different context. Related: notes/the brain is a network of ideas
- bookmarking is great for navigation when you want to revisit something but is NOT good for learning photocopying items doesn't help with learningphotocopying items doesnt help with learningwhen you copy something it doesn't help with learning because we aren't making the connections to our brains. connecting ideas is powerful
- I don't really get the reward like these doves. For me it's just an unnecessary step.
- I don't think reading is pointless without note taking. It still helps us but the portion of information we absorb is a lot less.
- first step to conquering collectors fallacycollectors fallacycollecting notes without real learning. only to collect is to realize that collecting notes does not increase knowledge
- brain is better with small cycles of infobrain is better with small cycles of infoour brains are better equipped to deal with shorter cycles of information as opposed to longer cycles of information. it's why doing things incrementally is more efficient
A Video
Here is a video of me taking the notes + my commentary.