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Stop Taking Regular Notes; Use a Zettelkasten Instead

eugeneyan.com

51–60 of 309 posts

Re: Stop Taking Regular Notes; Use a Zettelkasten Instead

#51
I think it's important to identify what your goal is, before deciding which note taking system works for you.

Regular notes are a spoon, this method may be a fork. Until you know what type of dish you're going to be eating, it's hard to advocate one utensil over another, although when in doubt, a spoon is a pretty decent universal.

Re: Stop Taking Regular Notes; Use a Zettelkasten Instead

#52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> will annoy about 50% Why? I'm conservative but I've taken tips from Obama and Bill Clinton. A good idea is a good idea. That Obama and Clinton are successful is all the more reason to pay attention when they give productivity advice, even though I disagree with several of their policies.

Many people find certain opinions of JP’s fall beyond the spectrum of reasonably debatable points of view, and cross the line into the unacceptable. You may disagree on whether JP is too extreme to be part of reasonable discourse, but everyone has a line somewhere. I would find it distracting if the article randomly showed a screenshot of quotes from Chairman Mao, and regardless of the rest of the article, it would u…

And do you think it's rational that people judge the content based on some icons that often don't have anything to do with the content itself?

If someone would publish a whitepaper with a working cure for cancer, but would insert Stalin's photo into the paper, should the paper be automatically disqualified and the author exiled? ;)

Re: Stop Taking Regular Notes; Use a Zettelkasten Instead

#53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whether you agree with any particular Controversial Political Figure or not, using one as an example will annoy about 50% of your audience (variable, of course, with your audience's current politicization and self-selection). Using neutral examples will help keep the focus on your message rather than incidental politics.

Interestingly, it looks like the JP screenshot is suddenly gone from the post.

Yes, but it's still available on web archive:

http://web.archive.org/web/20200407164125/https://eugeneyan....

Re: Stop Taking Regular Notes; Use a Zettelkasten Instead

#54
post #43
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't seem that harmful, as it might increase their motivation to study a subject?

Studying a subject is not exactly the same as writing more notes about it.

Yes, but it's not unrelated. We don't have to measure everything objectively all the time when it comes to human performance. Sometimes rituals help indirectly or in the long run.

Re: Stop Taking Regular Notes; Use a Zettelkasten Instead

#55
post #48
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have notes on the internal of a programming language, or what library function does what, along with accompanying example code, as well definitions for things I saw in the wild. It was sometime difficult for me to figure out how to use an API due to lack of examples. So it's important to document that.

> I have notes on the internal of a programming language, or what library function does what, along with accompanying example code, as well definitions for things I saw in the wild. I don't think Zettelkasten will provide much benefits for this type of note taking. It probably still is better than normal note taking, but don't expect great benefits using ZK for things like this.

That's fair. All my notes goes into one system, regardless of how applicable a Zettlelkasten system is to certain notes.

Re: Stop Taking Regular Notes; Use a Zettelkasten Instead

#56
I have followed a somewhat similar technique to zettelkasten-technique for cross-referencing information, and it has really helped deriving substantial perspective on the information presented. Hence, I believe this approach helps relate/recall conceptual relationships while re-visiting those notes at a later time.

Re: Stop Taking Regular Notes; Use a Zettelkasten Instead

#57
post #22

People love doing things that feel like work, but aren’t. I’m terrified of picking up new systems like this without having a purpose. I could spend hours building out a graph, admiring all of MY knowledge, but not really have any intended use for it other than telling others about it and how I’m going to use it someday.

You're in a perceptive loop concerning this particular object (systems like this) then. You see future-self behaving as past-self did.

You can keep doing that, looping. People who are natural contingency planners do this all the time--they map their past onto future-self. Flexing this muscle because it's strongest.

However this is also a good way of preventing yourself from re-exploring new objects through a different lens.

Or asking people, "here's what I tried--what are you doing differently?"

If you can treat it as a skill with unlimited outcomes per-experience, rather than a forced repetition of past-self, you get a huge mental plasticity bonus. Once you've gotten to that point you can also find yourself building your own tech with fewer crippling concerns about future outcomes. It's a great unlocking method.

Re: Stop Taking Regular Notes; Use a Zettelkasten Instead

#58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many people find certain opinions of JP’s fall beyond the spectrum of reasonably debatable points of view, and cross the line into the unacceptable. You may disagree on whether JP is too extreme to be part of reasonable discourse, but everyone has a line somewhere. I would find it distracting if the article randomly showed a screenshot of quotes from Chairman Mao, and regardless of the rest of the article, it would u…

And do you think it's rational that people judge the content based on some icons that often don't have anything to do with the content itself? If someone would publish a whitepaper with a working cure for cancer, but would insert Stalin's photo into the paper, should the paper be automatically disqualified and the author exiled? ;)

Well, humans aren’t entirely rational ;) I wouldn’t say the paper be automatically disqualified and the author exiled, but I would question the author’s judgement.

Re: Stop Taking Regular Notes; Use a Zettelkasten Instead

#59
post #23

This looks interesting, but one potential problem with this method is that you start treating the number of notes or the size of the graph as a success metric. The author even notes how it is 'pleasing' to see their note graph grow in size. This could be a perverse incentive.

I don't use Zettelkasten but I have over 1000 of my own frameworks in a homebrew organization and reference system. Up to about number 900, it had a "the more the better" vibe to it. It was fun to count the files.

Once I passed 900, I counted them up and then realized that the best frameworks are those that are actively maintained, and _those_ are more likely to cause churn throughout the system. Activities like reorganization and even condensation. This resulted in a reduction in the file count, but it was definitely for the better.

The most perverse incentive IMO is when your system of organization, structure, and own-ideas is so good that you become addicted to it. You forget to ask others what they think, or what they're doing, because you want to experience and learn it for yourself. Don't tell me--I want to puzzle it out.

But as with just about any perverse incentive, you probably learn about it as you go along, especially if the system is there to help you out in the first place. And then you fix the problem.

Re: Stop Taking Regular Notes; Use a Zettelkasten Instead

#60
post #22

People love doing things that feel like work, but aren’t. I’m terrified of picking up new systems like this without having a purpose. I could spend hours building out a graph, admiring all of MY knowledge, but not really have any intended use for it other than telling others about it and how I’m going to use it someday.

that is not an unreasonable fear. I'm reminded of something I read once.

there are two kinds of people:

- those who make lists and use them.

- and those who make lists and lose them.

I would say 90% of the todos and ideas I jot down and overorganize don't lead to anything. But the 10% I do - they keep the wheels from coming off my life. (to be fair, there is a very low cost of capture, and I do it all electronically)

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