Commonplace Book Insight System (Zettelkasten) is Powerful

[Ayham]

So I discovered this thing and I have been trying it for a while, it is much more powerful than a normal commonplace book for the following reason: the purpose is generating heavily interconnected insights, not saving information.

So here is the system: you have three main categories (fleeting notes, literature notes, and permanent notes) 
Software of my choice is obsidian 

Fleeting notes
Notes you capture on the phone, on a notebook, etc. these are quick insights, thoughts and ideas you quickly capture throughout your day

Literature notes
These are your notes about a specific source (video, text, article, podcast, book, etc.)

Permanent notes
After gathering enough fleeting and literature notes, you can process them whenever you like, whether immediately or once a week or anywhere in between, into atomic notes, meaning they contain one idea and an atomic title, meaning the whole idea of the note is contained in the title, and you add links back to the literature or fleeting notes the note came from.

Each note will begin spawning many connections, your insights will be consistently used, reused, refined and connected to each other.

And in the end you can add a sort of projects folder, like using your permanent notes as a source for writing specific things.

this system to me is best for generating insights and for maximum understanding, but you can't keep everything about your life in it, so for me, a mix of this digital system on obsidian + physical journal = all set

[QVx]

Great suggestion for many people, a robust system is fantastic for managing the mind.

There is one warning I would like to point out;

The system will always create bias and, as such, is limited by its own existence.

Be conscious to recognise this truth on a regular basis, and in doing so purge all your content in order to start fresh.

You will know when your consciousness truly begins to settle at a new baseline, as your need for systems and recording of knowledge fades away. 

[Ayham]

@QVx As in, the system is a means to an end, at some point you will have to let go of it, right? have you used something similar? 

[QVx]

Of course, until you realise that letting go is still the same as holding on

I used to journal a lot a few years ago, now I don’t particularly write anything down.

If I do, I become quickly aware it was a passing insight that needs to be let go of, or a reminder of something I’m already aware of.

Journaling is extremely useful for people who have a busy mind. When you get good at journaling it can feel like the world has been lifted off your shoulders. 

[Dauntment]

On 3/27/2024 at 1:45 AM, QVx said:

Of course, until you realise that letting go is still the same as holding on

I used to journal a lot a few years ago, now I don’t particularly write anything down.

If I do, I become quickly aware it was a passing insight that needs to be let go of, or a reminder of something I’m already aware of.

Journaling is extremely useful for people who have a busy mind. When you get good at journaling it can feel like the world has been lifted off your shoulders. 

+1

I'd like to add/emphasize (ESPECIALLY the case during trips) the duality of "knowing" and "logging insights/journaling"; You don't need to write down something you already know...in other words, essentially the more you write down, the more you are implicitly declaring "I need to learn/know/integrate this"

I'd say Journaling/Logging insights is primarily for:

1. To share with others

2. To remind yourself to learn or study from

3. (the rarest) truly for its OWN sake