Notes that talk to each other
A pile of notes is storage. Notes that link to each other become a way of thinking. Here is the difference.
Most people take notes the way they stuff a drawer: things go in and rarely come out. The notes are safe, but they do not do anything.
There is another way to keep notes, and it is older than any app. You write each idea on its own card, and you connect it to the others.
One idea per note#
A note should hold a single idea, written in a way that makes sense on its own. Not a copy of an article, and not a meeting transcript. One thought, in your own words.
This is harder than it sounds. Putting an idea in your own words forces you to understand it, and that is already half the value.
Link as you go#
When you write a new note, ask: what does this relate to? Link it to the notes it agrees with, disagrees with or builds on. Add a sentence saying why.
Over time, the links matter more than the notes. You start to see clusters, contradictions and gaps. An idea you had in March meets one from October, and a third idea appears that neither contained.
A famous example#
The German sociologist Niklas Luhmann kept a large box of linked paper notes for decades. He said that the box was a partner he talked to, and that it often surprised him. He also wrote a great many books and articles. The method is often called the Zettelkasten, which means slip box.
You do not need a special tool. Paper cards and a pencil work. So does any app that lets you link one note to another.
Getting started#
- Pick one idea you learned today and write it as a short note.
- Find one older note it connects to and mention it.
- Repeat daily for a few weeks.
You will not see the result at first. After a month or two, you will search your notes for something and find that they already hold the beginnings of an answer.