The Zettelkasten concept is great for note-taking. So is minimalism. What has your experience been of using the basic principles of minimalism for your Zettelkasten?
Keep it digital, tag effectively, software like obsidian helps. Don’t try and reorganize, be at peace using search. Minimalism can apply to effort as well.
This is an interesting juxtaposition. To balance the idea of keeping all the ideas with getting rid of all that is not needed, is an interesting problem.
I like Zettelkasten because of its usefulness in writing and producing content. But every time I start, I find myself feeling that it's a waste of effort to keep up with it all. I get so far in and then realize, I don't want to be a writer...
For me, a better approach to minimalistic note-taking is to collect, but continuously revise to keep what is interesting or important. Tiago Forte has ideas around this. I remember reading many years ago that he used Evernote, and would read/review articles several times in a process to internalize essential points, while adding his thoughts.
I have found that using a digital notepad (ipad & apple pencil) lets me rewrite/organize/change plans and sketches. It's effective because I can remember project plans I made years ago, even if the project didn't come to be. The process of recreating and making adjustments allowed me to keep less, but remember more.
I don't write books so have no need to keep references. I only have varied interests and read many types of books at the same time.
Personally, I still take notes on paper. Its my age I'm sure. I use an inexpensive, bound composition book.
I take all the notes I want in black ink during the first read. Edit, modify the material in blue ink. And finally red ink is used to distill down whole ideas/concepts into key words in the margins.
I then use Apple Notes to write the book title along with keywords so I can use the search feature in the future. At this point I recycle the notebook. It's done its job.
All my book notes are in one folder online. Materially, I keep only one notebook and 3 pens that fits in my laptop case.
> I then use Apple Notes to write the book title along with keywords so I can use the search feature in the future. At this point I recycle the notebook.
So at the end you only have one file on Apple Notes per book containing all the keywords with referenced page numbers?
No page numbers since I don't need references. I'm ok with letting that part go.
By the time I write my Apple Note, I'm writing my conclusions or the connections I've made. I have no need to rewrite the material's quotes or statistics.
It would be very different if I felt the need to be able to quote stats or chapter and verse of a book to prove a point. In that case, I would most likely use one of the many apps/programs available to keep all that straight.
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> how on earth do you simplify a system of noting every little thing about your life on the cards?
By noting only what matters. - I'm looking for a method that sharpens thinking instead of adding clutter.
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Is there any minimalist aproach for research projects or book writing?
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Thank you! - Being "selective in what you note/write" seems to be the first and important step.
Keep it digital, tag effectively, software like obsidian helps. Don’t try and reorganize, be at peace using search. Minimalism can apply to effort as well.
I'm using Obsidian. But I also need a lot of paper.
When I’ve worked on big writing projects, I’ve used a notebook and used highlighters to color-code different topics.
> used highlighters to color-code different topics
I first got this idea from the book of Rob Fitzpatrick "Write Useful Books". Which codes are useful for your writing projects?
It would be based on the project. So for my MA dissertation, it was key themes/points I was covering.
This is an interesting juxtaposition. To balance the idea of keeping all the ideas with getting rid of all that is not needed, is an interesting problem.
I like Zettelkasten because of its usefulness in writing and producing content. But every time I start, I find myself feeling that it's a waste of effort to keep up with it all. I get so far in and then realize, I don't want to be a writer...
For me, a better approach to minimalistic note-taking is to collect, but continuously revise to keep what is interesting or important. Tiago Forte has ideas around this. I remember reading many years ago that he used Evernote, and would read/review articles several times in a process to internalize essential points, while adding his thoughts.
I have found that using a digital notepad (ipad & apple pencil) lets me rewrite/organize/change plans and sketches. It's effective because I can remember project plans I made years ago, even if the project didn't come to be. The process of recreating and making adjustments allowed me to keep less, but remember more.
> To balance the idea of keeping all the ideas with getting rid of all that is not needed, is an interesting problem.
It's an interesting problem, and, to use Björk's phrase, a 'desirable difficulty'. From: Bjork, Elizabeth and Robert (November 2009). "Making Things Hard on Yourself, But in a Good Way: Creating Desirable Difficulties to Enhance Learning"
I don't write books so have no need to keep references. I only have varied interests and read many types of books at the same time.
Personally, I still take notes on paper. Its my age I'm sure. I use an inexpensive, bound composition book.
I take all the notes I want in black ink during the first read. Edit, modify the material in blue ink. And finally red ink is used to distill down whole ideas/concepts into key words in the margins.
I then use Apple Notes to write the book title along with keywords so I can use the search feature in the future. At this point I recycle the notebook. It's done its job.
All my book notes are in one folder online. Materially, I keep only one notebook and 3 pens that fits in my laptop case.
> I then use Apple Notes to write the book title along with keywords so I can use the search feature in the future. At this point I recycle the notebook.
So at the end you only have one file on Apple Notes per book containing all the keywords with referenced page numbers?
No page numbers since I don't need references. I'm ok with letting that part go.
By the time I write my Apple Note, I'm writing my conclusions or the connections I've made. I have no need to rewrite the material's quotes or statistics.
It would be very different if I felt the need to be able to quote stats or chapter and verse of a book to prove a point. In that case, I would most likely use one of the many apps/programs available to keep all that straight.
Hope that helps
Never tried it but sounds way too complicated for just taking notes honestly
What's a minimalist approach for note-taking?
A notebook and a pen.
Wouldn't a minimalistic Zettelkasten just be Obsidian?
Yes, Obsidian is my favorite tool. But there are infinite ways to use it. How would a minimalist‘s approach would look like?