The Perfect Note-Taking System Is Here
You might be using it already.
Did you know there is a type of procrastination in trying to design the perfect system? This sees the writer spending hours designing the perfect article-writing and note-taking system. But, then, you continue to spend hours a week on it and don’t use it, never creating anything from it.
Whichever way you look at it, if you have a system that is so complicated and needs so much management to use, then it is not helping your productivity. Instead, it is another way your brain has tricked you into procrastinating rather than working.
So what do you do?
You pick a system and stick with it for at least six months. Learn one platform, not multiple ones and do not get distracted by the shiny new toy/application that has come out.
You must realise that your system will not be perfect; nothing ever is. It has to be good enough for your needs. Set up the simplest of systems that work for you.
Six months ago, I stumbled on the idea of building a second brain, which consumed my life for a month. I looked at all the packages and all the applications and watched hours of YouTube videos on the concept. The one thing I was not doing was writing.
This would have been a complete waste of time had I not gotten to a stage where I now use the system for my articles.
Which System to Use
I have studied two main types of knowledge building, Zettlekasten and building a second brain; which do I use? Neither of them or both of them, depending on your outlook. I took the best from all the systems and designed them to meet my needs.
This is what you all should be doing. Design a system that meets your needs; note-taking should be as individual as the person using it. I have even gone completely rogue and use a pad and pen sometimes.
My system takes little maintenance and can be used in all environments; this is essential when you have three children under six. Before briefly reviewing my system, here is a quick introduction to the two most popular.
Zettelkasten
Zettelkasten means slip-box in German. It was designed by thinker and writer Luhmann. During his almost 40 years of research, he published over 70 books and 400 scholarly articles on various subjects using this system.
With this, you have three types of notes:
Fleeting Notes — Remember all those random captured ideas. Those that pop into your head whilst driving or in the shower. The ideas linger there and then disappear; these are your fleeting notes because you don’t have time to think them through.
Literature Notes — These are the second type. I want to bet you are doing this already as well. When you read a book, do you highlight interesting passages? Add to them with your thoughts, and write notes.
These are literature notes; all you need to do is keep these in one place, referenced back to the source. Luhmann used a single card for each literature note. You might choose to put this all in one notebook or computer file.
Permanent Notes — These are the final type and are where the thinking and idea generation occur. Take your fleeting and literature notes and ask yourself what idea comes from these. I suggest doing this within a week, so the context remains.
Distil what you have written into your own words, one idea per card. The process of writing them in your own words means that you remember them easily. They can also be paragraphs for articles.
Finally, connect your ideas. — Do you have multiple notes on the structure of poems or recipe ideas? These are a collection of ideas that can be linked. It is this link that will provide an article. Luhmann used a complex numbering system; tags work just as well.
Second Brain
Building a Second Brain was designed by Tiago Forte. Again, the principles are very similar, so I will not go into much detail.
That’s your Second Brain: a single, centralised repository of all your most valuable knowledge to fuel all your future endeavours. — Tiago Forte
The same theories apply. Capturing is the most crucial part of the process. Distil your ideas as soon as possible. Make the titles descriptive and link your thinking. So let’s get into it.
This system uses an acronym that is easy to remember. The first is for processing your ideas, CODE.
Capture — This is the same as your fleeting notes; capture those random ideas that pop into your head, you read, or you hear.
Organise — Sort these notes by saving them in a specific folder. More about that in a minute.
Distil — Think about the notes and put them into your own words. It can not be expressed enough how this act aids retention, learning and thinking. These are your permanent notes.
Express — This is the only area different from Zettelkasten. As writers, though, it is the easy part. Express the ideas to someone else. Write an article or a tweet and share your knowledge.
My System
As I said at the beginning of this article, I use my own system. Capturing is the essential component and is similar in all systems. Capturing for me happens in a variety of ways. I always carry a small A6 notebook where all my random thoughts go.
When I am near technology, all these thoughts go as single notes in Apple Notes; I don’t sort them; I throw them all into one folder. This could be ideas, links to articles I want to read or a shopping list — anything I can get out of my brain.
The second part of my system is what I call my resources. I like the Zettelkasten method of literature notes and have used this system to build a resource of articles and research that I might use. It sits in my second brain in a folder.
Finally, I have my articles that I write and share with you. These come from my resources folder and ideas I have thrown into my capture system on Apple Notes. Although I use Obsidian for article writing and storing my resources, you can use whichever application you want.
In addition to this, I have notebooks that I love. A daily notebook for capturing ideas I mentioned previously, and a Commonplace Book, that includes random passages, facts and quotes that interest me. The distinction I make is that my Commonplace book has nothing to do with work. You, however, might choose to have a system that is all notebooks; it doesn’t matter.
Create Your System
I challenge you for the next month to build a system. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be functional. Then after that month, use your system for a minimum of six months before you change platforms. Then, see what it does for your productivity.
If minor tweaks need to be made along the way, give yourself just one day a month to do them. Then, for the rest of the month, use your system.
Sure, I am tempted to try Notion; everyone raves about it. So instead, I have committed to six months minimum with Apple Notes, Obsidian and a notebook, and I am sticking to it.
Don’t copy my method, build a second brain, or go all in on Zettelkasten; instead, build your system your way. Then, like a new recipe, take a little from everyone your read and make the product that works for you and only you.