On personal knowledge management and organization -- the OneNote zettelkasten

[30 September 2020 :: #KWoC.5.012]

My then-girlfriend bought me a gift from the spinner-rack at the supermarket: Lila by Robert Pirsig, who is perhaps better known as the author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. There was no Amazon.com in my first year at university so the spinner rack would have to do. I regret to say that Pirsig's philosophy made little impression on me but I did come away from Lila with a desire to live on a boat and -- more importantly -- to organize my intellectual life with slips of paper. Pirsig's autobiographical character Phaedrus uses 3x5 index cards as a kind of prosthetic brain to maintain, organize, and shuffle ideas and concepts. Today, we have a fancy word for this concept.

Zettelkasten is an approach to personal knowledge management that has become particularly trendy in certain circles of self-proclaimed productivity experts. The method itself is nothing remarkable and its roots can be found in the practices of scholars throughout the ages and in the early theoreticians of library science. Zettelkasten means "slip box" -- a box filled with cards.

The practice is something old that has, once again, become new. Conrad Gesner used scraps of paper to organize his ideas, as did Leibniz. In the 18th century, scholars like Montesquieu and Johan Jaboc Moser shifted to using the blank backs of playing cards. Card-based methods for note-taking are still popular. The author Robert Greene, for example, uses a card-based system to organize his reading; former US President Ronald Reagan used a card-based system to maintain a collection of facts, jokes, and famous quotations; Stanley Kubrick commissioned a card-based system to collect everything known about Napoleon for an unrealized project; even Senator Ben Sasse used index cards to take notes during the second impeachment of President Donald Trump.1

It's one thing to use index cards. It's another to develop a system for managing them. I have to wonder what Ben Sasse was going to do with his cards. The zettelkasten approach -- a way of managing those cards -- is becoming increasingly popular and, as a productivity method, has the benefits of both a fancy German name and its own patron saint.

The Saint of Card-Based Knowledge Management

Niklas Luhmann was a German sociologist in the 20th century. He was also an incredibly prolific writer. He attributed his academic output to conversations with his zettelkasten. For Luhmann, a zettelkasten was a piece of furniture, a collection of drawers for holding cards or slips of paper. These types of boxes would have been familiar to Leibniz, Gesner, President Reagan, or anyone who was even passingly familiar with the card catalog at the public library. Luhmann, however, also used his zettelkasten as a type of prosthetic brain. Here's how it worked:

Reading

As he read, Luhmann wrote notes on cards, echoing the approach of earlier scholars. Luhmann's notes were generally quite short, perhaps just a few sentences. He maintained three kinds of notes:

• Source notes included observations, quoted passages, and concepts from the works he read.
• Reference notes recorded source information needed for bibliographies, etc.
• Permanent notes recorded Luhmann's own thoughts on particular issues. These notes became important building blocks for creating his scholarly outputs.

Processing

Each card-based note includes core features to enable its reuse:

• Unique identifier. To be reused, a note has to have a unique name or call number so it can be referenced by other notes. Luhmann developed his own naming structure but some authors advocate simply using a title based on the date a note is created. For example, a note created at 2020-08-15 at 8:45 AM would become note "202008150845." That said, any naming convention is appropriate. Krajewski refers to this kind of system as a running number or mobile system (numerus currens), as compared to a fixed system dependent on location, since the cards can be reshelved or resorted relatively easily.
• Tags or keywords. Cards should include some keywords to identify and aid in recall. These keywords should address how the user will interact with the system in the future. In library speak, we would use "warrant" to guide our tagging practices. Luhmann created indexes for his notes and tried to group like things together but he still had to determine some level of aboutness for each of his notes.
• Links. There should be specific links to related notes. These links could be based on keywords or other types of similarities. The links provide a way to break through the hierarchies inherent in any kind of filing system and to link across the geographic layout of the collection.
• Filing plan. A significant concern is how to actually manage these cards and what kind of ordering system is required. This is the same problem as shelving books or filing records. Ideally, there has to be some kind of order. Luhmann was faced with the reality of putting his cards somewhere. Current users of electronic tools argue that this filing convention is unimportant, while others feel that some logic is still necessary. Luhmann did, indeed, file notes according to a specific plan as a way of making connections among things that he had read.

Recall

A zettelkasten has to support the research process. Luhmann apparently felt that he could converse with his slip box and it would provide the insights and the references that he needed. Ahrens sums up this perspective:

"Writing is not what follows research, learning or studying, it is the medium of all this work. And maybe that is the reason why we rarely think about this writing, the everyday writing, the note-taking and draft-making. Like breathing, it is vital to what we do, but because we do it constantly, it escapes our attention."

The biggest challenge for modern acolytes of zettelkasten is the use of a filing plan. In graduate school, I na?vely created a type of zettelkasten from my EndNote reference manager. It had the core features -- unique identifiers, keywords (although my attention to controlled vocabulary was a bit weak), and links to other papers and resources. I paid little attention to the filing plan; I simply filed papers in the order that I acquired them (i.e., accession number).

The Classification Challenge

There is an entire discipline underlying the cataloging, classification, and indexing of knowledge artefacts, be they books or index cards. In his approach, Luhmann was uninformed about the esoteric practices of bibliographic description. That didn't, however, stop him from coming up with a system that was considerably more complicated than my approach of using the accession number. His cards were numbered according to his own ad-hoc na?ve system. He assigned cards a base number but then carefully filed derivative cards that continued or expanded earlier cards. He referred to this branching structure as folgezettel:

"A Folgezettel is a specific and intended connection between Zettels, realized through their position in the archive. You put a Zettel in a specific place and end up with a Folgezettel, which is nothing more than a connection between the preceding note and this new Zettel as a Folgezettel." (Fast 2015)

In Luhmann's system, you could end up with an identifier that looked something like 123.3.4A.1.3. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the approach and it certainly has the benefit of being logical to the creator and having very low administrative overhead. It does, however, also have some limitations. For systems based on physical cards, it reintroduces the shelving problem (you might run out of room in a particular drawer for your cards). You also lose what Elaine Svenonius calls the "invisible hand" of the classification system, where someone inadvertently comes across the thing they didn't know they were looking for because an effective classification system puts like things nearby:

"a user may suddenly come across just the right book and credit this luck to serendipity. But such a finding would be serendipitous only if the books were shelved in random order, whereas in fact they are ordered according to a rigorous system of semantic relationships, which like an invisible hand guides the seeker to his 'lucky' find."

From paper to bits

For modern electronic implementations of zettelkasten, the filing plan is a minor consideration provided you've addressed the concerns of linking and tagging consistently. Personally, I do use a classification structure to organize my notes. Specifically, I'll create unique identifiers for notes based on their relevant Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) codes. I'd prefer to use a system like Universal Decimal Classification since I think it is more appropriate for general systems of 21st-century knowledge, but it is far easier to find DDC numbers via online catalogs like Worldcat or on the flysheets of books. OCLC's experimental Classify feature, for example, is constantly up in its own window on my desktop.

I am not strict in my application of DDC codes. They are simply a basis for the invisible hand that I want to introduce into my system. For books that I've read, it's easy to look up DDC codes and apply them to my notes. But I have to manually determine where to put my notes on research papers or other research scraps that I have accumulated. So DDC is my starting point but codes change. I also recognize that a classification is never complete and have no qualms about moving notes into different neighborhoods if I feel that there is a better match.

The OneNote Zettelkasten

There are a variety of electronic tools for creating and managing zettelkasten but I prefer to use the tools I have at-hand and apply Luhmann's principles to them. OneNote is my tool of choice. I maintain a Workbook called simply "zettelkasten." This workbook contains several Sections, but the most important one is also called "zettelkasten." The pages in this section have a similar function to Luhmann's cards. When I'm reading, I will create source notes. Each page includes the following features:

Title

Example: 005.92YTS #memoranda Yates 1998

The DDC code, an ersatz-Cutter number conforming to the author's name, and a hashtag for the primary subject of the note.

Descriptors

Example: #memoranda

I will include the primary subjects for the note as hashtags. I also assign a OneNote tag to these descriptors to create summary reports. Specifically, I tag them with "Project A" simply because it's a OneNote default that works with both the desktop and online OneNote clients.

Workflow Status

Example: #draft.-5.2021.04.12

Everything I write goes through at least five edits before I decide what to do with it. I therefore start my draft numbering at -5, a trick I learned from the author Daniel Levitin (2020):

"Start numbering your drafts at version -5. Don’t even think?of showing anyone what you’ve written until version 1. You really have to believe that your work is worth the effort. And keep your email and your cell phone turned off when you are writing. Always.”

Body

The contents of the note generally follow my rules of atomicity. I also often include descriptors or hashtags throughout the body of the note to provide various access points. If the top descriptors have a cataloging and workflow management function, the body descriptors fulfill an indexing function.

Links

Example: 017 #cutterNumber

To create links to other notes, I'll use the "Copy Link to Paragraph" feature of OneNote. However, I find the linking function less useful than you (or Luhmann) might expect. OneNote's "Find Tags" feature does an admirable job of pulling like notes together.

Task tags

#hill--rulesOfEngagement

#reading--howToTakeSmartNotes

I generally conclude notes with what I call task tags. They indicate something I could or should do in the future. A "hill" tag identifies a new Permanent Note that I feel I can write (i.e., I'm parked pointing downhill so I can bump start my writing). "Reading" tags generally come from tracing references to find new content of interest.

Word Count

I will also record the word count for Permanent Notes so that I can track progress. My goal is always 600 words a day.

Bottom Line

For finished or production notes, I like to include a summarizing thought for the note or the contents, particularly for Permanent Notes. This habit comes from years working as an analyst but it helps me focus on what I've heard called "the promise to the reader." If it's unclear why a reader should invest in what I've written, it probably doesn’t deserve to be published.

Zettelkasten are not without their challenges. I find that many of the researchers extending Luhmann's work lack an academic background in library science and tend to trivialize the complexities of tagging and filing. Luhmann's model does, however, give knowledge-workers a model for wrangling the onslaught of information we face daily.

Bottom Line: The zettelkasten method is a way of managing your notes and improving your productivity. It is best thought of as a way of organizing and using your current electronic tools. Specifically, your notes should include descriptors, be internally linked, and be managed in a way that facilitates recall.

[CODA — 2024.02.25. I wrote this note when I first became serious about managing my research materials and outputs. It holds up pretty well but, in retrospect, I was a bit dismissive of Luhmann’s inductive approach to classification. A zettelkasten can be effective for managing information — what I later call of system of forgetting because it enables us to free up mental capacity — but it should also function as a system of insight to help us generate novel ideas. I develop these ideas in later essays. And Oliver Stone’s movie about Napoleon has now been realized!]

Notes:

1. On the historical use of playing cards for note-taking, see Blair 2010 and Krajewski 2011. On Robert Greene, see Warner 2012. On Reagan's collection, see Bates 2011. On Stanley Kubrick, see the anecdote in Savage 2020. On Ben Sasse, see Cochrane 2020.

Prefer to get the Knowledge Worker Curriculum via email? Subscribe on Substack: https://kworkercurriculum.substack.com/. Please feel free to leave questions or comments below.

Related posts:

1. An Introduction to the Knowledge Worker Curriculum
2. On the Fahrenheit 98.6 Problem -- Stop burning every book you read

References

Ahrens, Sonke. "How to take smart notes: One simple technique to boost writing, learning and thinking." North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform?(2017).

Bates, Daniel. “Here’s One I Wrote down Earlier: Ronald Reagan’s Secret Note Cards of Ready-To-Use Jokes, Facts and Quotes Uncovered.” Mail Online, 9 May 2011, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1385181/Ronald-Reagans-secret-note-cards-ready-use-jokes-facts-quotes.html. Accessed 18 Feb. 2021.

Blair, Ann M. Too much to know: Managing scholarly information before the modern age. Yale University Press, 2010.

Cochrane, Emily. “Legal Pads, Photographs and a Podcast: How Senators Are Documenting Impeachment.” The New York Times, 29 Jan. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/01/29/us/politics/senators-notes-impeachment.html?searchResultPosition=1. Accessed 21 Feb. 2021.

Fast, Sascha. “No, Luhmann Was Not about Folgezettel.” Zettelkasten Method, 31 Oct. 2015, zettelkasten.de/posts/luhmann-folgezettel-truth/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2021.

Krajewski, Markus. Paper Machines : About Cards & Catalogs, 1548-1929. Cambridge, Mass, MIT Press, 2011.

Levitin, Daniel. “Award-Winning Neuroscientist, Musician, and Author Daniel Levitin on Hoarding Research Materials, Creative Thieves, and Picking Exactly the Right Word.” Writing Routines, 1 Oct. 2020, www.writingroutines.com/daniel-levitin-interview/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2021.

Savage, Adam. Every Tool’s a Hammer : Life Is What You Make It. S.L., Simon & Schuster Ltd, 2020.

Svenonius, Elaine. The intellectual foundation of information organization. MIT press, 2000.

Warner, Andrew. “How to Achieve Mastery (and Why You Don’t Have to Be Born with It) - with Robert Greene.” Mixergy, 17 Dec. 2012, mixergy.com/interviews/robert-greene-mastery-interview/. Accessed 5 May 2021.