Zettelkasten

Zettelkasten is a German compound of Zettel (note) and Kasten (box). It refers to the practice of (1) producing notes in large quantities and (2) linking notes to one another, thereby delegating long-term memory to an external system and avoiding starting the writing process from a blank slate.

The key principles of Zettelkasten are as follows.

• Connectivity: Notes are connected non-linearly, like a graph.
  • The reason for each connection must always be described.
• Atomicity: Each note contains only one idea.
• Personalization: Notes belong to the individual.

In Zettelkasten, a note is called a “Zettel,” and its components are as follows.

• Each Zettel has its own ID. (e.g. 199802111)
• A Zettel covers one topic and is written in my own words rather than copied and pasted from the source.
• It records knowledge, not mere information — specifically, what I have additionally gained from that knowledge. (insight)
• References are written at the bottom. A reference management tool is needed if the purpose is academic research or publication.

Note that what matters in modern society is the connection between pieces of knowledge. Avoid obvious connections. When making a connection, also write down the context explaining why you are making it.

Examples

• When you want to eat something good somewhere, saving restaurant information in Kakao Maps ahead of time leads to a far more satisfying meal. (Much more efficient than searching for restaurants from scratch)

Links

• Zettelkasten
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio
  • Zettelkasten is an attempt to build a note box with a meaningfully high signal. First-pass notes capture everything without omission, and second-pass notes are refined into high-SNR notes.
• This Is How I Have Read Books (private:R2023-04 나는 이런 책을 읽어 왔다)
  • Author Tachibana Takashi focused on reading “books that people don’t usually read,” because the insight that comes from connecting existing knowledge with knowledge people don’t ordinarily encounter is what matters.