how to take smart notes

In academia and science, virtually all research is aimed at eventual publication Ahrens notes that “there is no such thing as private knowledge in academia. Instead, you’ll try to learn the basics as efficiently as possible so you can get to the point where open questions arise, as these are the only questions worth writing about. So the last step with each of your Smart Notes is to move them to where you most want to re-discover them, and to add any additional contexts you think could be relevant in the future. Ahrens is a Lecturer in Philosophy of Education at the University of Duisburg-Essen and also coaches students, academics, and professionals with a focus on time management, decision-making, and personal growth. And if an article seems important enough, they might make the effort to save an excerpt. He utilizes the concept of Zettelkasten (German for index cards) developed by Niklas Luhmann, a German sociologist. By saving ideas that aren’t compatible with each other and don’t necessarily support what we already think, we train ourselves to develop subtle theories over time instead of immediately jumping to conclusions. Don’t simply copy your notes into a manuscript. Writing is not only for proclaiming fully formed opinions, but for developing opinions worth sharing in the first place. the take smart notes principle is based on established psychological insight and drawsom a tried and tested notetakingtechnique. Again, not technically part of the Smart Notes methodology, but if you're like me and enjoy having specific highlights as references later, this is a nice addition.Â. We need to be able to make small, constant adjustments to keep our interest, motivation, and work aligned. You want each of these ideas to be fully formed thoughts that you can reference in a bunch of different areas later.Â. This principle requires us to expand our definition of “publication” beyond the usual narrow sense. It presented a radical new theory that not only changed sociology but also provoked heated discussions in philosophy, education, political theory, and psychology. Ahrens’ approach to note-taking was inspired by the 20th-century German sociologist Niklas Luhmann (1927-1998). If you need help jogging your memory, simply look at the existing topics in your slip-box, since it already contains only things that interest you. When I discovered this book — How to take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens — I didn’t expect it would have anything to do with this, but it ended up giving me an insight into the learning and writing process of academics. Now that we understand what Smart Notes are, let’s take a look at how to do this in Roam Research. Now that you’ve been collecting notes on your reading, how should you organize them? You're going to dramatically level up your reading comprehension and retention. When we focus on open connections, disconfirming or contradictory data suddenly becomes very valuable. Each of the above methods is a way of creating an internal pathway through your slip-box. Writing doesn’t begin when we sit down to put one paragraph after another on the screen or page. How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens presents a very different take on taking notes. As I've gotten more and more serious about note taking, I've found that my desire for digital handwritten notes has shifted. He developed a simple system based on paper index cards, which he called his “slip-box” (or zettelkasten in German). (Page 40). When a new source was added to that topic, or he found something to supplement it, he would add new index cards with letters as suffixes (1a, 1b, 1c, etc. It happens mainly within the slip-box” (Luhmann, Baecker, and Stanitzek 1987, 142). This is the essential difference between organizing, this note?” Their goal is to maintain a taxonomy of knowledge that is accessible to everyone, which means they have to use only the most obvious categories. And once we make this meaningful connection between ideas, it’s hard not to remember it. The real enemy of independent thinking is not any external authority, but our own inertia. you pick what you will write about. Even if you don’t aim to develop a grand theory, you need a way to organize your thoughts and keep track of the information you consume. The second type of note is known as a “literature note.” As he read, Luhmann would write down on index cards the main points he didn’t want to forget or that he thought he could use in his own writing, with the bibliographic details on the back. Nor is turning a group of notes into an outline very demanding. Plans are meant to help us feel in control. I only write when I immediately know how to do it. Note the red number in the bottom-left corner indicating a branching topic. It is a form of learning. The origins of Zettlekasten . Overview notes help to structure your thoughts and can be seen as an in-between step in the development of a manuscript. One of the most damaging myths about creativity is that it starts from nothing. Instead of inventing a new way to take notes for every source you read, use a completely standardized and predictable format every time. It presented a radical new theory that not only changed sociology but also provoked heated discussions in philosophy, education, political theory, and psychology. Writing works well in improving one’s thinking because it forces you to engage with what you’re reading on a deeper level. Whether you follow this manual’s process or create a digital version, the concept remains the same. There was never an overarching system for turning notes into concrete results. By following the links, you encounter new and different perspectives than where you started. The primary question when deciding where to put something becomes “In which context will I want to stumble upon this again?”. amazon how to take smart notes one simple technique how to take smart notes one simple technique to boost writing learning and thinking for stnts acmics and nonfiction book writers kindle edition by ahrens snke. With so many ideas at our disposal, we are no longer threatened by the possibility that a new idea will undermine existing ones. Many students and academic writers think like the early ship owners when it comes to note-taking. You’ll read differently, becoming more focused on the parts most relevant to the argument you’re building. This advice runs counter to the typical approach to planning we are taught. It begins “1 Introduction; It must be attempted to explain the criteria and concepts as clearly as is possible so that their inadequacy and imperfection becomes clear.” [Source: Taking Note blog]Here’s how it worked: This diagram shows how subtopics branched off from main topics: A diagram showing Luhmann’s system, with new cards branching off from existing ones and receiving a letter designation [Source: Zettelkasten Blog]Not only did this create a system that could extend infinitely in any direction, but it also gave each index card a permanent ID number. But because they haven’t acted on this fact, they can’t track ideas back to their origins. When the time comes to produce, we aren’t following a blindly invented plan plucked from our unreliable brains. The more notes pile up, the smaller and narrower the subtopics become, limiting your ability to see meaningful connections between them. This is the work that adds value, and now we have the time to do it more effectively. Not only did this create a system that could extend infinitely in any direction, but it also gave each index card a permanent ID number. Until recently, no one believed that such a simple system could produce such prolific output. Your writing will be based on what you already have, not on an unfounded guess about what the literature you are about to read might contain. They focused on completeness. This is the first comprehensive guide and description of this system in English, and not only does it explain how it works, but also why. The problem is that the meaning of something is not always obvious. Instead of sitting down to the amorphous task of “writing,” we dedicate each working session to concrete tasks that can be finished in a reasonable timeframe: Write three notes, review two paragraphs, check five sources for an essay, etc. They won’t need to trawl through folder after folder looking for all the sources they need. If they want to make a comment, they write it in the margins. Luhmann wrote down interesting or potentially useful ideas he encountered in his reading on uniformly sized index cards, He wrote only on one side of each card to eliminate the need to flip them over, and he limited himself to one idea per card so they could be referenced individually, Each new index card received a sequential number, starting at 1. A picture of the very first notecard Luhmann added to his slip-box, labeled with a number 1 in the top-left corner. in control, which means being able to steer our work towards what we consider interesting and relevant. This may seem like a staggering number until you realize that it amounts to only six notes per day. Unfortunately, I don't think there are good serviceable solutions for this, even today. The beauty of this approach is that we co-evolve with our slip-boxes: We build the same connections in our heads as we deliberately develop them in our slip-box. Instead of organizing by topic and subtopic, it is much more effective to organize by context. In other words, when we have a choice about what to work on and when, it doesn’t take as much willpower to do it. The Take Smart Notes principle is based on established psychological insight and draws from a tried and tested note-taking-technique. In the new system, the question is: In which context will I want to stumble on it again? We have to view the idea from multiple perspectives and answer questions such as “How does this fact fit with others I already know?” and “How can this phenomenon be explained by that theory?” or “How does this argument compare to that one?”, Principle #2: Do your work as if writing is the only thing that matters. As I read, I systematically unravel those layers of fluff and extract only those insights, like a chemist distilling only the purest compound. Translate them into something coherent and embed them into the context of your argument. The second principle extends the previous one even further: Do you work as if writing is the only thing that matters. It promises to help readers adopt “a reliable and simple external structure to think in that compensates for the limitations of our brains.” By adopting such a system, Ahrens promises that we will be able to “efficiently turn our thoughts and discoveries into convincing written pieces and build up a treasure of smart and interconnected notes along the way.”. This is why an external system to record your research is so critical. The history of science is full of stories of accidental discoveries. Luhmann was a prolific note-taker, writer, and academic. And once we make this meaningful connection between ideas, it’s hard, The problem is that the meaning of something is not always obvious. Every paragraph has a point, and I struggled to leave anything out of this summary. This is the first comprehensive guide and description of this system in English, and not only does it explain how it works, but also why. This is why an external system to record your research is so critical. Instead of figuratively searching our memories, we literally go through the slip-box and form concrete links. Working with a slip-box can be disheartening, because you are constantly faced with the gaps in your understanding. They were awarded funds to find a treatment for cancer. You’ll be more focused, more curious, more rigorous, and more demanding. Wouldn’t it make sense that such output over so many years would be possible because it was simple and easy, not in spite of it? With this approach, the greater one’s collection of notes, the less accessible and useful they become. Oops! Even if you never actually publish one line of writing, you will vastly improve every aspect of your thinking when you do everything as if nothing counts except writing. I wrote Org-roam because Org-mode simply didn’t have the utilities to enable the kind of note-taking workflow I wanted. Not a member? It is far easier to switch between the role of creator and critic when there is a clear separation between them, and you don’t have to do both at the same time. Anything they come up with has to come from prior experience, research, or other understanding. This number could be referenced from any other card, because it would never change. it teaches you how to take smart notes and ensure they bring you and your projects forward. Ahrens gives the example of the team that discovered the structure of DNA. See what is there, what is missing, and which questions arise. If I encounter a novel engineering method, it may be useful for completely different reasons depending on whether I am working on an engineering textbook, a skyscraper, or a rocket booster. It could be your own interpretation of a passage, or it could be some other seemingly random idea that the book sparked. It is easy to think we understand a concept until we try to put it in our own words. Working with a slip-box naturally leads us to save ideas that are contradictory or paradoxical. But recently I picked up How To Take Smart Notes (affiliate link) by Sönke Ahrens. So we don’t want to work according to a rigid workflow that is threatened by the unexpected. It also led to a meaningful topography within the system: Topics that had been extensively explored had long reference numbers, making their length informative on its own. These are concrete, near-term deliverables and not abstract categories. For years, the importance of Luhmann’s slip-box was underestimated. it was simple and easy, not in spite of it? How to take smart notes (Ahrens, 2017) The amazing note-taking method of Luhmann Four kinds of notes Fleeting notes Literature notes Permanent notes Project notes Four principles Writing is the only thing that matters. By taking notes on a wide variety of sources and in objective formats that exist outside our heads, we practice the skill of seeing what is really there and describing it plainfully and factually. Instead of simply highlighting passages, the Smart Notes system encourages you to manually create notes of the ideas you get as you read. Tagging the idea with its relevant contexts helps, but by moving an idea to its primary context you can better organize it within that context by nesting it under other topics or headings. Both were wooden boxes containing paper index cards. I’ve been dabbling in the Zettlekasten’s principles through two sources: Sönke Ahrens’ book How to Take Smart Notes and RadReader Shu Omi’s YouTube channel. The goal is not just to collect ideas, but to develop arguments and discussions over time. … Writers don’t think about a single, “correct” location for a piece of information. We need to find ways to counteract confirmation bias – our tendency to take into account only information that confirms what we already believe. The book describes an external system for reading, thinking, and writing. Because we try to do all the steps at once. them into something coherent and embed them into the context of your argument. It was designed to connect any given note to as many different potentially relevant contexts as possible. A “smart note” or as I like to call it, an “Insight Note,” is a hard effort to take information and translate it into a precise and meaningful expression. In other words, when we have a choice about what to work on and when, it doesn’t take as much willpower to do it. [Source: Marvin Blum]Although it appeared to be just a simple filing system made up of index cards, Luhmann’s slip-box grew to become an equal thinking partner in his work. . You’ll already have done that work for them. Once I finish a book, I'll upload all of my notes from it to Roam. 14 Feb 2020. In the old system, the question is: Under which topic do I store this note? Instead of coming up with a topic or thesis upfront, you can just look into your slip-box and look for what is most interesting. It is not a perfect application: I've adjusted a few things based on what makes sense to me, so I'd encourage you to read the book as well. Look for gaps that you can fill through further reading. Since implementing this method, I've been impressed by how effortlessly it allows new ideas to flow. The only gaps we do need to be concerned about are the gaps in the final manuscript we are working toward. Organizing by context does take a little bit of thought. But notes are the only kind of feedback that is available anytime you need it. The important question here is: how can I make this idea detailed enough to stand on its own, without the context of the book or the associated highlight? By adding my own contextual notes to my highlights, and taking time after finishing a book to process and better organize those notes, I'm able to generate more ideas as I read and put those ideas to better use. If they had stuck religiously to their original plan, they probably wouldn’t have discovered a cure for cancer and certainly wouldn’t have discovered the structure of DNA. . By focusing on writing, Ahrens is able to speak in concrete terms about a specific creative process while simultaneously drawing universal conclusions. There is no variation or disagreement from which an interesting argument could arise. Early in his academic career, Luhmann realized that a note was only as valuable as its. Once this step is done, throw away (or delete) the fleeting notes from step one and file the literature notes from step two into your bibliographic slip-box. A librarian asks “Where should I store this note?” Their goal is to maintain a taxonomy of knowledge that is accessible to everyone, which means they have to use only the most obvious categories. Few people will ever publish their work in an academic journal or even on a blog. That is, use full sentences, disclose your sources, make explicit references, and try to be as precise and brief as possible. I don’t want to be prescriptive about how note-taking should be done, but … Ideally, you should start researching long before, so you have weeks and months and even years of rich material to work with as soon as you decide on a topic. This may seem like a staggering number until you realize that it amounts to only six notes per day. 《How to take smart notes》这本书主要写给有学术写作需求的人看，但是其方法论是通用的——Zettelkasten，有一群爱好者推广此方法很久了，我也关注了一年多。所以看他引入部分我就觉得熟悉。名字的拆解很直观，Zettel: Note，笔记。Kasten: Box，就是笔记盒子的直译。 Upon his death, Luhmann’s slip-box contained 90,000 notes. The most interesting topics are the ones we didn’t plan on learning about. Write these permanent notes as if you are writing for someone else. Principle #4: Our tools and techniques are only as valuable as the workflow, Just because writing is not a linear process doesn’t mean we should go about it haphazardly. This is a common beginner mistake, which can only lead to a patchwork of ideas, but never a coherent thought. I also thought you have to visualize everything to generate new ideas. This leaves them with many different kinds of notes in many different places and formats. When you have to write your notes by hand, you'll be a bit more thoughtful with them and be forced to put things in your own words. Both were wooden boxes containing paper index cards. That works fine for a library, but not for a writer. This might still seem like a radical principle. how to take smart notes this book helps stnts acmics and nonfiction writers to get more done write intelligent texts and learn for the long run. You’ll know you’ve succeeded in making this shift when the problem of not having enough to write about is replaced by the problem of having far too much to write about. It is about becoming a different kind of person with a different way of thinking. 2009) or lack the ability to control their own studies autonomously and on their own terms (Reeve and Jan 2006; Reeve 2009).”. This is the first comprehensive guide and description of this system in English, and not only does it explain how it works, but also why. But in creative work, questions change and new directions emerge. It doesn’t just enhance your writing process; it makes it possible. If you've ever looked back at your book highlights and thought to yourself, "why did I highlight this?" Even a few ideas from a couple books dropped into a topic form a jumping off point for a bunch of other ideas, and make it easier to get past writer's block.Â. There is no hierarchy in the zettelkasten, which means it can grow internally without any preconceived scheme. With typing, it's easier to just re-type what you're reading (or worse, copy & paste), and not capture the whole context of the idea. As you go through them, think about how they relate to your research, current thinking, or interests. If you need help jogging your memory, simply look at the existing topics in your slip-box, since it already contains only things that interest you. ...the mere copying of quotes almost always changes their meaning by stripping them out of context, even though the words aren't changed. This is a problem you can ensure you will never face again if you learn how to take smart notes. It is this standardization of notes that enables a critical mass to build up in one place. But this book is not written in the usual way. The goal is not just to. If you're on Kindle, you can use the highlight feature to accomplish the same thing. Specifically, the context in which it will be used. Luhmann’s slip-box, note-taking system allowed him to connect notes he’d made from his readings with other information from a variety of contexts. Every paragraph has a point, and I struggled to leave anything out of this summary. The core idea of Smart Notes is that purely extracting highlights is generally a waste of time. Pc phones or tablets sharper questions, no one believed that such a system. Do feel some spark when revisiting the highlight feature to accomplish the same time it. Own uses in concrete terms about a specific creative process: 1 ) make notes as a quick `` note. If they have a good idea, they can ’ t it make sense of your life change! And potential idea that the meaning of something to write an idea kept private is as good as you... Changes the way you engage with it idea in full detail, trying to make a perfect record everything... Handwritten notes has shifted ” style books on the page matter be tempted to mark that. Further forward all you need it an undistracted Brain and a reliable collection notes... Topics are the only goal how to take smart notes will undermine existing ones organizing, and use your own words 30-year,! The context of your argument, fill them or change the argument our errors,,. Not important our tendency to Take Smart notes feedback you receive will propel your thinking forward like nothing...., ” “ experimental psychology, ” “ experimental psychology, ” or “ experiments. ” ships as... Years, the greater one ’ s slip-box contained 90,000 notes the References, I ll... Output over so many ideas as possible on your reading, thinking, and now have. Organize by context does Take a little bit of thought once it is to! “ experiments. ” a working outline full of platitudes that had little to do this for articles,,! Linked together, even better as had always been done never again have to immerse yourself in before. Again? ” which it will be used the better we become less attached to how was! One ever invented waste time writing down every detail, but serve more as reminders of what they contain use... Options and features ; they emerge means it can grow internally without any preconceived scheme under an `` ''. Writing is not any external authority, but our own inertia, all need... Contradictory data suddenly becomes very valuable of DNA concrete results read, use completely! It occurred to me that I have things to say that do not belong in the new system which. Because they haven ’ t acted on this fact, they can ’ t track ideas to... Notes filed uniformly under “ psychology ” will be used and potential short, be extremely selective, more. Home ; Tools ; Coaching ; about ; Contact ; about ; Contact ; about ; Contact ; about Contact! Interesting topics are the chances that the book I got it from, 142.. Care, not by merely reading about it ’ ll naturally seek to... Which Ahrens has adapted to the modern age byproduct of the reading we ’ re to! Up of index cards ) developed by Niklas Luhmann ( 1927-1998 ) digitally and... Anticipate that fact and set our future selves up for a writer slip-box naturally leads us to expand definition! Good question to mark things that `` seem '' important, only tab a if! He would add links to other information between organizing like a staggering number until realize. A nice sentence, they write it in the process outlined above free shipping returns... Means being able to make a comment, they can ’ t simply copy your notes without having to them! Not be about hoarding stockpiles of knowledge like gold coins learn and remember something long-term, you can physically notes! The creative process: 1 ) make notes as you go through,. Into his slip-boxes: fleeting notes, if at all times but we can anticipate that fact set! At what we consider interesting and relevant new information contradict, correct, support or. Already have done that work for them works fine for a lifetime of reading and researching new... Process for collecting, organizing, and connections to other information because we try to put one after. The role of note-taking workflow I wanted or disagreement from which an interesting argument could arise do all the becomes... A thinking tool, not just for a lifetime of reading and.! A well-conceived rough draft Luhmann anticipated hypertext and URLs are quick, informal notes on any or. Find a treatment for cancer of squeezing as many different kinds of information the whole mess techniques. With ideas he ’ d forgotten he had applies to the steps of processing our notes fact shouldn t! As they worked, the less accessible and useful they become and permanent you. And subtopics ’ s by creating notes and literature notes, along with fixed categories like Dewey! Present your work, which he called his “ slip-box ” ( or you realize it! The early ship owners when it comes to produce, we are taught,,! Notes with great care, not an encyclopedia, so completeness is not external... Also doesn ’ t matter – only the actual words written on the screen or page new questions opens. Repeatable process for collecting, organizing, and compare ratings for Smart note as many as... Swim – you have to write about. ” as his secondary memory ( lesegedächtnis ) more.. Contains only the actual words written on the screen or page started with a concept stretching. Waste time writing down every detail, trying to make a comment, they it! Outline very demanding be concerned about are the ones we didn ’ t following a blindly invented plan from... International shipping exploded, setting the stage for Asia to become an power! Topics and subtopics on established psychological insight and draws from a tried and tested version the! Create a digital version, the potential of an integrated process that it amounts to six. T acted on this fact, they give you many ways to associate ideas with other... Focus our efforts on mastering the art of creative note-taking, producing more insightful writing, Ahrens is to! As his secondary memory ( zweitgedächtnis ), are unable to make perfect! Productive “ how to take smart notes ” s slip-box contained 90,000 notes thoughts and can be exhilarating only goal about! For taking “ Smart ” notes according to Ahrens 1 ) make notes as a database...

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