How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking – for Students, Academics and Nonfiction Book Writers ## 1. Summary The author Mr. Ahrens recommends a method of taking notes inspired by Niklas Luhmann's Zettelkasten or "Slip Box". One key insight from the book is that long form written notes are valuable to improve your thinking and help retain knowledge. Notes should be written with your own words as much ass possible to make sure you are internalizing what you are noting down. Notes should be linkable with other notes. This process seems quite enjoyable with a tool like Obsidian and Roam, but I wonder how it worked with pencil and paper. When you have enough linked notes in your system, you arrive at a critical state where you have can bounce ideas of one another and start forming new ideas. Many hours can be spent in Wikipedia diving into links that go from one topic to another. Your own note system can work like that with words from your own brain. This can bring powerful associations that can help generate more ideas and can be an exhilarating experience. Key to this is to make sure that you link notes based on what is the likely context you are going to see them in he future rather than a top down article structure. The details on how to do it practically are yet to be determined. Another suggestion from the book that resonated with me is how your write the notes. Author suggests to take "fleeting" notes using whatever means available (pen/highlights/voice recordings etc). These notes are only temporary and should not affect the flow of the thing you are doing (eg. reading a book, attending a meeting, having a conversation). You should later write long-form permanent notes based on these [[fleeting notes]] and make them part of the Zettelkasten When you are doing research on a topic, have some basic structure but dont be constrained by it. Dont let the inner critic constrain creativity. The structure will flow as you develop it. As you look through the notes you will notice gaps which will lead to more research or new discoveries. Overall the book has some good ideas and powerful quotes. The weak points of the book are some of the analogies used to explain (eg. Author's fawning admiration of Warren Buffet) and repetition of some thoughts. 1. Take notes whenever possible. Make it physical (pencil paper keyboard) Make it yours (no screenshots) 2. Write long form notes. Link them up 3. Discover ideas from networks 4. When working on projects let your mind wander free in your network and see what it comes up with 5. If you are stuck in something pivot and try something else ### 1.1. Quotes > Writing is not what follows research, learning or studying, it is the medium of all this work. > If writing is the medium of research and studying nothing else than research, then there is no reason not to work as if nothing else counts than writing. > A typical work day will contain many, if not all, of these steps: You read and take notes. You build connections within the slip-box, which in itself will spark new ideas. You write them down and add them to the discussion. You write on your paper, notice a hole in the argument and have another look in the file system for the missing link. > “I would advise you to read with a pen in your hand and enter in a little book short hints of what you feel that is common or that may be useful; for this will be the best method of imprinting such portcullis in your memory.” > A visibly developed cluster attracts more ideas and provides more possible connections, which in return influence our choices on what to read and think further. They become signposts for our daily work and orient us to what is worth thinking about. > The ability to change the direction of our work opportunistically is a form of control that is completely different from the attempt to control the circumstances by clinging to a plan. > The process of reading and writing inevitably produces a lot of unintended by-products.