How to take smart notes [Summary]

“How to Take Smart Notes” by Sönke Ahrens explains the Zettelkasten method, a note-taking system created by German sociologist Niklas Luhmann.

About the book

The book introduces the Zettelkasten (“slip-box”) method, which enabled Niklas Luhmann to become one of the most productive and innovative social theorists of the last century. The book teaches us how to efficiently transform our thoughts and ideas into convincing written pieces and create a collection of smart and interconnected notes.

Learning about learning (Metacognition)

The book highlights the importance of connecting new knowledge to prior knowledge and understanding its broader implications. It also mentions getting this knowledge at different times and in different contexts, ideally with the help of luck and with intentional effort.

The Zettelkasten method

The Zettelkasten method involves creating three types of notes: fleeting notes, permanent notes, and project notes.

Fleeting notes are temporary notes taken from reading or thinking, which are later processed into permanent notes.
Permanent notes are self-contained notes that capture main ideas and insights and are linked to other relevant notes in a slip-box.
Project notes are a specific type of note that outline and draft a specific writing project. These notes are based on the contents of the Zettelkasten, which includes the permanent notes.

The book gives advice and examples on how to use the Zettelkasten method with different tools like paper, software, or a mix of both.

Reading a Book: When reading a book, quickly write down interesting ideas as short notes. These notes serve as a ‘hold this thought’ location pin on a map.
Attending a Lecture or Seminar: Take brief notes of the key points during a lecture or seminar. These fleeting notes can be processed into permanent notes later.
Writing a Research Paper: When writing a research paper, you can use project notes based on the permanent notes in your Zettelkasten to outline the paper.
Preparing for a Presentation: Prepare for a presentation by making project notes outlining the content, using insights from your Zettelkasten.
Learning a New Topic: When studying a new subject, make permanent notes that capture the main ideas and insights from your sources or thoughts. Connect these notes to other related ones.

It also explains the psychological and scientific principles behind the Zettelkasten method.

Internal Brain and External Brain

The book discusses the concept of using the slip-box as an external brain to complement our internal brain. This helps in organizing ideas and notes in a way that facilitates learning, thinking, and writing.

The benefits of the Zettelkasten method

The Zettelkasten method helps writers generate new ideas by connecting notes in unexpected ways. It also helps writers avoid procrastination by breaking down the writing process into manageable steps.

The book emphasizes that note-taking is an important life skill, not just for academics or writers, but for everyone. A good note-taking system can help create a rich library of ideas and insights, which can be accessed on demand.

The book advises focusing on the essentials while taking notes. It encourages writing down everything you find interesting and organizing all the entries in one place.

The Zettelkasten method’s true power lies in combining notes to create new and improved ideas on paper.