Zettelkasten and Evergreen notes purpose → component → specific
Why should an atomic note answer one question?
A permanent note should be as small as possible. If it answers two questions, then it should be divided into two notes. Notes need to be atomic because all external context is lost
Questions help to analyse if a note is really atomic, and if our writing is clear and specific enough. These are more likely to be how, and why questions, then what and who. A ZK is not wikipedia!
Possible questions (variations on the same tune):
- Look backwards, this note, what is it about, specifically? One question should cover the entirety of the note.
- Look forwards, when linking the note to other notes. What is missing, what are the implications?
Also: Questions help us to actively search instead of passively receive (information)
Literature notes
Curating knowledge into something useful: - Having collected the information, we now need to decide where and how each note / the information we collected fits into our knowledge management system. Think of this as a review process where you open and read / watch what you have gathered to decide what to do with it. - In this step, I will go through the information I collected and ask myself the following main questions: + Where / how does this note fit into my overall objective / my areas of interest? + Does this note add value? Is it telling me anything new? Is it providing me with a contrasting point of view? + Can this note be of use in the future? (Keeping strict criteria as if not it can be argued anything might be of use in the future) + Is this a reference note I want to keep as a source of the information (even if I have summarised the note in my own words)? - If a note / information captured during step 1 is no longer relevant or of interest, do not be afraid to delete it. - While asking myself the above questions, I will also go through the information gathered and add it to my PKM in my own words – there is little use simply copying and pasting something as no information is mentally retained. When you revisit it, it might mean nothing as it is missing context. - I like to carry this process out every few days (of course there are exceptions if a report is due earlier) and is a process that I find good to get into the habit of doing. I find that if I leave it to more than a few days, I lose the chain of thought and momentum and then find myself procrastinating – “I will check it out later”. Before I know it, I have amassed more information than I can go through, and the procrastination cycle repeats itself. - I will review the notes and information collected and add what I find of value to my collection. I will either add the information to existing notes or create new notes and link the notes’ relevant topics / findings. To me, content curation is about deriving value from each piece of information collecting.
Link to original
Ed NicoPersonal Knowledge Management – The Fortune Labs
Link to original