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TAKE BETTER NOTES
How to Set Up A Hybrid Note-Taking System
The Subtle Reason Why I Have Two Note-Taking Systems (And Why You Should, Too)
If you’re taking notes and have a voyeur-tendency to know more about how others take effective notes… This article will feed some of your curiosity.
For ten years, I’ve been looking at my notes as “one dimensional”.
I was doing nothing else than saving information into my note-taking app:
Information about my everyday life, information about the stuff I learned, and my ideas.
This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
In fact, writing things down is a good way to keep track of them.
But then I started realizing that I was barely revisiting my notes.
In other words, I was saving a lot, but not that much engaging with it.
My routine looked like so:
1. Consuming content
2. Dumping information into my note-taking app
3. Going ahead with my day
After years, I realized that I had a serious problem with my note-taking system:
I was not taking notes; I was collecting them!
This triggered long months of research and transitioning, until I stumbled on the note-taking methodology called “Zettelkasten” (which is German and means “slip-box”).
The Zettelkasten seemed to be the solution to stop taking notes without revisiting them. It allows you to solidify your knowledge and come up with creative insights.
(The implementation was harsh, but several months later, I can say that it worked!)
