Whether you’re still in school or working in the field of your dreams, there are always ways to improve the process of learning and getting better at your job. We recently discovered one that we really love. It’s called Zettelkasten and it is a note-taking system that comes from Germany.
Zettelkasten was created by the German sociologist Niklas Luhman, who wrote hundreds of papers and 70 books during his career. Apparently, Zettelkasten was the secret behind his productivity and here’s how you can use it to your advantage.
The method requires you to have pieces of paper (like little cards) and a box in which you can store them. The general principle is to write down an idea when you read it or when it forms in your mind and to index it. The first idea, for example, can be marked as “1”. The next time you think of something related to the first idea, you can mark it with “1a” and put the card next to the first one. Then comes the “1a1” if the new thought connects with the one marked “1a”, “1b” if it’s connected to your original “1” idea, or “2” if it’s something brand new.
This way, you can create an idea tree that will hold your thoughts effortlessly for whenever you need to access them again. It’s very useful for academics, authors, entrepreneurs, and many other professionals.
