Permanent Note
A permanent note in a Zettelkasten is an idea or concept that is freed from its source and has meaning on its own. Permanent Notes are created by refining your existing Literature Notes and [[ Fleeting Note ]]s. Permanent Notes are similar to the “Evergreen Notes” concept used by Andy Matuschak.
Creating permanent notes are the most important work that you can do for a Zettelkasten and yourself. Once you accumulate enough permanent notes, you can look for questions and connections that emerge from it, to come up with new ideas and research/reading directions.
Luhmann talks about conversing with his Zettelkasten as his research partner. Permanent Notes serves as the talking points that helps you [[ converse with a Zettelkasten ]]. Each permanent note can be interlinked with each other free of hierarchy, and these connections based on how they relate to each other and it what context.
For example this is a permanent note about permanent notes. This note can be linked to: [[ Adding permanent notes ]] to a Zettelkasten and [[ how permanent notes are connected ]].
Features of a Permanent Note
- It is atomic nature or it contains only idea per note.
- It has to make sense to you in future, when you have forgotten all about the source material from which the permanent note was created (Future Proofing).
- Permanent Notes are not “Permanent” in the literal sense. It can be changed or updated on the basis of new information or research directions that you take.
Some helpful tips and insights
- While you are limited to a single idea in a note, the same idea can be revisited in multiple permanent notes, approaching the from different contexts.
- As you are writing a permanent note you are thinking about about how it fits into you current collection of notes. This will help you write the note with a context that serves your present purpose.
Return to Home Note or Understanding Zettelkasten