Zettelkasten

Welcome to the Zettelkasten Index node

This is an index note on the topic of “Zettelkasten”. Zettelkasten is a note taking system that helps you collect and process ideas in such a way that you can derive meaningful connections and new ideas from it over a longer period of time.

You can get started by exploring What is a Zettelkasten. Sonke Ahrens’ how to take smart notes is a good book to read if you are want to get acquainted with the core principles of zettelkasten.

I have been learning about Zettelkasten and its application for a while now. This Zettelgarden is my attempt of creating my version of Zettelkasten. My approach to this has changed multiple time over the last two years, but I still think there is much to learn from this system.

Elements of a Zettelkasten

Inside a Zettlekasten, the Index Notes act as the entry point into a topic and from there it lets you dive into other ideas and thoughts you have on the topic. But then each note could diverge and connect with any other note in the system thus making it location or topic agnostic in a way.

Other elements include Reference Note, Literature Note, Fleeting Note and Permanent Note. Permanent Notes are also sometimes called Content Notes

Content Notes are used to store the actual content of your notes. These notes can include long-form writing, images, audio recordings, or any other type of information that you want to store.

If you quickly want to jump into the mechanics of Zettelkasten go to Understanding Zettelkasten.

Here is All Zettelkasten Reference Materials that I found useful while trying to make sense of Zettelkasten. My piece of advice would be to take this slow.

Why do we need a Zettelkasten

The reason why Luhmann started using a Zettelkasten - An external structure is needed to surpass the limitations of brain.

To explore: What is the purpose of a Zettelkasten?

Application of a Zettelkasten

who should use Zettelkasten for writing

Types of Zettelkasten

Analogue Zettelkasten and Digital Zettelkasten

Benefits of a Zettelkasten

Zettelkasten influences your choice of reading

Getting started with a Zettelkasten

How do you start a zettelkasten system How to set up an Ideal Zettelkasten using Obsidian

Related Notes: Zettelkasten is not easy The questions I had when making a zettelkasten system for myself measure the success of a Zettelkasten What is the best way to describe a Zettelkasten system

Return to Home Note

Hey there, my name is Rahul Rajeev and thank you for taking the time to read through my digital garden. This garden is a raw reflection of my explorations - so all the information shared here are versions of my own experiences and assumptions.

Notes mentioning this note


Here are all the notes in this garden, along with their links, visualized as a graph.