Zettelkasten Forum


Share with us what is happening in your ZK this week. September 29, 2023

Swimming with Ideas

Another installment of the What Are You Working On? thread. Add to this thread by telling us what is happening in and around your ZK journey. Join the community and enlighten us about your knowledge path trajectory. I do this for selfish reasons. It helps me clarify my goals and visualize my thinking. And sometimes, a conversation sparks an idea worth exploring.

Ideas I'm thinking about:

  • My life is slowly imploding.
  • How I can be compassionate to myself. Let the breath coddle, hug, nurture, and fill me with wonder.
  • The tutoring possibilities of OpenAI's ChatGPT.
  • Blogging my notes.

Things I'm reading:

Lispector, Clarice and Costa, Margaret Jull and Patterson, Robin and Valente, Paulo Gurgel. Too much of life: the complete crônicas. 2022.
Siegel, Ronald. The extraordinary gift of being ordinary and finding happiness right where you are. 2022.
Blum, Andrew. The weather machine: a journey inside the forecast. 2019.
Davis, Lydia. Essays one. 2020.

Music I'm listening to:

The 28-hour Jazz for Study Spotify playlist

★★★★★

The "My rolling ten-day zettel production" is produced by a script for attachment to my daily journaling template. I do my journaling in Bear to keep personal journaling separate from my knowledge work.

Let me know if you want to see any of these notes.


My ten day zettel production

Will Simpson
My zettelkasten is for my ideas, not the ideas of others. I don’t want to waste my time tinkering with my ZK; I’d rather dive into the work itself. My peak cognition is behind me. One day soon, I will read my last book, write my last note, eat my last meal, and kiss my sweetie for the last time.
kestrelcreek.com

Comments

  • edited September 2023

    Ideas I'm thinking about:

    • How To Design Businesses
    • How To Optimize a Distributed Training Protocol
    • My Health Protocol "Chronic Mitochondrial Loading"

    Things I'm reading:

    • The E-myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
    • Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
    • Die Produkt-Treppe by the Conta Gromberg Couple (~ "The product stairway")

    Music I'm listening to:

    • The Backstreet Boys (together with my daughter)
    • Rammstein (together with my daughter)
    • Some Chillwave

    Zettels of the week

    • Gene activation through training
    • TLBOX Article Writing
    • Coyne outline for articles
    • Will and motivation feed each other
    • We all start way too late and pay the price
    • Outline template Politely disagree
    • How to get yourself out of a depression
    • Thinking Tool Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
    • Thinking Tools Workshop
    • How to deal with shyness
    • What is periodisation
    • The spoon
    • Core Program 1
    • The Three Zone Model
    • What is deep commitment
    • The habitual infrastructure of life
    • The loneliness of perfection
    • ONS is hollow and empty

    I am a Zettler

  • @Sascha, thanks for sharing what you are up to this week. Your "Zettels of the week" are always diverse and interesting. As a spoon maker, I was intrigued by your zettel "The Spoon". Would you mind sharing your thoughts on spoons?

    Will Simpson
    My zettelkasten is for my ideas, not the ideas of others. I don’t want to waste my time tinkering with my ZK; I’d rather dive into the work itself. My peak cognition is behind me. One day soon, I will read my last book, write my last note, eat my last meal, and kiss my sweetie for the last time.
    kestrelcreek.com

  • edited September 2023

    @Will said:
    @Sascha, thanks for sharing what you are up to this week. Your "Zettels of the week" are always diverse and interesting. As a spoon maker, I was intrigued by your zettel "The Spoon". Would you mind sharing your thoughts on spoons?

    It's a story about how I started my quest for meaning. I left a spoon on the floor when I lived alone with no furniture other than my desk). Days turned into weeks and the spooned started staring at me. Then I decided to actually go for meaning, Das Ding an Sich.

    I am a Zettler

  • Ideas I'm thinking about:

    1. continue with this embed query system
    2. improve actions on building how I process information
    3. get consist reps in cycling/running/swiming and snatch
    4. try to not open YouTube/Twitter for 6 days

    Things I'm reading: (still selfhelp...)

    1. Habits The 6 Habits of Growth
    2. GTD David Allen

    Music I'm listening to:

    1. old songs.
    2. random sheets and play on guitar

    Zettels of the last week

    1. Over the last week, I've tested the example Jupyter NoteBook file
      provide by OpenAI. So basically, it's kind of building a search
      engine to the Amazon review database. I successfully created a
      minimum version of it using my own data, and I can understand how
      to use this in a better system. Then I am trying to implement this
      query system within Emacs. It's not finished yet. It's still in
      progress.

    2. First is about how to extract the identifier ID from the database
      file $ sqlite3 /mnt/database/org-roam.db "SELECT id FROM nodes
      LIMIT 10;" > /mnt/database/id_output.dat

    3. from a single valid org ID, I can pre-processing the content of
      that org room nodes information

    4. To read a list of the Org-ID, I can use the following functions to
      prepare the content that I want to embed into my system.

  • edited October 2023

    @Will said:
    I do my journaling in Bear to keep personal journaling separate from my knowledge work.

    My personal journaling is part of my Zettelkasten. I'm using the Bullet Journaling method from Ryder Carroll* which can easily be integrated. But what are the benefits from keeping both separate? Also with different tools?

    *) Carroll, Ryder. The Bullet Journal Method - Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future, 2018.

    Edmund Gröpl
    100% organic thinking. Less than 5% AI-generated ideas.

  • @Edmund said:
    My personal journaling is part of my Zettelkasten. I'm using the Bullet Journaling method from Ryder Carroll* which can easily be integrated.

    I take a similar approach, although it is set up in NotePlan rather than The Archive. I still use The Archive for my Zettelkasten, but I use NotePlan for all my planning and scheduling, so it just makes sense to have my Bullet Journal in NotePlan as well. In fact, NotePlan is entirely capable of creating and maintaining a Zettlekasten, and can directly access all the ZK plain text files produced by The Archive. So within NotePlan, I have access to my full Zettlekasten plus Bullet Journal. But I still prefer to write and maintain my zettels using The Archive.

  • @Edmund said
    But what are the benefits of keeping both separate? Also, with different tools?

    Sorry, if I had more time, I'd have written you a shorter response.

    I'm a list maker, and here is my evolving list of reasons to keep personal journaling separate from knowledge management.

    1. I take ZK notes to enhance engagement with the world. Here, I process information, facts, ideas, or knowledge that I want to integrate with other knowledge or refer to later.
    2. I journal to express my experiential wonder in the world. My journal aims to reflect on emotions and personal experiences or capture fleeting thoughts.
    3. I am but one data point, a single fragment in the ocean of humanity. Even at my advanced age, I still struggle to learn an optimal learning path. I'm only as good as my knowledge reflects reality. If I knew better, I'd do better. My method only reflects my current knowledge, which is constantly changing. I'm evolving, adapting, and updating my methods constantly.
    4. Mood separation: generally, when I'm in the mood for reflection, I journal, and when I'm in the mood for stimulating insight, I head to my ZK. My current emotional state guides me.
    5. In knowledge work, I strive to make every note a coherent and flowing narrative. Journaling can often become a chaotic and unstructured free association, leading to a disorganized mess. This is not negative in the journaling environment and can lead to personal insights. I want to avoid tempering this with the formality of the ZK Method of knowledge management. I wouldn't want to muddy my knowledge work more than it is already.
    6. I use Bear (insert journaling tool of choice) and The Archive (insert PKM tool of choice) because they are simple enough and Markdown compliant (sort of).
    7. Bear and The Archive support distracted-free writing. Your tolerance for distraction will vary.
    8. I can use Markdown links between the two when necessary, ensuring connectivity between personal reflections and structured knowledge. This bridges the gap between introspective personal thoughts in my journal and the structured insights in my ZK.

    We've discussed this in the past on the forums. Here are but a few relevant threads.

    Will Simpson
    My zettelkasten is for my ideas, not the ideas of others. I don’t want to waste my time tinkering with my ZK; I’d rather dive into the work itself. My peak cognition is behind me. One day soon, I will read my last book, write my last note, eat my last meal, and kiss my sweetie for the last time.
    kestrelcreek.com

  • edited October 2023

    @Will said:
    Sorry, if I had more time, I'd have written you a shorter response.

    Thank you for your long answer. It takes me some time in reading and thinking. Here is my learning:

    The choice between "Separating Personal Journaling and Zettelkasten" and adopting an "Integrated Approach" can depend on a combination of different methodologies and personal mindset.

    Here's why:

    Methodology: Different methodologies and workflows may naturally lend themselves to one approach over the other. For example:

    • Separation Based on Methodology: If your chosen methodology for knowledge management (e.g., Zettelkasten) emphasizes structured, interconnected notes, it may be more compatible with keeping personal journaling separate. This separation can help maintain the integrity and coherence of your knowledge base.

    • Integration Based on Methodology: Conversely, if your methodology encourages integrating personal experiences and reflections into your knowledge management system for context and insight, an integrated approach may be more suitable.

    Personal Mindset and Preferences: Personal mindset and individual preferences play a significant role in this choice:

    • Structured vs. Freeform: Some individuals naturally gravitate towards structured and organized approaches in their work, while others prefer more freeform and unstructured methods. Your personal mindset, in terms of how you prefer to work and organize your thoughts, can influence your choice.

    • Emotional Connection: Your comfort with mixing personal emotions and experiences with structured knowledge work can be a personal preference. Some people feel that an integrated approach helps them connect emotionally with their knowledge, while others prefer a more clinical separation.

    Goals and Objectives: Your specific goals and objectives can also impact your choice:

    • Research and Professionalism: If your primary goal is professional research and knowledge dissemination, you might lean towards separation to maintain a high level of professionalism and clarity in your work.

    • Personal Growth and Insight: On the other hand, if you value personal growth, self-reflection, and insight generation, you may be more inclined to integrate personal journaling with your knowledge management to draw connections between your experiences and ideas.

    Flexibility and Experimentation: Some of us may experiment with both approaches over time to find what works best for them. Your mindset can be open to trying different methods and adjusting based on the outcomes and personal satisfaction.

    In summary, the choice between separating personal journaling and adopting an integrated approach depends on a combination of your chosen methodologies, your personal mindset, your workflow preferences, and your overarching goals. It's not solely one or the other; rather, it's about finding the balance that aligns with your unique needs and objectives.

    As you know, I prefer the "Integrated Approach": https://forum.zettelkasten.de/discussion/2333/migration-from-bullet-journal-to-zettelkasten

    Sorry, if I had more time, I'd have written you a shorter response. ;-)

    Edmund Gröpl
    100% organic thinking. Less than 5% AI-generated ideas.

  • @Will @Edmund

    Haha! Does that mean if you'd had more time, you both would have used your zettel-writing skills? :wink:


  • A lot of journals. But all included in my Zettelkasten.

    Edmund Gröpl
    100% organic thinking. Less than 5% AI-generated ideas.

  • It seems to me that there are two polarized topics or ideas involved
    here. I'm not saying that one is radically opposite to the other one,
    but kind of showing two extremes.

    Yin: Separation Based, Structured, Research and Professionalism Yang:
    Integration Based, Freeform, Personal Growth and Insight

    Again, from this brain map, clearly, I see a structure but at the same
    time, I also see those random things embedded into your system, mainly
    the journaling part or log part, or diary part. I like the idea that
    you mix a set of targets for the thing that you want to revisit.

    I can have an idea about revisiting those things in my database, but I
    don't have a clear mind. For example, I have a vague idea that I have
    to make things clear. If I see tens of headline just within the first
    subheading, I feel stressed and I want to try to minimize their
    numbers. Also, I want to extend the idea into a deeper level. I also
    try to find when I revisit those things. Basically, it's when I feel
    relaxed, when the environmental trigger is there. Based on those
    ideas, I try to re-enter that kind of situation. Another thing is that
    I want to reach out to the outside world to discuss the idea. That's
    where I find ideas, or that's when I find most of the time I revisit a
    certain topic. On a personal level, I tend to reread books, but I
    don't have a fixed schedule. Mostly, it's when things pops up, I have
    to do that and then I revisit the book I read. Or sometimes I just
    randomly visit it and know that it's just a note for a book I read. At
    that time, I'm probably going to revisit it. Also, when I try to think
    about it in my habit, I'll probably revisit tons of notes I've just
    written or discussed with other people. And of course, when I need to
    write a program, I have to revisit a lot of things. The log file, the
    idea that I want to achieve.

    Thanks for sharing this brain map. I'm probably going to have a point
    of view next time I revisit something, and I probably will apply this
    map to consideration.

    "idea, memory, moment, emotion, skill". For example, when I read a
    book, when I saw a book I want to revisit, I probably think about
    three ideas that I've learned from this book. Maybe I have some memory
    about a particular idea that I actually used in my life, and that's
    going to bring some memory, moments, back to the time I revisited
    those notes. And of course, that will bring a certain emotion. Also I
    definitely think about if there are any skills that I, it really
    depends on this idea or this set of ideas.

    The last item in your general tips is something I want to do, but I
    don't have a clear mind previously. For example, I try to think about,
    okay, in what context I'm going to set this node again. So you're
    actually providing some action, adding a tag, then probably adding a
    link, and probably adding new questions I'm not clear about, original
    ideas. And maybe during the process, I have some new ideas I can
    capture and then process later.

  • edited October 2023

    @learning_ran said:
    It seems to me that there are two polarized topics or ideas involved
    here. I'm not saying that one is radically opposite to the other one,
    but kind of showing two extremes.

    Yin: Separation Based, Structured, Research and Professionalism
    Yang: Integration Based, Freeform, Personal Growth and Insight

    Edmund Gröpl
    100% organic thinking. Less than 5% AI-generated ideas.

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