CIO and DBA student from Canada
Hi everyone,
This is the first forum I've ever joined and look forward to learning TA and the Zettelkasten method alongside all of you. I live and work in Calgary Canada, but am attending classes (physically; currently virtually) at the University of Bath, UK. I'm in the DBA program focusing on higher education management and don't anticipate starting my doctoral thesis until early 2022 (I'm currently taking classes and about to start the second of four residential sessions next week) .
I learned about the ZK method after completing my first course and paper and figuring there had to be a better way of organizing notes than how I did it in OneNote. I just finished reading 'How to Take Smart Notes' and downloaded TA yesterday so I'm very new to this. My plan is to start entering my thoughts into TA as I start my second course next week. I work as a CIO/AVP of IT for a polytechnic school and already make good use of OneNote/physical notebooks for my daily work notes, and am working hard to learn new tools to support my scholarly work (e.g. EndNote, NVivo). I am using EndNote for reference management, but am thinking of moving over to Zotero mainly to be able to store notes for each reference item, as per Ahrens' suggestions. I'll continue to use OneNote for my transient/temporary thoughts, MS Word for writing, and TA as my zettelkasten. Mastering TA and learning the ZK method to support my next paper, due prior to Christmas, is going to involve a significant learning curve but one that seems self supporting according to the afterword in the book. Not sure what it is, but this method just seems so logical.
I'm not sure of the topic for my thesis and initially started down this path being curious about leadership and how to build a culture that supports personal risk-taking. Working for a publically-funded institution has its challenges in enabling innovation, and encouraging people to stretch and grow in developing new capabilities. I'm an active reader and definitely fall into the category of highlighting/underlining things, and/or taking notes which become orphaned. Reading Ahrens has opened my mind to what seems like a more logical method of taking notes, yet one that will require discipline to get going. I figure the sooner I get started, the sooner I can climb up the learning curve. Having a paper due in less than six months will be a strong motivator 
I would greatly appreciate any tips or tricks you can recommend for someone starting their ZK journey. Thanks in advance for your support and patience, and I look forward to getting to know you.
Best regards
Howdy, Stranger!
Comments
Welcome, Michael. Many of us can thank Sönke for his book as a kickstart down this adventure.
It is a tough time to be studying 'higher education management' but it sounds like you some noble goals.
This is a great attitude, a recognition that we start from ignorance and grow slowly. Worthwhile knowledge isn't gained in a short secession
You've landed in the right place to ask questions and share your journey.
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
@michaelbbarr
Hi Michael - welcome to the forum! I am pretty new to ZK and have found the forum to be a real treasure trove. I'm addicted to it - can't let a day go by without looking at and learning from the new posts. Hope you not only enjoy the forum but really dig into the ZK approach to organizing your ideas. Cheers!