Zettelkasten Forum


PhD student reporting what it's like to use a Zettelkasten for the first time with my classes

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Comments

  • Very useful and illuminating discussion. The examples are helpful--so helpful I have to wonder why Ahrens didn't include any in his book.

    GitHub. Erdős #2. CC BY-SA 4.0. Problems worthy of attack / prove their worth by hitting back. -- Piet Hein.

  • @ZettelDistraction said:
    Very useful and illuminating discussion. The examples are helpful--so helpful I have to wonder why Ahrens didn't include any in his book.

    This theoretical thinking without any regards for the practical side is a hallmark of German Education. :)

    I am a Zettler

  • edited August 2022

    @Sascha said:

    This theoretical thinking without any regards for the practical side is a hallmark of German Education. :)

    Well, then given the misleading English translation of Ahrens, which seems to introduce note types that Ahrens never intended; the lack of a term for the notes that end up in the slip box, among other other terminological troubles; and the lack of examples, the only sensible response is to move to Bielefeld and write a habilitationsschrift.

    GitHub. Erdős #2. CC BY-SA 4.0. Problems worthy of attack / prove their worth by hitting back. -- Piet Hein.

  • @jeannelking Thanks for sharing your most recent post - it should inspire more than a few people!

  • Thank you for the update!

    • Over time I have also been pulled towards the practice of reading and note-taking in my vault at the same time vs. having them be distinct processes. I do find having a space of time between the activities helpful in crystalizing what information is still worth creating notes over vs. forgetting.
    • I'm surprised you only have 890 zettels over 2-3 years. How involved do each of your zettels tend to be?
  • Thanks, @GeoEng51!

    @Nick, I agree with having time to crystalize and do allow myself to sit and come back to things as new insights arise. I also like to make my digestive notes at the end of a section I've read, which also allows for sitting time.

    "Only" 890 zettels. Now I've got a complex! ;^D
    Some are super brief and to the point for a specific concept (such as when I'm reading a juicy chapter and want to break it down into its key components), while others may capture the essence of an entire chapter or article (such as when I want an overarching memory or understanding of an article that's helpful for oen thing but I want to remember how it all interconnects). It depends.

  • edited August 2022

    @jeannelking Ah, don't be intimidated by the numbers you hear quoted in the forum. Some of us are hares, some are tortoises (including me) and some in between. Quantity is only one measure of progress, after all. If what you are doing works for you, then don't feel you have to work to someone else's pace or standards. I'm barely at 300 zettels after working on a ZK for about 2 years now. I'm happy with my progress - it serves my purposes. :smile:

  • @jeannelking : thank you for the great update! I'm definitely going to point any new PhD candidates toward this post

  • @Nick The number of created notes is highly dependent on the complexity of the knowledge embedded in the note.

    I am a Zettler

  • @Sascha said:
    @Nick The number of created notes is highly dependent on the complexity of the knowledge embedded in the note.

    And to how selective one is in writing zettels and the purpose one sets for one's ZK.

  • @GeoEng51 said:

    @Sascha said:
    @Nick The number of created notes is highly dependent on the complexity of the knowledge embedded in the note.

    And to how selective one is in writing zettels and the purpose one sets for one's ZK.

    And whether one is on a Zettel jag or a Zettel break. (Speaking for myself, here! Sometimes I'm on a roll, other times... :# )

  • @jeannelking I have a lot more Zettels, but the vast majority of them tend to be garbage (I struggle w/ collectors fallacy despite knowing better), so I didn’t mean it as a judgement on you. I’m. Also on a Zettel break right now, so I understand that.

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