What's happening in your ZK this month, May 2026?
We've had weekly versions in the past, but it's hard for anyone to keep that consistent. So I thought we might try a monthly version for a while, where anyone on the forum can start that thread for the month.
On my side, I'm continuing to experiment with different kinds of #tagging. Right now I'm testing how some theoretical frameworks can go across many different topics and categories, and I'm wondering if that could be a base for multi-note tagging. For example, Systems Theory and Game Theory have concepts and keywords that could be applied to many different areas.
A previous experiment with workflow-based tags has worked well, so I'm keeping that for the longer-term.
I also want to branch out a bit in the kind of sources I've used in the past. I noticed I didn't have much in regards to natural sciences, so I've gotten a book about evolution and that will be the first biology/natural science book I'll have taken notes on for my ZK.
Also this month, I'm revisiting a lot of older notes and reworking them. Depending on the case, that can mean editing and reorganizing them, or synthesizing them with completely new notes. It's slower than I expected, as I spend more time thinking that I do writing. But I'm happy with the newer versions.
Howdy, Stranger!
Comments
@wjenkins81 Thank you for starting this. I, too, have been missing @Will ’s precise and consistent nudging, so a monthly thread feels like a gentle way to bring that practice back.
Your post made me pause and reconsider what I’m currently doing with my Zettelkasten. It occupies me almost continuously, to the point where I rarely step back to reflect on the method itself. It has, over time, become something like a second layer of thinking.
This month I’m trying to be more deliberate about how my Zettelkasten evolves, rather than simply adding more content — partly because I’ve started teaching its use to participants in my natural history training. Converting others to use a ZK is surprisingly enjoyable.
One shift I’ve made over time is moving away from tagging as a primary structuring tool. Instead, I focus on developing explicit concept notes (definitions, distinctions, and applications). These seem to travel better across contexts than tags, which tend to stay implicit.
A second focus is integrating field observation more directly. Much of my current work revolves around botany and species identification, so I’m experimenting with what I would call an “associative field notebook” — linking observations, photographs, ecological context, and conceptual notes. It’s a very different mode of working compared to purely text-based and theoretical approaches, though those remain valuable in their own way — and I surely wouldn't enjoy life without.
Finally, I’m revisiting older notes with a clearer understanding of what that actually involves. Sometimes I refine them, but more often I extract underlying principles or decompose them into more precise units. It’s slow work, but it’s often where the real thinking happens — where connections emerge that go beyond earlier tagging structures. @harr has been a real source of inspiration lately.
So for me, this month will be less about expansion and more about consolidation and sharpening — after all, it is spring. Fresh growth, new twigs and twines.