250. My Zettelkasten: An Author’s Digital Slip-Box Method Example (Using Plain-Text Software)

<p><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>As a nonfiction author, retaining what I read is my job. Through the process of writing three books, I’ve experimented with different ways of reading, remembering what I read, and using that knowledge to develop my own <a href= "http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/how-to-have-a-thought/">thoughts</a>. I’ll share today my note-taking system. I hope it serves as a good example of a digital “Zettelkasten” or slip box.</p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --></p> <h3>Listen to My Zettelkasten: An Author’s Digital Slip-Box</h3> <p><!-- /wp:heading --><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --></p> <h3>What is a Zettelkasten?</h3> <p><!-- /wp:heading --><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>I talked about Zettelkasten in my <a href= "http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/how-to-take-smart-notes-book-summary/"> <em>How to Take Smart Notes</em> book summary</a> on episode 249, but here’s a quick review. Zettelkasten is German for “slip box.” In the analog form, a Zettelkasten is a box filled with slips of paper. On each slip is an idea, notes about which other slips that idea is related to, and keywords used for organizing the slips.</p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":7554, "align": "center"} --></p> <div class="wp-block-image"><img class="wp-image-7554 size-medium" src= "http://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Zettelkasten_514941699-350x233.jpg" alt="paper zettelkasten slip box example" width="350" height= "233" /> Wikipedia: <a href= "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zettelkasten_(514941699).jpg"> Kai Schreiber</a></div> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --></p> <h4>The Zettelkasten method originated in analog, but is being adapted to digital</h4> <p><!-- /wp:heading --><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>Much of the original Zettelkasten techniques were developed to adapt the limitations of physical paper to non-hierarchical organization, like today’s internet. Now, writers are adapting the Zettelkasten method to