Summary
The Zettlekasten Method is a knowledge management system designed to "optimize" note taking. It's fairly simple, but there are a few principles that make it unique in contrast to other note taking systems. This system has been around a long time and has slowly evolved into the format that it is in today. Traditionally, it involves reorganizable index cards grouped by topic.
Principles
1) Take fleeting notes. // All information is knowledge. Jot down everything in a memo book, or a notebook, or a journal, or your notes application on your phone. Just get it down.
2) Take permanent notes in your own words. // These permanent notes should be derived from your fleeting notes; take your notes and rewrite them. Traditionally, this is done on index cards, while the fleeting notes are done in a "commonplace book". The phrase "in your own words" is one of the baseline axioms of this system, I cannot stress it enough
3) Group your permanent notes together by topic. // Originally, this was done by placing index cards with notes together in boxes, and grouping cards of similar topic together in the box. Today, in the era of hypertext and file trees, one can do this digitally much more easily.
Subjective Miscellany
I recently started using this knowledge management system. I have yet to digitize and hyperlink all my notes, but the "take fleeting notes" idea has really stuck with me. Personally, I use a little pocket memo book, but a smartphone could also work.
// Brevity Quest 2023