put a “ZK” next to any thought I consider particularly “zettel worthy,” and give context as to how this thought might relate to or inform others already stored in my zettelkasten. At some point later in the week or month, I convert my thoughts directly into main notes, or make a reference note, capturing all my “ZK”-identified thoughts.

Luhmann never underlined sentences in the text he read or wrote comments in the margins. All he did was take brief notes about the ideas that caught his attention in a text on a separate piece of paper: “I make a note with the bibliographic details. On the backside I would write ‘on page x is this, on page y is that,’ and then it goes into the bibl

For every passage you highlight or underline, create a note, rephrase it in your own words, and link it to the source (another note in your second brain). This process helps connect ideas and generate new insights. Assign every note a title to ensure easy access and facilitate the creation of new connections in the future.