Note-Taking when Reading the Web and RSS

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.

These were not extensive summaries—just enough information to bring the idea back to the front of his mind. Luhmann stored the reference note in a separate reference note compartment inside his zettelkasten, which doubled as a record of what he’d read.

The structure of a Luhmann-style zettelkasten is not predetermined. It emerges out of the relationships the note maker establishes between ideas recorded in the notes.

Even though you could basically emulate the slip-box with any program that allows setting links and tagging (like Evernote or a Wiki), I strongly recommend using Daniel Lüdecke’s Zettelkasten. It is the only program I know that really implements the principles behind Luhmann’s system and is at the same time simple and easy to use. It is free and av

Anytime a passage spoke to something he was working on, or reminded him of an idea previously recorded in his zettelkasten, Luhmann wrote down the page number of where the passage could be found, followed by a brief description of what was said or how it related to his thinking. On the back of the slip, Luhmann recorded bibliographic information.18

So, while an idea in its original source may only support the original thesis, in a zettelkasten the idea is free to support many theses

So, while an idea in its original source may only support the original thesis, in a zettelkasten the idea is free to support many theses