What is a Zettelkasten? Why should you build one?

Zettelkasten - ‘A Zettelkasten or card file consists of small items of information stored on Zetteln, paper slips or cards, that may be linked to each other through subject headings or other metadata such as numbers and tags.’

If you have ever gotten into writing notes on paper note cards or post it notes, you will recognize the struggle of organizing them all together. The goal of the Zettelkasten is to house a central location for all of the note-cards to be put. The ideas is that the cards can have numbers that link each post it note or note-card together in one place.

While larger paper management systems, like a filing cabinet are well known today, they don’t often offer flexibility with regards to quick and ease of access. The Zettelkasten breaks that barrier down, as a zettelkasten is the size of a shoe-box.

When I first found out about Zettelkasten, I instantly went downstairs, grabbed the closest shoe-box I could find, and began to fill it up with my notecards and post it notes.

What a Mess!

The Zettelkasten only solves one aspect of the note-card organization problem. The notecards are centralized into one location, and I can trust in knowing that my thoughts are protected in this spot. However, one must also take caution in placing new cards in the correct location. Without due diligence and constant vigilance, it would seem impossible and insurmountable to organize your note-cards.

My solution isn’t figured out yet, and part of this article was demonstrating to others how to solve the Zettelkasten organization dilemma, so I can solve it for myself. I currently use tags on each one of my note-cards. I will write two to three different tags on each card. My goal when putting each card away will be to put it in the general areas where they belong. This way, when I research a previous topic, I can just grab the area of cards and start reading through that section of note-cards.

How To Build A Zettelkasten

materials:

notecards shoebox

Quite simply, grab your shoebox and fill it with notes you write. It is that simple. There are communities of people only trying different techniques to keep it organized, but this is for people who are far along the path and have a couple of shoeboxes already.

Remember, there are two mistakes one can make on the path to wisdom, not starting and not going all the way.

Best,

Aidan Hellrigel