The Zettelkasten System
Zettelkasten is the note-taking system used in How to Take Smart Notes.
The following description is incomplete and only focuses on what I find relevant.
There are five steps in this system and each step requires thought.
Fleeting Notes
Take fleeting notes whenever you think of something worth writing down. Do not store those permanently. If they are about what you are reading, turn those notes into literature notes, when appropriate.
Literature Notes
Literature notes should be stored with your references and should be tied conceptually with the source material (they have two purposes).
Permanent Notes
Transform fleeting and literature notes into permanent notes that represent your own individual thoughts. Gather those permanent notes and rewrite them into final works.
Final Works
Look through your permanent notes to find chains of thoughts to turn into topics that can be translated into your final work. Translate those chain of thoughts and notes into a full argument. After fully translating thoughts, edit and proofread your work. And then, finally, ...
Publish
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