Zettelkasten is a method of reading, note-taking, and communication partner. It involves selective reading and reflection on the material. The process starts by taking literature notes while reading, and then using notecards to jot down important ideas or thoughts. Niklas Luhmann, who developed the Zettelkasten system, emphasized the importance of identifying the most notable ideas and concepts and storing them for later use in his own work.
Reading and Note-taking with Zettelkasten
When I read a book I do it in the following way: I always have a notecard on hand on which I note the ideas of certain pages; … When I’ve read through the book then I go through these notes and I consider what could be useful for notes and that have already been written, thus I always read with an idea toward the notability of books.
— Niklas Luhmann
Niklas Luhmann suggested using scanning and selection methods. It helps to make sense of complex texts and identify the most important information. It is also recommended in the book “How to Read a Book” by Mortimer J. Adler. The Zettelkasten system involves taking literature notes while reading and then transferring the most useful ones to individual note cards. These notecards are also called permanent or evergreen or main…