I’ve learned that creating and maintaining links between related notes is a key aspect of the Zettelkasten method. Linking notes to each other helps to uncover new insights and connections and improves the organization of my Zettelkasten. But how to find the best strategy for linking?
I choose using links for Zettelkasten with two different goals in mind:
to build up a network of ideas
to define a hierarchical structure
Both linking methods support the further access of ideas:
The links in my network of ideas are leading me to hidden connections in the slip-box and support serendipity.
The links which define hierarchical structures are leading me to often visited notes that belong together.
A folder structure with separated “Permanent Notes” and “Structure Notes” helps me to distinguish between the two structures.
Here‘s my collection of concepts for linking notes:
Move forward. Link backward.
Always keep a link to the source.
What‘s your preferred strategy for linking? And what‘s your benefit from using it?
I guess I don’t really think about link structure too often. I write notes like a Wikipedia article—if I mention something and I feel like it should have its own article, I link it.
So I suppose my graph view is more like some sort of “creativity catalyst” than a map for navigation purposes. Sometimes I’ll look at it and see an uncreated note that I linked a long time ago, but by then I’ll have gathered ideas from other notes on what that thing really is, and I’ll turn it into a real note. And then the links and ideas just keep building up.
I guess it’s because I mostly use Obsidian for planning stories. The only other thing I use it for is school, and with that, I just use folders and ocassionally tags. I rarely link.
Unless it’s vocab words, but then I just link it to a note in the inspiration folder with my writing stuff.
I like the idea of structured links for optimal navigation and organization without folders, but linking freely is my preferred method because it leads to more creativity. Also, more time is spent having fun writing the note than thinking about structure and which links to put where.
Compare these two types of linking with Permanent Notes:
Direct Linking and
Linking with Terms
Linking with terms will give you the chance to find hidden links between related ideas. For me terms with backlinks are best for finding theses hidden connections. I often use the Local Graph feature in Obsidian for having a visual overview.
In Obsidian, we typically create a folder structure to set up the process (1) when we start to build our Zettelkasten. Adding some notes to this structure is our next step. Note-to-note links connect our related ideas. This is the basic concept of building an idea network (2). If we want to revisit our ideas without searching, maps of content (MOCs) will help (3).
But this is just the beginning.
What are your next steps? How do you use “Trains of thought”, “Folgezettel” or other structures?
Hello @Edmund , thanks for you extensive research on this zettelkasten topic!
According to your last image of “Map of Structures” can I ask a few questions?
You write about proces step 1, 2 and than 3.
Where in your Back Matter of a Permanent Note do you put links to relevant notes? I guess under the heading “References”? This could be seen as step 2 in the diagram.
Step 4 is a Structure Note with index tags, for example referring to Definitions.
Step 5 is a cluster of notes defined by tags, for example theme/xxx
I think all these structures give guidelines for a digital approach All zettels do not have a physical place in the world. They are all virtual.
Luhmann had a physical zettelkasten. I think this made him practically do organise the zettels in a fixed structure. So there came the Folgezettell automatically. And automatically you have to make a train of thought. It is just not possible to do this different due to that you have to place a “card” somewhere in the archive.
Let’s see this screenshot. The black lines are the “forced” trains of thought. The red lines are the note-to-note links connected to related ideas.
What if in the Back Matter of a Permanent note - under the heading sections References - you distinct the type of link: a link to the note before (black line) and other links to relevant notes (red lines). Like this you build automatically your “Train of thought” or Folgzettel system. I think Luhmanns zettelkasten was already a kind of “Outline”. Like you sketch on your image as well (top right).
I think this distinction between note-to-note links can be helpful as well cause it gives a kind of “Physical memory”. I compare it to a highlight in an e-book. Of course information is highlighted but if you change the font, size or whatever the highlight will be on another page and on another location of the page. When highlighting in a really paper book: the highlight will always be on page 39, top right. This is part of memory.
A Zettelkasten is a network of linked notes. A “good Zettelkasten” uses “good notes” and “good links”. But how can I create good links for my Zettelkasten? Here is my:
Definition of Good (DoG) [1]
Good links are:
Meaningful, Not Just Mechanical
Bidirectional, Two-Way Thinking
Contextualized, Explain the Link’s Purpose
Varied, Different Types of Links
Supportive
Contradictory
Sequential
Conceptual Bridge
Selective, Quality over Quantity
Generative, Spark New Insights
To improve my network I use a Connection Refinement Framework:
[1] The “Definition of Good” (DoG) describes the quality standards for an element in the Zettelkasten in a state that they can be effectively inspected.
