PKM expectations for STEM

Knowledge management
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I’m trying to write notes about my studies and work for quicker lookup, better reasoning, and to be able to relearn topics faster after I set them down for an extended amount of time. I don’t want to lose all progress about something after its short-term purpose is finished, and at the same time I want that knowledge to be helpful when I’m reasoning or dealing with different (but partially related) subjects.

I have many questions, and I think asking them to like-minded people (in a similar situation to me and with my similar topics of interest) is the best thing I can do rather than consume more PKM related content and get more confused.

I’ve tried the zettelkasten and evergreen methods with a neutral amount of success, but the big takeaway is that I love the idea of linked notes. I will keep talking in terms of those systems (mostly for the linking concept; consider I don’t really implement either too strictly), but I’m not locked in to use either, I’m very open to trying out new ideas about completely different workflows if I find them interesting or promising. Additionally, if you know any PKM with this same scientific purposes (either zettelkasten or not; either is okay), please do link it, as watching others with similar needs would be just as useful as asking them questions.

The knowledge I deal with is primarily on STEM (math, engineering, hard sciences in general): all (or most) information is “factual” (not subjective) and comes entirely (or almost entirely) from literature/sources (books, classes, videos, etc.) instead of my own original thoughts (except for questions or explaining the concept in my own words adding to the formal definition if it makes it easier to understand; this doesn’t always happen). An important disclaimer though is that this doesn’t mean sterile or mechanically/brainlessly collecting copy-pasted ideas: although I’m taking notes of facts the process of understanding the information (and asking things about it), turning it into atomic notes, connecting/linking them, revising them and decoupling the information from the source (like aggregating and generalizing information from multiple sources of the same topics if I want more detail, or sources with overlapping concepts for connected subjects; especially when the same things are explained with completely different approaches) is a engaging and thoughtful activity that goes far beyond simply copying stuff down.

The biggest doubt I have and the focus of this post is to where I should put my expectations for my PKM. Not specifically all the rules to make notes, but everything that comes after that (like to use) too. I know this question has likely been answered a painful amount of times, and I feel sorry for adding one too, but the sheer number of different answers (most either don’t seem applicable to my domain or seem misguiding) have not made me any less confused.

What am I to expect from my PKM?

I read Zettelkasten is a tool for writing, but is it still useful if I don’t do that? There is the possibility (not sure) I could write essay like documents (intuitions, complex trains of thought, papers), but even then it would all remain within my PKM: I’m not publishing anything.
Does it have any value if I use it for myself only, especially considering I use it for science instead of humanities or creative writing like it was thought for? Should I keep in mind extra guidelines for these specific topics and use so that I can get the most out of it?

Surely I don’t expect my PKM for it to replace short-term notes (for a test I realized I need to take notes differently and separately), so it is more a hobby to improve understanding than a study tool under tight time constraints, but what “use” can I get out of it? Is it a good hobby, a bad habit, or a huge waste of time?

Am I just making some kind of personalized Wikipedia? That in itself is not a bad thing: I’m likely to have the same queries in the future, retrieval should be easier if I link relevant information and personalized implies better understanding both at writing and reading time. But is that about it or am I missing out on some benefit or use? Every time it feels like there is something more to it.

Zettelkasten/Evergreen enthusiasts brag about how their systems help them get insight, but where is it and in what form can I get it? How do I actually use a scientific zettelkasten to see the links that are there, but I just didn’t see yet? Is there anything to keep in mind while writing my notes to improve this?

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There is no such thing as a one-size fits all PKM system. Rather, than seeking a “cut-and-dry” PKM template change to a DIY design-based approach geared towards your personal desires and preferences.

To do this I would recommend getting extremely familiar with the “bare-bones” of Obsidian and pay specific attention to the markup language as a whole and tags and links specifically. Only after achieving this would I start to seek to integrate one or more community plugins.

Second, I think the design approach that will accomplish what you are wanting is best described as a “drill down” PKM. The best way to achieve this is to utilize tags to create broad categories to denote different types of information and then specific cross or backlinks to further establish collections and connections between notes. While many people seek to minimize the use of folders (i.e. PARA, etc.) there is nothing wrong with incorporating multiple folder schema in your PKM design if that ultimately helps you to further manage the data in a manner that is fitting to your specific needs and logic.

A good PKM assembly is one that is not rushed, but rather developed “intimately” over time. By not rushing to create notes in a “fire hose” manner you become more intimately familiar with each one created, thus more easily remembered and relatable as you create each additional note going forwards. For me this helps significantly when analyzing each new note for appropriate tags and links.

Lastly, I like to review a note two or more times to ensure that I have thought of all of the possible tags and links it can relate to within my specific PKM instance. I usually try to review my notes for this purpose a day or two apart so that I am truly taking a “fresh” look each time.

A good rule of thumb for designing or assembling a PKM is to constantly remind oneself that “Rome was not built in a day”. Take time to really think about what you want in and from your PKM and start to design it from there. Everyone thinks and rationalizes information differently so concentrate on designing your PKM based on - your - desires and preferences.

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I really appreciate your attempt to answer my doubts, but I’m afraid I really didn’t get my point across.

The thing I tried to focus on is not really about “how to create a PKM” but much more about “how to use a PKM (to create value)”. It’s past the design phase, just starting to use a method and create notes accordingly; it’s at the phase of effectively using the existing system and the existing notes that already were created. For the purpose of thinking, recollection, relearning, and gathering insight or connections. This is relevant for any implementation, even the ones that don’t use obsidian (analog, too).

Zettelkasten and Evergreen are the most well known, have an exhaustive amount of literature about their implementation, and their purposes closely align with my own goals (see the original post), so I started implementing them myself (not strictly, polishing where needed) as already explained. There is barely anyone talking about actually using it in a useful way for my setting, and alone the benefits seem much smaller than anticipated.

I’ve asked about other note-taking methods and existing vaults to take inspiration from too, but those are subordinate to the usage question. It’s useful to observe an existing vault because I can see how value is produced through it. Equally, alternative note-taking methods are useful only if it’s clarified (or more straight-forward) how they help achieve the goals they are supposed to.

My original post must have been very misleading and misguiding. I feel tempted to delete it and recreate it, explaining the issue much more clearly, but I will refrain from it, hoping this clarification will be sufficient.

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My vault started out as a wiki. 4 years and 20k notes later it has evolved into something else. It blends elements from better known methods with very personal quirks.

I wouldn’t have designed it that way 4 years ago. The actual experience with Obsidian changed how I think about notes—and how I think with notes. The app Obsidian has also changed over time. Today I rely heavily on features, that Obsidian didn’t have 4 years ago, like Callouts, Properties and the new Bases.

I’m using and creating my vault at the same time. I’m writing, searching and referencing notes at the same time. I’m adding and pruning content at the same time. I’m constantly adapting the design to my usage. When something feels useless or unusable, I change it.

Coming from that experience, I find it difficult to understand your question.

Could you tell us a bit more about the intended usage? What prompted you to create a PKM with Obsidian? Did you have a particular usage in mind?

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This interests me too, and I’ve been musing on it a little more now that you’ve posed the question.

So, one of the major purposes of the Zettlekasten (as far as I understand Ahrens) is to first create a context for which you may contexualize new information, relate new information to that context, and generate insights that you may write about from long or wide chains of linked notes. That’s probably a terrible explanation, so I’ll try again: it’s about exploring areas of interest (or need) and collecting what you deem to be important to your work/studies/writing projects while making a concerted effort to connect it to any other ideas.

In STEM, I think the easiest work/study/writing project you could select is a problem. That’s how you could first contextualize information. I don’t think it hurts to represent such problem in your Zettelkasten as a note. Then, you go about doing your literature notes and all that keeping an eye on what you can add to your permanent notes and link to the problem. This is counter to my usual approach which is to read technical books, practice the exams, then never apply them in practice.

For a hypothetical example (well… this is all hypothetical), suppose you encountered a problem in a computer program you were writing. Create a note describing the problem and add it to your Zettelkasten because this is something important that you should understand and perhaps link to other things. You might then google the error statement or look up the related mechanism. Whatever turns up, you could either create a fleeting note (if it’s a very simple error in configuration or something) or a literature note (if you need to process some documentation), from which you pinpoint the fact or concept that explains your issue. Link it to the problem note, and explain within the problem note how this fact or concept solved the problem.

Now you have at least two permanent notes: one for the problem, the other for the concept (and maybe more if the documentation also told you something new and of interest). If you notice a similar problem, you can refer to the problem note. If you notice a novel problem that is solved by the same concept, well now those two problems can be linked and patterns start to emerge.

I think you could apply this for an abstract solution you’ve already conceived (e.g. you know you need a website, but you don’t know how to make one).

I think it does compete with application and practice: you don’t learn to apply technical skills by reading and thinking about them, but thinking about them helps you apply them thoughtfully and reflect. You can also think before you do, which might be helpful in environments where action has a cost (computing time on cloud servers, physical resources, resource acquisition associated with a given solution, etc.).

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If I had to give a gist of what I think about the question “What am I to expect from my PKM?”, I would say

  • Don’t expect a repository for every and all facts that you learn (i.e. a wiki - people with more time already did that for us and if you already knew what it is, you probably know where you can find more info if you need it)
  • Expect to improve your retention of those things you link to your project/problem/activity (reducing the need for a wiki)
  • Expect to have a personally relevant collection of problems to refer to when you do run into similar problem and forgot how to solve it
  • Expect to only focus on collecting information with the end being a specific project/problem/activity (keeping you focused rather than amassing “potentially useful” stuff - everything is useful given the right context)
  • Expect to engage your critical thinking skills (as opposed to accepting the first solution you find online or asking ChatGPT)
  • Expect to write when you encounter something that requires you to think beyond recalling something from memory or relying on muscle memory
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A Starter would be to use note properties in combination with various dataview (community plugin) queries fitting your needs.

Put these queries on Mocs (notes like a table of content, but for your notes), indices where you collect tags, dataview routines and protocols; to simplify what a moc is, think of it like a kind of “home page” of your vault.

Also use the local graph to understand and build connections between your notes.
Additionally, study Obsidian’s shortcuts to become quicker .

Important, you need to build up a folder structure to organize your research, your templates, etc. And a good example how to organize an actionable vault is to look at Tiago Forte’s second brain PARA system. Check out his books, blog on Home - Forte labs

Also, review your notes to curate your notes, there are many interesting plugins to help you with review.

Also, use a theme to feel comfortable when you write in Obsidian, as the default theme is pretty bare bones. Check out my theme called Dune: it adds not just new, useful designs but also new features.

BTW, there’s no system/technique that makes your notes magically valuable: you need to study each and every note by yourself to find out its intrinsic value to the whole.