If I extrapolate Carr’s point, the reason why the Zettel are so popular these days is probably because they don’t encourage intensive thinking and long time concentration on an issue. Zettels are like the Titkok for the knowledge worker. They jump from one medium/note to the other without much using your brain for a focused thinking. They are fun, and entertaining. But, they are the opposite of focused, concentrated deep work/thinking.
- The links function as the temporary reliefs for the short-wired brain.
- Since our brain has been tinkered, it struggles to read and write long essays. For that, we want to jump from one snippet to another. The Zettel fit to that paradigm of short-span thinking pretty well.
- But, the more you use your brain for extensive thinking, for long term concentration, on writing and reading, will get better at it. Long essays will help you in that way as well.