Zettelkasten method is one of the most effective knowledge management methods. But it’s not known by many people.
The word Zettlelkasten means “box of cards” in German. This method was developed by Niklas Luhmann, a German sociologist.
He may not be as famous as folks such as Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein, but what made him stand out from the crowd was his writing efficiency. In 30 years, he published 58 books and hundreds of articles.
How did he manage to write so much?
It’s thanks to his unique knowledge management system — Zettelkasten. Zettelkasten allowed him to:
- build a huge web of knowledge;
- retrieve the right memory when needed;
- find meaningful connections among topics, and
- develop his ideas, arguments and discussions efficiently.
The process of Zettelkasten is simple. All you need is small boxes, index cards and a pen.
Luhmann had two boxes: one for bibliographical notes with the references details and brief notes about the content of the literature, and the main box where he collected and created new ideas and insights.
The first step of Luhmann’s Zettlekasten is taking Literature notes.
