How to Take Smart Notes - Sonke Ahrens
If you’ve spent any time in the corner of the internet that is obsessed with Personal Knowledge Management (PKM), you’ve come across Sonke Ahrens book, How to Take Smart Notes. The book outlines, in clear and concise language, how to implement the Zettelkasten Method created by Niklas Luhmann. In a sentence, this method is a way to systematically document your knowledge in a way that it searchable and, ultimately, generates ideas for future you. With the advent of new software such as Roam Research and Obsidian, this type of personal knowledge database has become more accessible than ever.
I recommend How to Take Smart Notes for anyone interested in having a strategy for managing all of the digital information that is constantly vying for your attention. The book is written for academics but I strongly believe that it is applicable for any knowledge worker. I use a modified system to manage all of my meeting notes and project ideas. I believe that the growing popularity of this book is emblematic of a wave of new strategies meant to tame the constant information overload we are collectively experiencing.