I wrote in my previous post that Tools for Thought Need a Purpose, otherwise you end up a slave to your note system, whether it’s a Zettelkasten or a collection of Evergreen Notes, creating an endless hoard of ideas because why else do you have a PKM system in the first place?
Instead you need something to help you filter out unnecessary ideas. Something like a purpose.
The problem is, when you’re first starting out with a knowledge base you’re not likely to know exactly what you need the system to do. As Mark Bernstein says in his book The Tinderbox Way,
At the outset of a project, we seldom know exactly how it should be organized. We may adopt a preliminary organization scheme, but of course growing experience and knowledge are bound to provide new insights. We cannot hope to classify everything immediately, and we cannot expect that our first classification will always be perfect.
Here’s a three-step way that can help you discover the purpose of your notes:
1. Start with a Fuzzy Sense of the Whole
You’re not going to have a clear picture at the start. So start with a fuzzy one. But try and take in the whole thing. What is your area of interest? Who is your audience? Who might be your audience ten years from now? What medium will you be working in, writing? Podcasts? How might that medium change in ten years?
None of your answers need to be perfect. They don’t have to be complete. They just need to represent a sense of the whole of the area you are working in. Capture them in whatever you use as your personal scratchpad.
2. Ask Yourself “What Do I Care About?”
At this point you might be tempted to let your interests lead you. That’s what I did when I first learned about the Zettelkasten note taking system being a dynamic communication partner. I thought if I collected a bunch of notes on subjects I was interested in, the Zettelkasten would tell me what I was most interested in writing about.
It did not. My Zettelkasten simply answered “Wow, you’re interested in a lot of random crap.”
For that reason I think it’s better to ask yourself what you care about and what matters? These types of questions are what Peter Senge says are most likely to lead people to an effective vision for their work.
3. Let the Notes Do the Work
Once you have some ideas that you truly care about and you have a fuzzy idea where they might take you, it’s time to let your notes do the work. Starting with an idea that you care about, start asking questions such as:
- Where does this idea stem from?
- Where does this idea lead next?
- Is this idea complete, or is there something missing?
- Does this idea correct a previous idea?
- Does this contradict a previous idea?
- Is this idea authentic and relevant in this context?
- Does this remind me of any other ideas, no matter how tangential?
My own knowledge base is modeled after the Zettelkasten system. So I make “fleeting” notes for each of the answers. If I have an existing note that answers one of these questions, then I link the two ideas. If not, well, now I know where to direct my research.
Over time this work will start crystalizing the fuzziness that existed in Step 1. You will now have a much clearer idea of your themes, topics, and audience than you did before.
And you’ll have a true sense of purpose.
SEE ALSO
Tools for Thought Need a Purpose
Personal Knowledge Management – is it PKM or is it PIM?
Zettelkasten, It’s Like GTD for Writing, Here’s Why You Should Consider It
