Peer Learning // Flow Discovery

Zettelkasten Learning Journey – 6 Weeks of Experience & Insights

Felix Harling — Mon, 26 May 2025 06:31:47 +0000

What happens when you don’t just read about the Zettelkasten method, but actually try it out – week after week, together with others?
In this article, I share my experiences from six weeks of learning: what works, what doesn’t, what routines I’ve developed and what I’m still working on.

The Learning Journey

At the kick-off of the DATEV Learning Circle Experience on March 27, it was not yet clear whether there would be a learning journey on the slip box (aka “Zettelkasten”) method. I was the only one who was interested in the guide.

I was curious about the method because I wanted to improve my note-taking. The aim of the slip box method is to “collect thoughts and ideas in a central place and link them together – in order to gain new insights, deepen knowledge and write better texts” (source: lernOS Zettelkasten guide).

As a plan B, I had considered learning in tandem with an AI, but then – a serendipity moment – I was joined by curious people: Brigitte, Francesco and Ina. Our learning journey started on April 8.

Zettelkasten: The Learning Guide

For the learning journey we use the lernOS Zettelkasten guide (in German). Many thanks to Andreas Trebing, Maris Krobath and all other contributors for sharing and publishing.

The lernOS Platform

lernOS is an open source platform for individual and collaborative learning. It offers methods for learning modern ways of working and knowledge management. I have been a member of the lernOS community since 2020.

Once a year, the community meets at the lernOS Convention (loscon). Have you already registered for this year’s loscon with the theme “Mind The Knowledge Gap”?

My Learning Goal

For this learning journey, I have decided to develop a routine to make my notes and thoughts more usable with the slip box method. I am using Obsidian as a tool. From July onwards, I want to write my blog posts based on this new routine. I share my learning progress week by week on Mastodon.
This blog post is part of it – we are now in week 6, exactly in the midpoint of our learning journey.

The Learning Circle

We have been meeting at the same time every week since April 8. We have agreed that it is fine if only two of us attend a meeting. We document the content of our meetings on a Notion board that Francesco has created.

As has always been the case with lernOS learning circles, it is an enriching experience to learn with three structured and committed people from very different organizations.

Zettelkasten: First Insights

My train journey from Karlsruhe via Lyon and Barcelona to Valencia and back gave me time to explore further sources on the card box method in addition to the guide. I found it particularly helpful:

the video The fun and efficient note-taking system I use in my PhD
the audio book How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens

I haven’t really gotten used to Notion – it’s a proprietary tool from a US company. It’s important to me to be able to save my personal notes locally and to be able to use them in Markdown format in other programs. That’s why I chose Obsidian.

What I Have Realized

A few points have become clear to me since week 0:

The point is not to collect quotes or summaries, but to develop and record your own thoughts.
Permanent notes don’t need keywords, but connections to other notes. It is also important to think about what I want to use the note for.
Working with the slip box once a week is not enough. It is best to write new permanent notes (almost) every day.
One possible measure of progress: the number of permanent notes per day. Luhmann wrote an average of six of them – that would be over 2,000 per year. I start with five to ten per week.
In summary: I’ve realized that I’ve wasted a huge amount of potential over the years with my fleeting notes in various places. I want to change that now.

My First Slip Box aka Zettelkasten

I have set up my new slip box in Obsidian. I had previously used the tool more for fleeting notes – now I use it in a more targeted and structured way.

My first version consists of the following areas:

Metadata: List of hashtags as an anchor for what I want to use the notes for (e.g. #insights, #peerlearning)
Bibliography: one note per source (books, podcasts, videos, etc.)
People: one note per person that provides food for thought
Permanent Notes: one permanent note per personal thought. These notes are the core of my note box.

My Zettelkasten Workflow

I created the workflow inspired by the audiobook by Sönke Ahrens:

Weekly: add hashtags, list of sources and people
Ad hoc: Collect fleeting notes, create literature notes
Several times a week: Create, link and assign permanent notes
Ad hoc: reflect on notes, record open questions
Ad hoc: writing ideas emerge from the existing notes

I have tested the process with different source formats – it works surprisingly well.

And: it’s fun to record new thoughts, connect them and notice how the network grows.

Zettelkasten: Next Steps

First of all, I’m looking forward to the second half of the learning journey with Ina, Brigitte and Francesco.

The lernOS Convention will take place on July 1 and 2, 2025. I’m planning a 5-minute inspiration talk there – based entirely on my new slip box.

In addition, I would like to offer a “Zettelkasten Starter” session with Andreas Trebing. Andreas brings years of experience, I bring the beginner’s perspective. Together we will cover the entire learning curve.

My Question To You

What experiences have you had with the Zettelkasten method – or what has stopped you from getting started so far?

My Newsletter: The Dancing Rainbow

I will send bi-monthly insights, reflections and invitations to special events around coaching, peer learning and community building.

It is time to live and learn in all its colors.

A little secret is waiting for you… if you take the first two steps, of course. Please sign up and confirm your registration – and get a first taste of what’s to come.

Let’s stay connected!

The post Zettelkasten Learning Journey – 6 Weeks of Experience & Insights first appeared on Flow Discovery.

Experiences from Tempelhof: A learning journey towards community

Felix Harling — Mon, 19 May 2025 13:28:02 +0000

Why we traveled to Tempelhof

As a Moral Ambition learning circle, we ask ourselves: Where are solutions to the most pressing problems already being worked on today? It was already clear during the first session of our learning journey that we would meet in Tempelhof, because our learning circle member Stefanie – one of the long-time residents of this community – had sparked our curiosity. Tempelhof: a place where community life, sustainable practices and social change are lived side by side.

And so we Learning Circle members arrived on a sunny May Sunday, eager to see what awaited us: Lars and Willi from the Stuttgart area, Christian from the Bamberg area and Silke and I from the Heidelberg area.

Tempelhof: A place with impact

A huge thank you goes to Stefanie, who organized the day for us and gave us unique insights into the community. For example, an exchange with founding member Wolfgang Sechser, who explained the mix of luck and shared vision that led to the project in “Swabian Siberia”. 2009-11 was a time of upheaval – banking crisis, Fukushima, change of government in Baden-Württemberg. It all started with a simple Google search: “buy village”. And the first hit was Tempelhof.

The first forty residents have now grown to over 150 who share common values (Vision & Werte – in German). The community is based on a legal structure with a foundation, cooperative and association (Struktur & Selbst-Organisation – in German) and a strong self-organization with decision-making structures, forums for cultivating social interaction and defined processes and procedures. “Everyday life as an exercise”, as Wolfgang beautifully put it.

The community has an impact on its surroundings: 350 people have settled in the region because they work in Tempelhof, take their children to school or feel connected. Over 10,000 overnight stays in the seminar and guest house show the openness and reach of this place.

What touched me in Tempelhof

A place to just be
The space in the apartments is limited to 20 m² per adult. The space outside the living areas is huge. The community therefore offers plenty of space for shared activities and simply being. The “village square” acts as a haven of peace, and the “village house” offers meals for all residents every day.

A place of relationships
The community has specifically created spaces for exchange and decision-making that allow relationships to grow on different levels and also resolve conflicts: Relationships with oneself, relationships with each other in manifold forms and relationships between organizations. Ultimately, the relationship between people and nature is also a central building block of the community – with a focus on organic farming.

A place of creation
The community was founded and shaped by entrepreneurs. Transforming an abandoned estate with a history as an educational institution and home for the disabled into a multi-generational eco-social project that is self-sustaining in 15 years – that is pure creative energy.

A place of learning
The community is not only a place to live, but also a place of education and offers scope for experimentation – such as the seminars on offer, the Earth Ship settlement (in German) or the Flow Valley educational campus (in German) for young future designers. Yes, the community as a whole is a laboratory for the future.

Impressions Tempelhof Community

What I took from the circle

Part of our agenda in Tempelhof was also the fifth session of our learning journey with the pertinent title “Unfold and use your network”. Each of us made a request to the others, which was intended to tap into the network of the other participants. In this way, we fed each other with ideas and contacts.

I took the following request with me: The help I would like to ask the group for is to connect me with people who are implementing effective measures to combat loneliness – be it psychologists, techies or marketing professionals or projects & organizations.

Previously, we had also decided as a learning circle to meet monthly after week 8 – the official end of the learning journey. While we were already strongly connected virtually before the meeting in Tempelhof, this bond and the desire to support each other has been strengthened by the hours spent together in the community – the true “Tempelhof momentum”.

The next session 6 is “Take time for self-reflection” – an invitation to a retreat with myself based on the ideas, thoughts and contacts I have gathered on the learning journey so far.

And Christian has also shared a personal experience report from Tempelhof on his LinkedIn profile: highly recommended (in German)!

And you? Invitation to reflect

If you have read this far, I invite you to end your reading with a short self-reflection:

How would you like to live – if your values would be visible?
Which community has inspired you recently?

You are welcome to share your thoughts with me or publish them as a comment.

My Newsletter: The Dancing Rainbow

I will send bi-monthly insights, reflections and invitations to special events around coaching, peer learning and community building.

It is time to live and learn in all its colors.

A little secret is waiting for you… if you take the first two steps, of course. Please sign up and confirm your registration – and get a first taste of what’s to come.

Let’s stay connected!

The post Experiences from Tempelhof: A learning journey towards community first appeared on Flow Discovery.

My Moral Ambition Journey

Felix Harling — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 08:50:51 +0000

From the book to flow

In his latest book Moral Ambition, Rutger Bregman addresses the greatest challenges of our time.

He has been writing books and articles for over ten years, including “Human kind“, with the aim of getting people to change their way of doing things.

But he has realized: Even bestsellers are put on the shelf after being read. Attention alone is no longer enough. The real challenge is to get content and people into motion.

What is Moral Ambition?

“Moral Ambition” is a book title that is irritating. Moral ambition means using your talents not just for personal success, but for something that really matters: For significant, neglected and solvable problems.

The subtitle of the book makes it clear what it’s about: how to stop wasting your talent and create something that really matters.

Ask yourself:

How impactfully (“ambition”) am I using my talents?
How idealistically (“moral”) do I use my talents?

Moral Ambition Peer Learning - Learning in community

With the School for Moral Ambition, Rutger Bregman uses the power of peer learning to drive real change. The aim is to empower people to apply their talents to significant global challenges – beyond status and comfort zones.

Our society is transformable – and today it is more important than ever to be radical realists. With an ambitious vision and concrete steps, we can change the world.

My learning journey with the TalentExperts circle

“We” – in my case that’s Lars, Silke, Christian, Stefanie, Willi and I – together form the ‘TalentExperts’ circle. We have currently arrived at station two of our learning journey. Five more stations await us.

Methodologically, this learning journey is very well structured: Each station brings new impulses, exchange formats and networking tasks. The exchange with people I didn’t know before is particularly exciting – it completely changes the dynamic. Right from the start, we talk about personal wishes and patterns of thought and behavior.

Inspiration through role models: Alexander Kornelsen

I got to know Alexander Kornelsen through a networking assignment in week two. Together with his wife Anni, he is the founder and CEO of Mission to Marsh, a non-profit company that works to protect wetlands around the world.

Thank you for the inspiring conversation about moral ambition, simple and challenging steps, daily rhythms and role models, dear Alex!

For me, Alex is a real role model because

he has found his mission,
he lives and works with moral ambition,
he is co-creative and builds on his network,
he has found a clear rhythm in life,
and he is full of energy.

Movie Trailer "Mission to Marsh"

What happens next?

I’m looking forward to Station Three at the School for Moral Ambition – and to discovering even more deeply how I can put my talents to a meaningful use.

And you? Become part of a Moral Ambition Circle!

And this is how it works:

Check the information on the Moral Ambition page
Sign up and create a profile
Search for a suitable Circle

Flow Discovery News

I will send bi-monthly insights, reflections and invitations to special events around coaching, peer learning and community building.

A little secret is waiting for you… if you take the first two steps, of course. Please sign up and confirm your registration – and get a first taste of what’s to come.

Let’s stay connected!

The post My Moral Ambition Journey first appeared on Flow Discovery.

Camp for Curiosity and Future Spirit

Felix Harling — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 08:02:39 +0000

I started a very special barcamp in Bamberg with curiosity and a passion for the future. The Ministry of Curiosity & Zukunftslust (“Future Spirit”) invited me – and over 50 participants experienced two days full of inspiration, changes of perspective and encounters on March 21 and 22. I was inspired, held my own session – and spun a lot of future ideas.

What you can expect in this post:

Insight into the barcamp of the Ministry of Curiosity & Zukunftslust
Interactive Walking the Future through Bamberg
Experience reports on storytelling, reality, moral ambition & more
Inspiration for everyone who wants to actively shape the future

Camp Day 1 - Experience curiosity in Bamberg

Welcome and Warm-up

The ambassadors of the Ministry of Curiosity & Zukunftslust are glowing pink.

At the end of November – the darkest time of the year – Tobias Leisgang (Cantina Newsletter – in German) and Christian Kaiser (#christianlernt Newsletter – in German) gave the first light signal. I spontaneously signed up because I am magically attracted by curiosity and future spirit. And I returned last Saturday delighted.

Big praise to the organizing team: Bianca Leisgang, Anna Keiderling, Annika Rupprecht, as well as Tobias and Christian. The Hotel Bergschlösschen location with a view of Bamberg was great, as was the Einhornskeller, where the camp idea was born. Host Alex embodies pure Franconian hospitality.

"Walking the Future": A city trip into the future

The game “Walking the Future” by Randy Lubin (podcast) was adapted by Tobias Leisgang as a trip into the future for Bamberg. Everyone chose a topic – I decided on “Affordable housing”.

The city tour led us through five stations to the Einhornskeller, each station five years further into the future.

Follow the stations in the timeline below.

I have documented them for my team and topic with year / station / #hashtag of the year / headline of the year.

2025
2030
2035
2040
2045

Hotel
#FundingProgramStart
Offices are converted into living space. New residential companies are created.
Aufseesianum
#PlayfulLearning
Students design spaces.
Dominikanerkloster
#StrengthsPlaces
Communal living and new hospitality concepts.
Lange Straße 32
#OldWhiteMenOnTheWayToMars
New forms of living are becoming established.
Rosengarten
#CoCreation
Everyone gets involved - credits for co-creation.

An interim conclusion: the journey into the future was a wonderful way for the team of eight participants to exchange ideas and change perspectives; places have a strong power to inspire. This was a completely different way of exploring a city and aroused curiosity for day 2.

Camp Day 2 - Unleashing the future

The ministry & the manifesto

In his welcoming address, Patrick Rammertsorfer, co-founder of the Ministry of Curiosity and Zukunftslust (switch to English), explains how easy it is to become an ambassador – the first step is the manifesto (switch to English). First-time signatories such as Wolf Lotter, Ali Mahlodji and over 900 others show the diversity of the movement.

Impulses & Sessions

Harald Schirmer, newly appointed ambassador, talks about “confidence” and courage. His message: What if you dared?

He was inspired by Kristian Gründling, among others, who as a filmmaker often asks himself the “What if…” question, e.g. what if people had free access to further education (film “Work in Progress” – in German).

Session – Storytelling for futures: With Jennifer Fritz we learn about Pixar’s Story Spine model, combined with Story Cubes & Cards. In turn, we will develop the story that someone at the table has started by rolling dice or drawing cards. Together we spin future stories full of fantasy and laughter.

Session – Questioning reality: With Robert Hofmann, we discuss self-efficacy, truth vs. reality and how contexts shape our reality.

One conclusion of our conversation is that it is worth engaging with those who think differently. It is important to cultivate a culture of debate that supports

finding a higher common goal or
to discover what we all have in common.

Session – Perfectionism and shaping the future with Ivo Feuerbach: I made a note of three points from the half session with Ivo:

Many companies tout “Excellence in Technology”, few tout “Excellence in Humans”.
Moving from maladaptive perfectionism towards adaptive perfectionism is easy, the path to non-perfectionism is challenging.
Experiments or an “artist attitude” support the path to non-perfectionism.

Session – Getting to know Moral Ambition: In my own session, I introduce elements from the Moral Ambition Peer Learning Circle, such as the Moral Ambition Matrix – a tool for self-assessment between idealism & ambition. Thanks to impulses, 3-way conversations & wonderful participants, real depth is created. Olaf Keser-Wagner gave everyone the following closing question: “What question will I take away from the session and with whom will I share it next week?”.

Many thanks to Ines Kaerleber for documenting my session and briefly presenting it in the final gallery walk! And to Christian for sharing the illustrative examples from the book “Moral Ambition”.

Become part of a Moral Ambition Circle

And this is how it works:

Check the information on the Moral Ambition page
Sign up and create a profile
Search for a suitable Circle

My conclusion: trust breeds confidence

I put my trust in Tobias and Christian – and was rewarded with encounters, ideas, courage and new perspectives. It was more than just a bar camp. It was a burst of courage.

Flow Discovery News

I will send bi-monthly insights, reflections and invitations to special events around coaching, peer learning and community building.

A little secret is waiting for you… if you take the first two steps, of course. Please sign up and confirm your registration – and get a first taste of what’s to come.

Let’s stay connected!

The post Camp for Curiosity and Future Spirit first appeared on Flow Discovery.

Peer Learning // Flow Discovery

Zettelkasten Learning Journey – 6 Weeks of Experience & Insights

The Learning Journey

Zettelkasten: The Learning Guide

The lernOS Platform

My Learning Goal

The Learning Circle

Zettelkasten: First Insights

What I Have Realized

My First Slip Box aka Zettelkasten

My Zettelkasten Workflow

Zettelkasten: Next Steps

My Question To You

My Newsletter: The Dancing Rainbow

Experiences from Tempelhof: A learning journey towards community

Why we traveled to Tempelhof

Tempelhof: A place with impact

What touched me in Tempelhof

Impressions Tempelhof Community

What I took from the circle

And you? Invitation to reflect

My Newsletter: The Dancing Rainbow

My Moral Ambition Journey

From the book to flow

What is Moral Ambition?

Moral Ambition Peer Learning - Learning in community

My learning journey with the TalentExperts circle

Inspiration through role models: Alexander Kornelsen

Movie Trailer "Mission to Marsh"

What happens next?

And you? Become part of a Moral Ambition Circle!

Flow Discovery News

Camp for Curiosity and Future Spirit

Camp Day 1 - Experience curiosity in Bamberg

Welcome and Warm-up

"Walking the Future": A city trip into the future

Hotel

Aufseesianum

Dominikanerkloster

Lange Straße 32

Rosengarten

Camp Day 2 - Unleashing the future

The ministry & the manifesto

Impulses & Sessions

Become part of a Moral Ambition Circle

My conclusion: trust breeds confidence

Flow Discovery News