Zettelkasten Learning Journey – 6 Weeks of Experience & Insights
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!