Notion Zettelkasten Template — Take your note-taking-process to the next level
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In the last months, I was busy creating a Zettelkasten for Notion.
At this point, you might ask: “A Zettel…what?”
Well, the Zettelkasten is the most powerful tool we know of for any student or knowledge worker. Why? Well, let me explain it in the following paragraphs.
What is a Zettelkasten?
Zettelkasten is a German word and can be translated into English as a slip box. However, I believe the German version sounds much more extravagant and fitting.
The Zettelkasten method was originally invented by the German sociologist Niklas Luhmann. He was extremely productive in his career, writing 70 books and more than 400 academic articles. Later in his life, he attributed much of his productivity to his “Kasten” which was generating ideas all the time.
If you want to learn more about the method, I highly recommend reading the resources here: zettelkasten.de
In short, a Zettelkasten consists of notes (Zettel) that capture an idea and its source. So far this is not different from hierarchical note-taking. However, the unique selling proposition of a Zettelkasten is that the notes are linked with other notes in the box.
Ideally, you link to another note when this note is supporting, challenging, upgrading, or contradicting the new permanent note. You can do the Zettelkasten method analogously with a real slip box and paper notes or digitally with software like Notion.
So, what are the advantages of using a Zettelkasten:
Instead of saving notes in a hierarchical way, with a Zettelkasten, we are now saving them non-hierarchical in a slip box. Every note should be linked with other similar notes. So with time, a web of knowledge emerges: more and more connections will form, some more surprising than the others. This way the Zettelkasten will transform into a tool that will support your creativity and thinking.
“Notes are only as vaulable as the note and reference networks they are embedded in.” — Sönke Ahrens
