Digital Zettelkasten

There's little in this world more frightening than the blank page, and re-writing something in your own words is much easier than filling that blank page. It's not so easy it's boring, and it's not so hard it's a slog. It's just enough of a challenge to keep you engaged. Something about the act of writing with little effort trains your brain to feel less intimidated in other situations when you are, in fact, starting from scratch.

Some apps allow you to write something once, and reference it from various places. This seems really slick, but is it necessary? I think it's an overrated feature. First, there's the value of re-writing, which I just covered. Next, there's context: As Marshall McLuhan said, "The medium is the message." The characteristics of each medium call for you to express the same idea in a different way. An email subject line is different from a tweet, which is different from an article, which is different from a speech. Each medium calls for different information density and complexity of language.

As you read, make fleeting notes. The "best" way to do this is to physically take notes while you're reading: Highlight things and write in the margins or in a separate notebook. I personally don't find this a comfortable way to read, so I just highlight on my e-reader.