How to Take Smart Notes

Outline

How to Take Smart Notes (2017) introduces a note-taking system that helps students, writers, and researchers think more clearly and produce better work. Sönke Ahrens explains the Zettelkasten method used by the sociologist Niklas Luhmann, in which ideas are written as short linked notes that build a growing network of knowledge. The book shows how good notes make writing and learning easier.

• The Zettelkasten method turns notes into a growing network of short, linked ideas instead of a pile of separate pages.
• Sociologist Niklas Luhmann used this system, and the book builds its approach on how he worked.
• Each idea is written as its own short note, so it can be connected to others over time.
• Linking notes over time deepens understanding and helps new, original ideas emerge.
• Good notes make both learning and writing easier, which helps students, writers and researchers produce better work.

Sönke Ahrens is a German educational researcher, philosopher, and author who studies learning, writing, and academic productivity. He has taught at universities and written about how students and scholars can work more effectively. How to Take Smart Notes has become a popular guide to knowledge management around the world.