Zettelkasten provides a space for deep, contextual, and nuanced thinking

[[ 2021-01-23 ]] #zettelkasten , #cyberspace


note-taking is a form of thinking, and therefore the ‘space’ in which the notes are being written/read is equally a space for thinking ( [[ as a space for thinking, cyberspace is an extension of mind ]]). Not only that, my notes and the underlying structure guide my thinking in ways not possible without a computer ( [[ computers are thought guiding machines ]]).

The cyberspace where the zettelkasten notes are, and are interacted with, provide a visual and cognitive feedback loop to very effectively put the writer in a state of deeper focus. A state where thinking becomes deeper, more nuanced, and richly contextual (the person can stop and think about other related notes, search for other related notes and think about how to properly connect them since [[ explicit and deliberate links between notes is key for a coherent zettelkasten ]]).

Properly set up, and with enough existing notes (critical mass/threshold) the kind of cognitive state possible while working in the zettelkasten space is like no other (at least from my own experience). It very much begins to feel like an extended mind where I can simply be with my own thoughts and have more agency over my attention and focus.

Relevant quote from [[ B-How To Take Smart Notes ]]:

Good tools do not add features and more options to what we already have, but help to reduce distractions from the main work, which here is thinking. The slip-box provides an external scaffold to think in and helps with those tasks our brains are not very good at, most of all objective storage of information.

To have an undistracted brain to think with and a reliable collection of notes to think in is pretty much all we need. Everything else is just clutter.

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