Going With the Flow
Intellectual Workflow Part 3: Putting it All Together
Note: Thank you for sticking with me through my unannounced hiatus! When I reached the end of my pregnancy, I simply ran out energy to write a little earlier than expected, and after the relatively smooth delivery of my new son (praise God!) in early June, I spent some much-needed time focusing on my newborn, two other sons, husband, and the new shape of our family. I’m thrilled now to be back to writing, although I will not be publishing on a schedule for the time being. Thank you for your patience!
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In the last few essays, I’ve been writing about my zettelkasten and its role in my personal intellectual workflow. Today I will close out this miniseries with a broader look at intellectual workflow.
Making decisions can be exhausting. Ask any couple who has stared helplessly at each other while trying to choose what to have for supper after a long day of decision-making, and you’ll quickly hear how abundant choice can make further choosing daunting, or even seemingly impossible. Intellectual work requires decision-making, but as Sönke Ahrens points out, with some initial thought and output of effort, we can streamline and systematise significant portions of our workflow, leaving us with more energy for the decisions that actually matter. If we always use the same pen, the same notebook, and the same note-taking procedure, we can focus our attention where it belongs—on our thinking.1
Certainly there are limitations to how much we can realistically systematise our workflow, particularly if we work across diverse fields, but we can at least establish general operating procedures for some of the types of work that we perform on a regular basis.
Over the years, and particularly over the last several months, I have intentionally experimented with and refined my own intellectual workflow. While I will no doubt continue to tweak it to meet new needs, I’d like to give you a look at my current procedures and, more importantly, some of the reasoning underlying my methods (if you understand the philosophy behind any set of choices, it’s easier to consider what might or might not work for your own circumstances).
The Tools
We are embodied persons, and not simply spirits floating in the ether. While our goal may be intellectual, the physical objects that we employ in our efforts to pursue that goal do matter. Here are the main tools that I am currently using.
Paper
My personal workflow has come to rely heavily upon (physical) notebooks. I actively use more than half a dozen notebooks, and honestly, I could probably stand to have a few more on the go (don’t worry—just give it a little time, and I’ll make it happen!). Here’s my current arsenal:
A pocket traveller’s notebook2, field-notes size,3 containing:
A Sententiae & Contemplatio notebook, which contains wise quotes (mainly curated from my Commonplace notebook) in the Sententiae section, and things I want to contemplate and consider, such as philosophical questions and arguments, in the Contemplatio section
A Catch-All notebook, which I use as its name suggests—for dumping thoughts, information, and anything else I want to record for later use
An A5 traveller’s notebook, containing:
An additional Catch-All notebook, for longer miscellaneous content than I would place in my pocket catch-all
A Commonplace notebook, for any and all quotes that catch my fancy
An Intellectual Life notebook, for notes from whichever book from my Intellectual Life reading list that I happen to be working through
Individual A5 notebooks (Leuchtturm1917 brand):
A Mother-Teacher Education notebook, for notes specific to my home education philosophy and practice
A Summa Theologica Companion notebook, which I use for notes as I slowly read my way through St. Thomas’ epic work
Miscellaneous other notebooks and paper, including:
A Nature Journal, which I admit is currently rather neglected, but which I hope to resurrect with more observations, artwork, etc. of God’s beautiful Creation
A Book of Centuries, which I am still setting up, to help me to keep track of the flow of history
A Writing notebook, for handwritten long-form content, when I have the desire and patience to begin my work offline
An A5 notepad (Rhodia brand) for working through ideas, taking notes on easy-to-remove pages, and for whatever else I want to write down in a less-permanent form than it would take on in a notebook
Post-It notes in various sizes, for a wide variety of miscellaneous tasks
My zettelkasten
Books, of course
Pens and Pencils
Paper isn’t much use for writing if you have nothing to write with, and I have found that my choice of writing tool makes all the difference in whether I have a painful, frustrating writing experience, or a painless, fruitful one. I am a firm believer in the value of investing in good tools rather than simply trying to make do with some random promotional ballpoint pen that has been sitting in your junk drawer for a dozen years (and good tools don’t have to cost a lot!).
These are my main tools:
A Bic ReAction 0.5mm mechanical pencil, leftover from my university years; this is my favourite mechanical pencil because it is designed such that I don’t death grip it and hyperextend my fingers, contrary to my tendency with regular pencils; unfortunately it has been sadly discontinued, so I’m not quite sure what I’ll use when it breaks. I use this mainly for annotations.
Two Pilot Metropolitan fountain pens, one with a fine nib for general notetaking, and one with a stub nib for written long-form content. Fountain pens also help me to avoid the death grip that quickly leaves my hand in pain.
A Noodler’s Ahab fountain pen, with flex nib (just for fun; I’m still working on developing the skill to use it effectively), for general notetaking
A Kaweco Sport brass fountain pen, which is the pocket pen accompanying my pocket notebook
Plus whatever pens and pencils I find lying around (because I’m also a firm believer in getting it written down NOW, before you lose it).
Technology
Ah, technology. I love to hate it and hate to love it, but there’s no denying that it can make life easier, if one can avoid being sucked into its addictive allure (I often can’t, alas, but I’m working on it!). Here’s what I currently rely upon in my intellectual life:
A Linux-based Dell laptop, for writing, browsing, wasting time, and any other computing needs
An Onyx Boox Note Air (b/w) e-reader, for reading and annotating; it is Android-based, so I can access e-books from Kobo, Kindle, Libby (OverDrive), and Hoopla, as well as any downloaded content (such as Gutenberg e-books) all on one device
An ancient Kobo Aura H2O e-reader, for one-handed reading when I’m feeding a baby or otherwise can spare only a single hand
The Process
Phew. That’s a lot of tools. But it’s how I use them that makes all the difference, for better or worse. Although my workflow will always vary a little bit depending on the ideas I’m interacting with, here’s a general overview.
Any interesting fleeting thoughts I have as I go about my daily life are dumped into my pocket catch-all notebook (affectionately known as my PC) at my first opportunity, alongside the day’s date. The date is the only real organisation in this notebook; I haven’t bothered with any sort of index or table of contents. I do, however, try to go through and process information regularly, whether that’s to write something on a calendar, buy something, or make a new note in my zettelkasten. If I have dealt with information that calls for processing, I usually give it a small checkmark so I know that I don’t still need to take action. Longer lists, ideas that I’m working through, and other similar written content generally lands in my A5 catch-all.
In theory, the Sententiae and Contemplatio notebook exists to take the place of doom-scrolling, but I am a work in progress in that area. Hopefully as I add to it, and gain in self-control, I will succeed in turning to it more consistently.
I employ a variety of approaches when I am working through a physical book, depending on a few factors. I typically read through fiction without taking notes or annotating, but I will (usually) take the time to commonplace any quotes that I particularly like. If it’s a book I’m reading on the go, or I otherwise can’t commonplace right away, I’ll drop a sticky-note on any pages that I want to return to later.
Until recently, I did not really incorporate fiction into my zettelkasten. As I become a better reader, however, and more familiar and skilled with my zettelkasten, ideas from fiction sources are starting to trickle into my zettelkasten as well (more on my zettelkasted use below).
Non-fiction books demand the greatest variety of approaches. If it is an “easy” book—one that I don’t have to work hard to understand—I will either read it through once and annotate and commonplace once while I’m going through it, then return to my annotations for material for my zettelkasten, or I will read through it quickly, making minimal annotations (or trying to; I still tend to over-annotate), and go through it more slowly a second time to take notes and to commonplace. Typically I do the latter when I wish to absorb as much of the content as possible, as extensive note-taking both helps my immediate recall of material and provides me with a resource for review. As mentioned above, I have several notebooks for my notes, and I’ll choose whichever one seems most appropriate for the book I’m reading. Depending on the length and style of the book, I may extract ideas for my zettelkasten several times as I progress through the book, or I may wait until I have completed it. I will often leave small marks next to notes and quotes that I think are zettelkasten-worthy, even if I do not immediately transfer them into my zettelkasten.
If I am working through a more difficult text, which tends to be conceptual and/or to contain formal arguments, I read it through once with minimal or no annotating, trying to get a general understanding of the overall content. I then go through it more slowly a second time, taking notes and commonplacing as needed and desired. Again, I may enter ideas into my zettelkasten partway through the text, or I may wait until the end.
I am, however, still working out some of these processes. I am experimenting with composing reference (literature) notes intended to be stored in my zettelkasten, by jotting down the page number and a brief description of the main ideas in a given book, rather than engaging in more extensive note-taking.4 This has several advantages—among others, it is faster and less disruptive to concentration, and it gives me a nice reference to return to in the future, but it doesn’t help me to process the material as deeply, so I suspect it is less suitable for books containing content I wish to commit to memory. I also plan to try outlining a challenging text, as described by Peter Redpath in How to Read a Difficult Book, to see if it is an approach that I find useful.
I am also still working out my workflow for e-books. On my Boox e-reader, I have been taking advantage of the ability to make digital annotations on books and articles. I will likely also soon try out the split-screen option to open a virtual notebook alongside a text to take notes. On my ancient Kobo, I stick to highlighting; I can’t be bothered to compose notes with the rather slow and clunky built-in keyboard. Accordingly, I tend to use the Kobo only for easier texts, especially fiction texts, that don’t call for extensive note-taking or annotation.
When I shift from note-taking to working in my zettelkasten, whether that is partway through a book or after I have worked through it fully, the first thing I always do is make a reference note containing source information. This way I get the boring part over with (writing out reference information), and I have a place to track notes from the source as I enter them into the zettelkasten (something I personally choose to do because I like to be able to quickly find notes from any given source, but which is not integral to the zettelkasten method).
Next, I work through my notes and annotations, looking for ideas that I find interesting. These don’t have to be new or mind-blowing; the value of the zettelkasten is in connecting ideas in new ways, not in holding stores of unconnected novel ideas. I compose a new note with an appropriate title for each idea, but I typically leave the upper-left corner blank, waiting until later to assign its unique identifier. I have seen the advice to write out the idea with the zettelkasten in mind, which would imply crafting the note with reference to the ideas already contained in the slip-box (and, therefore, would typically mean choosing the location/identifier for the new note in advance); I have so far preferred, however, to write out the idea without initial reference to the zettelkasten, as I find that I capture the idea in a more pure form, which makes it easier for me to link it to other ideas later on. This also has the advantage of allowing me to work on notes even when I am physically away from my zettelkasten.
When I have prepared a batch of new notes (typically five to ten at a time; I find any more is too much to work with all at once), I shift to the placement and linking phase. First, I sort the notes into loosely-related groups. Usually I have an idea up-front where I want to place a few of them, so I go ahead and write the new identifier associated with my desired location. As I assign identifiers to my notes, I record these identifiers on the reference note. I typically do not yet add the physical notes to the zettelkasten, however, since I try to link them with at least one other note before placing them. If I already have links in mind for any of the new notes, I will also add those to the appropriate cards.
Having finished the easy placement and linking, I review the notes that I am still trying to place, and then begin to sift through the notes in my zettelkasten, looking primarily for a good location for these new notes, but also keeping my eyes and mind open to any links that I can make. Sometimes I will pause to link two cards already contained in the zettelkasten, because often it is thumbing through the notes that reveals connections among ideas that are already there. Occasionally, I will reference my index, if I think there might be a suitable train of thought somewhere in the zettelkasten already. I continue to record identifiers on the associated reference note as I place my new notes.
This is, I think, my favourite part of the process—it is creative play. I am reminded of ideas I have forgotten, my mind moves from idea to idea, thinking about their potential interactions, and I find myself learning simply from exploring things I already knew. This is the heart of the zettelkasten method: the discovery of the interconnectedness of truth. And for days after this, my mind will continue to draw connections among recently-revisited ideas. I find my pocket catch-all to be especially indispensable in the days following significant time playing in the slip-box. Even if I can’t return to the zettelkasten right away, I can note down the connections I want to make as they arise in my mind (only to discover, sometimes, that I have already made that very connection!).
If I am unable to place a new note within an existing train of thought, I will place it at the end of my zettelkasten, numbering it appropriately. When I have assigned identifiers to all cards, added links to as many cards as possible, and updated the index with any new keywords that I think are appropriate, I will at last put the new notes into their proper physical location in the zettelkasten. If I have finished with that source, I will place the reference card within the slip-box as well; otherwise, I will keep it with my notes and/or source.
The final part of the process, of course, is output—writing. I am still developing my workflow in this area, but typically I begin by looking in my zettelkasten for notes that might be related to what I want to write about (thus far, I have always known in advance what I plan to write about). I pull these out, and physically rearrange them until I have a flow of notes that makes sense. Then, I typically place them in a loose outline, along with any other ideas I think I might want to include in my written work. If I am working in my writing notebook, I will outline on a separate page, either on a scrap piece of paper or notepad page, or in my A5 catch-all. If I plan to do all my writing directly on my laptop, I will type the titles of the notes (and sometimes the contents) directly into a new blank document, and use this as both my outline and my working document.
Writing, of course, is a dynamic process, and the outline changes as the writing progresses. I will also sometimes dip back into my zettelkasten for additional notes, or refer to other sources as required. The degree to which I depend on my zettelkasten and other sources is highly dependant upon the nature of the piece I am writing (this article, for example, was written almost entirely without such references).
The final stage of writing is editing, which I try to do on a different day (or different days) than my writing, and which needs little comment, and then, when the piece is ready, I hit publish, or schedule publication. By then, I’ve usually already begun planning my next piece of writing, although I typically take a bit of a break before I actually start setting down words.
End Notes
Intellectual workflow is highly personal, and tends to work best when it combines some established form with space for creative dynamism. I’m still working out the details of my own workflow, as I’ve noted throughout this piece. In particular, I am still learning to write effectively alongside the zettelkasten, although I have already enjoyed a taste of the benefits the slip-box offers to the writing process.
No two books, no two ideas, and no two pieces of writing ask to be treated in exactly the same way, but having some broadly-established procedures can shift our use of time and energy from unnecessary labour to the work that deserves our focus. I firmly believe that thinking through our workflow, while time-and-energy intensive at the beginning, can make our work more pleasant and free us to do our best thinking. And who doesn’t want that?
I’d love to hear from you: do you have an established workflow? Do you have areas you struggle with, or areas where you are particularly happy with your workflow? Do you have any ideas for me, that you think would help me to work more efficiently or happily? Is there any other element of workflow that you’d like to discuss? Let me know in the comments below!
Sönke Ahrens, How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking, 2nd edition, revised and expanded edition (Hamburg, Germany: Sönke Ahrens, 2022).
Actual Field Notes notebooks are reputed to handle fountain pen ink poorly. I have found Jotter notebooks by Peter Pauper Press to be an excellent substitute.
See Bob Doto’s fantastic new book, A System for Writing: How an Unconventional Approach to Note-Making Can Help You Capture Ideas, Think Wildly, and Write Constantly - A Zettelkasten Primer
Haha I think you're as big'a notebook nerd as me!!