Just finished: "Taking Smart Notes" by Sönke Ahrens
February 03, 2021
I have just finished reading Taking Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens. This is a rather short read, totaling a bit over 3h according to my Kobo.
I have followed Andy Matuschak notes and stumbled upon this book. It is a really inspiring read, which I feel can become life changing. I’m an avid reader, manager, coder and Lean practitioner. I have always had an impression that I’m learning a lot, but the knowledge would rarely stick. A lot of moment when I was like: “Um, I should have already known this” or “Too bad I didn’t act on this earlier”. This book opens a new perspective for me, on how to structure the knowledge, both in what I am learning and how I’m working.
The only drawback comes from it being too academia-oriented. I have a strong feeling that the Zettelkasten system and it’s learnings are applicable to other areas and it is already helping me become a better manager. The book being focused on research, I requires a lot of mental effort to apply the concept elsewhere. But isn’t it what the system is all about?
