---
Title: Going from Reading to Notes
tags: [Reading, Note-taking, Zettlekasten]
summary: My process of taking reading notes and getting them into my zettlekasten.
---


I've [recently been asked](http://zettelkasten.de/posts/getting-started/#comments) how I process my notes from my notebook into the
computer.  I make a distinction between the low-friction
handwritten notes that I create for the purpose of engaging with my
reading or a lecture and those more organized and polished notes
that help me actually remember material years down the road.  See
[here](http://dtsheffler.com/blog/2014-07-21-two-goals-of-note-taking/) for details.

While reading a book or article, I make a note every time I have a
substantial thought or observation.  I begin by writing the page
number I am currently on, then the thought.  As much as possible, I
try to write in my own words, critically evaluating what I am
reading rather than merely echoing.  If, however, I think that I
will *need* to quote an author explicitly, I copy down the quote
*making sure to place directly quoted material in quotation marks*.
I then double check the quote for accuracy.  All of this should
take a minimum of effort and organization while still maintaining
clarity and depth of thought.

When I come to organize these notes, I slowly work through each
page reference one at a time.  First, I ask myself whether it is
important that I remember this bit of information long-term.  If
not, I move on immediately.  Second, I ask myself, "What is the
*single* idea here?" trying to remember the principle of [one
thought per note](http://dtsheffler.com/blog/2015-08-05-one-thought-per-note/). So I have two possibilities: (1) I need to
create a file that captures this single idea or (2) I already have
a file.  Let's take both these possibilities in turn:

1. This option is more involved since I have to create a new idea
   note.  (This is accomplished easily with [my Sublime Text
   plugin](http://dtsheffler.com/blog/2015-05-11-my-zettelkasten-in-sublime/).)  Let's break this down into steps with a couple
   screen-shots:

![Idea Note 1](http://dtsheffler.com/images/Plato_-_Tripartition_-_Internal_Conflict_md_—_Notes1.png)

![Idea Note 2](http://dtsheffler.com/images/Plato_-_Tripartition_-_Internal_Conflict_md_—_Notes2.png)

a. I begin by populating the title of the note.
b. I then create a bullet list off the top of my head out of every
   other note that has a conceptual connection to this new idea I
   am working on.  If the connection is not completely obvious, I
   add a one-line description of the connection.  I then follow all
   these links and add back-links in each of those files with the
   same procedure.  While I am in those files, I keep an eye out
   for links to other files I did not remember in the first step. I
   keep adding to the list of connections and adding back-links
   until I have exhausted the connections to the best of my
   knowledge.  This sounds time consuming, but it usually only ends
   up taking a minute or two and it greatly helps with keeping
   things tidy once the Zettelkasten expands to hundreds of notes.
b. Now the hardest part: I think very carefully about the single
   idea that prompted the creation of this note file.  I try to
   write out *my own* view as clearly as possible in about a
   paragraph.  In all likelihood, I will copy and paste this
   paragraph into a rough draft of something I am writing, so I try
   to put in the effort up front to make the writing level as good
   as possible while the ideas are fresh in my mind.  If this ends
   up going on to more than 300 words or so I likely have more than
   one idea and I need to split it up into multiple files.
c. I then add a "References" section beneath my written paragraph
   with subsections for each source contributing to my
   understanding of the topic.  Since this is a new note from
   reading I will just create one reference to the current author.
   In this section I put important quotes or page citations that I
   may need when I go to transform my humble paragraph into part of
   a real document.

2. I find the file that accurately captures the single thought.  I
   review its contents and think about whether this new bit of
   information alters my views on the matter.  If so, I edit my
   description of the idea.  Either way, I add a link at the top of
   the note in the Connections section to the relevant [reading
   note](http://dtsheffler.com/blog/2015-08-10-reading-notes/)
   file with a one-line description of what this reading in
   particular contributes to my understanding.  If there is a quote
   involved or a more extended description of an authors position,
   I may also create a subsection at the end of the file in the
   section called "References."