How to Take Smart Notes:

One simple technique to boost writing, learning and thinking — for students, academics, and non-fiction book writers

Generated Notes

*Any notes that were created via interacting with this book.*

• 8 Steps of Writing a Paper
• Fear of Failure
• Feedback loops are the crucial element to any learning process
• Paradox can be a sign that we haven't given something enough thought
• The construction of oppositions is the most reliable way of generating new ideas
• Always check the original source of a claim
• Feature-Positive Effect
• Playing and tinkering with ideas is what leads to insightful creative work
• Creativity cannot be taught like a rule or approached like a plan
• Placing restrictions around ourselves can enhance our creativity
• Brainstorming offers diminishing returns in groups
• Structure your draft copy visually

Introduction

Writing is not what follows research, learning or studying, it is the medium of all this work. ([Location 134](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=134))

• This is a big mindset shift for me. I thought of the writing as the work, and everything else as the prep. The monumental difference between these two mindsets changes everything about how I approach the craft of writing. No longer do I have to have a clear idea before I begin... now, I can discover them organically, while I work... as I am more naturally inclined to do anyway*

Every task that is interesting, meaningful, and well-defined will be done, because there is no conflict between long-term and short-term interests. Having a meaningful and well-defined task beats willpower every time.

• I agree with this. When I have something to do — like this very act of researching note-taking and **taking a class** on how to do it better, is only happening because the work is interesting to me, it aligns with my larger goals and therefore has meaning to me (because this work will help me do all my other work measurably better), and because the process of learning it is well defined over a set period of time.

1 - Everything You Need to Know

This chapter explains the basic concepts of the Slip-Box, which is essentially the same concept as the LYT Framework.

A good structure is something you can trust. It relieves you from the burden of remembering and keeping track of everything. If you can trust the system, you can let go of the attempt to hold everything together *in your head* and you can start focusing on what is important

1.1 - Good Solutions are Simple — and Unexpected

1.2 - The Slip-box

1.3 - The Slip-box Manual

Niklas Luhmann, inventor of the Slip-Box method of note-taking, did not just copy ideas or quotes from the texts he read, but made a transition from one context to another.

The core benefit of the Slip Box was not necessarily the linking system, but rather how Luhmann used an additional note to arrange for flow of the notes underneath it in the stack. *Sounds very much like an MOC*

2 - Everything You Need to Do

Writing is, without dispute, the best facilitator for thinking, reading, learning, understanding, and generating ideas we have.

2.1 - Writing a Paper Step by Step

Notes on paper, or on a computer screen [...] do not make contemporary physics or other kinds of intellectual endeavor easier, they make it possible,” neuroscientist Neil Levy concludes in the introduction to the Oxford Handbook of Neuroethics, summarizing decades of research. Neuroscientists, psychologists and other experts on thinking have very different ideas about how our brains work, but, as Levy writes: “no matter how internal processes are implemented, (you) need to understand the extent to which the mind is reliant upon external scaffolding.” (2011, 270) If there is one thing the experts agree on, then it is this: You have to externalize your ideas, you have to write. Richard Feynman stresses it as much as Benjamin Franklin. If we write, it is more likely that we understand what we read, remember what we learn and that our thoughts make sense. And if we have to write anyway, why not use our writing to build up the resources for our future publications? ([Location 498](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=498))

• Damn right (Ha!) But also, yeah, if we are going to be doing the work of growing our knowledge, making connections, chasing and having insights, and making work that matters in the world... why not have all of those building block as a constantly growing force that evolves naturally as you work, enabling you to better craft future work?
• This reminds me of what the Psychedelics researcher at Johns Hopkins said to me about the role of music in a session. He said that the music gives the experience a scaffolding.
• It feels similar to the relief I feel when I'm able to arrange my ideas visually. The externalization of my mind allows me to interact with my thoughts without losing track of the trails as I move through the chaos. That's what I find so exciting about my growing understanding of PKM
• 8 Steps of Writing a Paper

3 - Everything You Need to Have

3.1 - The Tool Box

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

• This reminds me so much of #Leica and why I love my M camera. There are no real options to speak of... and that reduces everything down to the essentials

4 - A Few Things to Keep in Mind

The Four Underlying Principles

5 - Writing is the Only Thing That Matters

6 - Simplicity is Paramount

7 - Nobody Ever Starts From Scratch

After many years of working with students, I am convinced that the attempt of these study guides to squeeze a nonlinear process like writing into a linear order is the main reason for the very problems and frustrations they promise to solve. How can you not have trouble finding a topic if you believe you have to decide on one before you have done your research, have read and learned about something? How can you not feel threatened by an empty page if you have literally nothing at hand to fill it with? Who can blame you for procrastinating if you find yourself stuck with a topic you decided on blindly and now have to stick with it as the deadline is approaching? And how can anyone be surprised that students feel overwhelmed with writing assignments when they are not taught how to turn months and years of reading, discussing and research into material they can really use? ([Location 959](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=959))

• A strong argument on the Cons of the Top-Down Thinking approach when it comes to writing.

8 - Let the Work Carry You Forward

Nothing motivates us more than the experience of becoming better at what we do. And the only chance to improve in something is getting timely and concrete feedback. Seeking feedback, not avoiding it, is the first virtue of anyone who wants to learn

• I like the part about nothing motivating more than the experience of becoming better at something. In fact, I want to reference this whole quote in Wabbit - MOC - Wabbit EDU, specifically because it relates to the Flywheel, Build, Measure, Learn, Discovery Process, and Validation as far as the overall process and mindset are concerned. The only thing it doesn't suggest that the others do, is that the process ought to be as quick as possible. In the context of the Slip-Box, let's not suggest there is a need to rush. One could, certainly — but it is not necessary, and might end up counterproductive because our ideas haven't had time to sit.
• The author references psychologist Carol Dweck, and her work Mindset - The New Psychology of Success. The author says:

Dweck shows convincingly that the most reliable predictor for long-term success is having a “growth mindset.” To actively seek and welcome feedback, be it positive or negative, is one of the most important factors for success (and happiness) in the long run. ([Location 1007](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1007))

• Regarding Fear of Failure, the author says:

Ironically, it is therefore often the highly gifted and talented students, who receive a lot of praise, who are more in danger of developing a fixed mindset and getting stuck. Having been praised for what they are (talented and gifted) rather than for what they do, they tend to focus on keeping this impression intact, rather than exposing themselves to new challenges and the possibility of learning from failure. ([Location 1014](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1014))

• I can completely identify with this statement, and assessment. I often (and still) receive heaps of praise for what I am, rather than for what I do. I am a skilled artist, but I struggle to keep my mindset flexible, especially when it comes to behaviors I've come to expect from others.

the fear of failure has the ugliest name of all phobias: Kakorrhaphiophobia. ([Location 1020](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1020))

• In between the last couple quotes and the next set, the author discusses having a growth mindset and how that is only one part of the "understanding equation" and the second part is about having a learning system (which I interpret as a combination of a PKM and a Personal Memory Systems) in place which allows for rapid iteration.

Following a circular approach, on the other hand, allows you to implement many feedback loops, which give you the chance to improve your work while you are working on it. It is not just about increasing the number of opportunities to learn, but also to be able to correct the mistakes we inevitably make. As the feedback loops are usually smaller than one big chunk of feedback at the end, they are also much less scary and easier to embrace. ([Location 1027](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1027))

• This feels like it relates to the engine that powers the entire EDU - Lean Methodology, like... perhaps, if I can get into a groove with what I'm learning from this book and LYT, then I can have an engine of content processing and generation that allows me to more easily create value naturally from the things i'm interested in and involved with.
• Iterative improvement like this also reminds me strongly of the Flywheel as it relates to the Scientific Method
• I like this because it echoes the idea that these Flywheel iterations should be as light and nimble as possible. They are less intimidating that way.

The same goes for writing permanent notes, which have another feedback loop built-in: Expressing our own thoughts in writing makes us realize if we really thought them through. ([Location 1041](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1041))

• I quickly understand whether or not I grasp the concepts and ideas I'm working through when I begin to write them down or discuss them. This immediate feedback lets me know if I should revisit the subject or not.

The Six Steps to Successful Writing

- 9. Separate and Interlocking Tasks

- 9.1 - Give Each Task Your Undivided Attention

- 9.2 - Multitasking is Not a Good Idea

- 9.3 - Give Each Task the Right Kind of Attention

“On one hand, those with wandering, defocused, childlike minds seem to be the most creative; on the other, it seems to be analysis and application that’s important. The answer to this conundrum is that creative people need both … The key to creativity is being able to switch between a wide-open, playful mind and a narrow analytical frame.” ([Location 1184](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1184))

• I've found this to be true in my own life. My creativity requires that I be able to move between the micro and the macro in a flash. To be able to think at ground level, and from the 30,000 foot in the air perspective.

- 9.4 - Become an Expert Instead of a Planner

To be able to become an expert, we need the freedom to make our own decisions and all the necessary mistakes that help us learn. Like bicycling, it can only be learned by doing it. ([Location 1217](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1217))

• Expertise in anything can only really be obtained by getting in the trenches and experiencing the thing for yourself.
• This fits into the idea of discipline in a Craftsman's Mindset because, the road to mastery is paved with all off the personal failures it took to reach the summit.

Citing Hubert and Stuart Dreyfus and their research on expertise regarding paramedics, the author has this to say:

Because trainees lack the experience to judge a situation correctly and confidently, they need to stick to the rules they were taught, much to the delight of their teachers. According to the Dreyfuses, the correct application of teachable rules enables you to become a competent “performer” (which corresponds to a “3” on their five-grade expert scale), but it won’t make you a “master” (level 4) and certainly won’t turn you into an “expert” (level 5). ([Location 1235](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1235))

• When learning anything, especially subject like music, or visual communication, it is necessary to begin with the fundamentals and the rules of the language. This allows one to become competent in the craft or medium, but it isn't enough to let one progress past the point of general competency. A different approach is required past that point.
• I find it interesting that they list expert above master on this list. I'm not sure that I order them in this way.

- 9.5 - Get Closure

While the estimations of our long-term memory capacity are wildly diverse and rather speculative, psychologists used to tend to agree on a very specific number when it came to short-term memory: We can hold a maximum of seven things in our head at the same time, plus/minus two (Miller 1956). ([Location 1262](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1262))

• This seems like generally good information to have, *look up his source*
• I want to expand on it for the Memory MOC

it is so much easier to remember things we understand than things we don’t. It is not that we have to choose to focus either on learning or understanding. It is always about understanding – and if it is only for the sake of learning. Things we understand are connected, either through rules, theories, narratives, pure logic, mental models or explanations. And deliberately building these kinds of meaningful connections is what the slip-box is all about. ([Location 1280](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1280))

• This echoes the LYT Framework in its focus on making connections and relationships between notes. In this way, topics, ideas, and insights, can emerge naturally
• The ideas of the Slip-Box, Zettelkasten, LYT Framework, etc. all seem to circle around the same central premise. Our best way of learning and understanding comes in the form of interconnected relationships between chunks of information. So, these systems are built around the practice of creating those connections while we intake information.

These questions not only increase our understanding, but facilitate learning as well. Once we make a meaningful connection to an idea or fact, it is difficult not to remember it when we think about what it is connected with. ([Location 1284](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1284))

On the Zeigarnik Effect

thanks to Zeigarnik’s follow-up research, we also know that we don’t actually have to finish tasks to convince our brains to stop thinking about them. All we have to do is to write them down in a way that convinces us that it will be taken care of. That’s right: The brain doesn't distinguish between an actual finished task and one that is postponed by taking a note. By writing something down, we literally get it out of our heads. This is why David Allen’s “Getting things done” system works: The secret to have a “mind like water” is to get all the little stuff out of our short-term memory. And as we can’t take care of everything once and for all right now, the only way to do that is to have a reliable external system in place where we can keep all our nagging thoughts about the many things that need to be done and trust that they will not be lost.

we can use the Zeigarnik effect to our advantage by deliberately keeping unanswered questions in our mind. We can ruminate about them, even when we do something that has nothing to do with work and ideally does not require our full attention. Letting thoughts linger without focusing on them gives our brains the opportunity to deal with problems in a different, often surprisingly productive way. While we have a walk or a shower or clean the house, the brain cannot help but play around with the last unsolved problem it came across. And that is why we so often find the answer to a question in rather casual situations.

- 9.6 - Reduce the Number of Decisions

The author shares some interesting facts about current research into Willpower:

For the longest time, willpower was seen more as a character trait than a resource. This has changed. Today, willpower is compared to muscles: a limited resource that depletes quickly and needs time to recover. Improvement through training is possible to a certain degree, but takes time and effort. The phenomenon is usually discussed under the term “ego depletion”: “We use the term Ego Depletion to refer to a temporary reduction in the self’s capacity or willingness to engage in volitional action (including controlling the environment, controlling the self, making choices, and initiating action) caused by prior exercise of volition.” (Baumeister et al., 1998, 1253) ([Location 1332](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1332))

• I tend to refer to this as "setting traps for future David" by which I mean that I take steps in the present to make it easier to future David to act in the manner that will benefit him most.

• So, if willpower is actually a finite resource, it limits us, and we need to find a way around it. The author shares this suggestion:

The smartest way to deal with this kind of limitation is to cheat. Instead of forcing ourselves to do something we don’t feel like doing, we need to find a way to make us feel like doing what moves our project further along. Doing the work that need to be done without having to apply too much willpower requires a technique, a ruse. ([Location 1347](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1347))

• His first suggestion is simply to reduce the number of decisions. Simple enough — but, then he moves on to what I consider the real gold. Breaks

Breaks are much more than just opportunities to recover. They are crucial for learning. They allow the brain to process information, move it into long-term memory and prepare it for new information (Doyle and Zakrajsek 2013, 69). If we don’t give ourselves a break in between work sessions, be it out of eagerness or fear of forgetting what we were doing, it can have a detrimental effect on our efforts. To have a walk (Ratey, 2008) or even a nap supports learning and thinking. ([Location 1363](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1363))

• I find this happening in my own life when I push too hard on a creative endeavor and the thing then becomes unwieldy. Often the epiphanies occur during the breaks.
• Neuroscientists call the nap "long-term potentiation" according to one of the footnotes on this passage. Other footnotes confirm there is an abundance of confirming research which concludes that sleep aids in memorization.

- 10. Read for Understanding

- 10.1 - Read With a Pen in Hand

*I ended up highlighting a huge section of this one, so I'll break it out into chunks and elaborate from there.*

To get a good paper written, you only have to rewrite a good draft; to get a good draft written, you only have to turn a series of notes into a continuous text. And as a series of notes is just the rearrangement of notes you already have in your slip-box, all you really have to do is have a pen in your hand when you read. ([Location 1379](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1379))

• Starting from the top, this quote illustrates the bottom-up process underlying LYT and the ways I approach my own creativity. The scribble method of drawing, the way I assemble photographic works, the ways I'm learning to write, the music, etc. I build from the bottom up and only hold the top goal loosely... sort-of like I'm watching it, waiting to see what it will become as we dance.
• This is another huge point of insight for me. If we take what we are reading, and engage with it — by taking notes (Atomic Notes or otherwise) actively, with pen in hand, *while* reading — then the product of that engagement will be notes that can easily contribute to other works by simple rearrangement of notes that already exist in the Slip-Box. The passage continues below...

If you understand what you read and translate it into the different context of your own thinking, materialised in the slip-box, you cannot help but transform the findings and thoughts of others into something that is new and your own. ([Location 1382](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1382))

• I appreciate this, especially as I work on Wabbit EDU. So much of that course comes from other sources and then gets filtered through my own words. I'm comforted by the reminder that a) this is normal, and b) it won't be long before it has evolved into something uniquely mine.
• This is demonstrated clearly in the notes I've taken on this book alone. By the time the note is fully processed into my PKM, I will have broken it out into the key concepts, points, insights, etc. that were my ultimate takeaways from the text. Those individual, short notes, will relate to any number of other notes — from these interactions, we inevitably and organically end up with original content, due to the process of paraphrasing, and any of the other prompts we use to expand on our original note. The author continues...

The series of notes in the slip-box develops into arguments, which are shaped by the theories, ideas and mental models you have in your head. And the theories, ideas and mental models in your head are also shaped by the things you read. They are constantly changing and challenged by the surprising connections with which the slip-box confronts you. The richer the slip-box becomes, the richer your own thinking becomes. The slip-box is an idea generator that develops in lockstep with your own intellectual development. Together, you can turn previously separated or even isolated facts into a critical mass of interconnected ideas. ([Location 1384](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1384))

• This is the part that I find really exciting. Essentially, the more we fill the system with the ideas, mental models, insights, etc. that we encounter and think up, the more we allow for these things to influence each other, and be influenced by the new info added as we encounter new books. It is a constant and evolving conversation partner, enabling the individual and system to feed off of each other as they grow. And here's where it gets really good...
• By working from the bottom up, we begin to form strong ideas, opinions, and eventually arguments, and understandings. The more you learn — and the more you input into the system, the more powerful the feedback loop becomes. This leads to richer thinking, with more depth and nuance in it. Eventually, something will emerge from this system.

The step from the slip-box to the final text is pretty straightforward. The content is already meaningful, thought through and in many parts already put into well-connected sequences. The notes only need to be put into a linear order. While the notes themselves are formulated so that they can be understood on their own, they are at the same time embedded in one or more contexts that enrich their meaning. Drawing from the slip-box to develop a draft is more like a dialogue with it than a mechanical act. Therefore, the outcome is never a copy of previous work, but always comes with surprises. There will always be something you couldn’t have anticipated. Obviously, the same applies to every single step before. The outcome of reading with a pen in the hand is not possible to anticipate either, and here, too, the idea is not to copy, but to have a meaningful dialogue with the texts we read. ([Location 1389](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1389))

• As our notes mingle, and as we create connections between them, topics will emerge in our PKM systems
• So, via the process of interacting in a dialogue with our notes (and the texts we choose to ingest), the content becomes original because it is entirely unique to the owner of the PKM system. Because the notes are Atomic Notes, they can stand-alone, and they can be arranged into different contexts to *enrich* their meaning. By its very nature, the process generates unexpected results. We can't anticipate where the journey will take us. As long as we are engaging with the texts in our notes, and not simply copying things verbatim... as long as we approach it as a conversation... we are practically guaranteed to generate unique content. The author elaborates further...

When we extract ideas from the specific context of a text, we deal with ideas that serve a specific purpose in a particular context, support a specific argument, are part of a theory that isn’t ours or written in a language we wouldn’t use. This is why we have to translate them into our own language to prepare them to be embedded into new contexts of our own thinking, the different context(s) within the slip-box. Translating means to give the truest possible account of the original work, using different words – it does not mean the freedom to make something fit. As well, the mere copying of quotes almost always changes their meaning by stripping them out of context, even though the words aren’t changed. This is a common beginner mistake, which can only lead to a patchwork of ideas, but never a coherent thought. ([Location 1395](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1395))

• The process of translating notes (and quotes) into our own words requires us to have a thorough understanding of the thing we are citing.
• The paraphrasing helps for confirming understanding, we established that earlier. The act of translating a statement into our own words helps us to not only check our understanding, but also to internalize it and make it a part of ourselves. To merely copy quotes gives a person chunks of wit to recite, but never an understanding of their own. We have to engage with what we ingest, and utilize tools, like our prompts, to help us engage with the information more deeply.

- 10.2 - Keep an Open Mind

This section is predominately about Confirmation Bias, and the author says...

we are usually not even aware of this confirmation bias (or myside bias) that surreptitiously meddles with our life. Somehow, we just seem to happen to be surrounded by people who all think alike. (Not on purpose, of course. We just spend our time with people we like. And why do we like them? Correct: Because they think like us.) We just seem to happen to read the publications that tend to confirm what we already know. (Not on purpose, of course. We just try to stick with good, intelligent texts. And what makes us think these texts are good and intelligent? Correct: because they make sense to us.) ([Location 1461](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1461))

• I love how this frames the unconscious ways we surround ourselves with an echo chamber without even realizing it.
• I thought this passage was just the right amount or sarcastic. We think it's a coincidence that we surround ourselves with people who share our opinions... in my opinion, this is because we don't give it a lot of thought. We could reference what happened in the United States, and on social media at large, when the pandemic hit and the whole crisis went political... Especially when the riots happened and the entire country seemed to be struggling to reconcile its differences. As of 10/2021, it still is. The common term these days is Echo Chamber, and it is what happens when confirmation bias is left unchecked. We humans are not only biased to what we already agree with, we are biased against things that don't make sense to us. The problem is, it is critical that we engage with views and ideas that are disagreeable to us, or don't seem to make sense.

- the psychologist Raymond Nickerson puts it: “If one were to attempt to identify a single problematic aspect of human reasoning that deserves attention above all others, the confirmation bias would have to be among the candidates for consideration” (Nickerson 1998, 175). ([Location 1469](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1469))

• *Look up this quote and the context* I'd like to know the reasons behind Nickerson's summation. I may happen to agree with him, but I'd still like to know how, or why, he came to his conclusions.
• Credit to the author for introducing me to this quote. Here is the source.
• Nickerson, Raymond S. 1998. “Confirmation Bias - A Ubiquitous Phenomenon in Many Guises.” Review of General Psychology 2 (2): 175–220.

In the next passage the author outlines the general approach to **countering** this bias:

We want to make the right decisions without too much mental effort – very much like Odysseus, who made it impossible for himself to follow the luring singing of the Sirens by getting himself lashed to the mast of his ship. With a good system, the mere necessities of the workflow will force us to act more virtuously without actually having to become more virtuous. Confirmation bias is tackled here in two steps: First, by turning the whole writing process on its head, and secondly, by changing the incentives from finding confirming facts to an indiscriminate gathering of any relevant information regardless of what argument it will support. ([Location 1479](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1479))

• By genuinely engaging with our notes, having a dialogue, forming arguments and counter arguments, and so on, in a consistent and specific workflow, the Slip-Box itself will challenge any bias as we relentlessly gather anything relevant to the conversation, regardless of which viewpoint it supports. By making the process relentlessly unbiased by design, we build a system that challenges any bias it encounters. Next, the author outlines the basic necessities of such a workflow. I've copied it in full because I think it is worth citing completely as it relates to Bottom-Up Thinking. Any emphasis is mine.
• Relating this back to the idea of setting traps for my future self, I see this as the same sort of plan, and I like the reference to Odysseus lashing himself to the mast to keep from following the siren's song. I could see using that reference myself when it comes to art and the coursework in Wabbit EDU

Developing arguments and ideas bottom-up *instead* of top-down is the first and most important step to opening ourselves up for insight. We should be able to focus on the most insightful ideas we encounter and welcome the most surprising turns of events without jeopardizing our progress or, even better, because it brings our project forward. We **postpone the decision on what to write about specifically** and focus on building a critical mass within the slip-box. Instead of having the hypothesis in mind all the time, we want to: - Confirm that we have separated tasks and focus on *understanding* the text we read - Make sure we have given a *true* account of its content - Find the *relevance* of it and make *connections*. Only then do we take a step back to look at what developed, then make a decision on what conclusions are to be drawn from that. ([Location 1490](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1490))

• This is reiterating the same Bottom-Up Thinking mindset that I've mentioned in other notes from this book. The main point to glean from everything between this book and LYT is that we can invert our relationship to knowledge and make better use of our notes (and learn to take better notes in the first place) by working on assembling a mass of information, and then parsing it out and finding patterns and emergent properties from the mass.
• This is perfect, in my opinion. Rather than having an opinion first, we save any opinions for *after* we've indiscriminately gathered any relevant points from all perspectives of the dialogue. Only then do we take the entire subject in view and see what conclusions can be drawn.

The slip-box forces us to be selective in reading and note-taking, but the only criterion is the question of whether something adds to a discussion in the slip-box. The only thing that matters is that it connects or is open to connections. ([Location 1502](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1502))

• We don't necessarily want to keep every little note we take througout the day. Or, if we do, we may opt to leave these notes unlinked from the mass. That said, the only price of admission to the system is whether or not it relates, or can relate to other elements within the system.
• It is important to note how loose the criterion is. Anything and everything that *adds* to the discussion goes into the Slip-Box, whether ones agrees with it or not. If it is relevant, it goes in. The benefits of this are profound. The next step in the workflow continues with...

After aligning our interests, we can go a step further and prime ourselves for seeking out dis-confirming facts. Collecting only one-sided ideas wouldn’t be very enriching. Yes, we have to be selective, but not in terms of pros and cons, but in terms of relevant or irrelevant. And as soon we focus on the content of the slip-box, dis-confirming data becomes suddenly very attractive, because it opens up more possible connections and discussions within the slip-box, while mere confirming data does not. ([Location 1508](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1508))

• The deliberate seeking of counter-points and dis-confirming facts makes the entire system stronger and more useful, so gathering these kinds of facts becomes, as the author said, quite attractive to the one managing their PKM. The sudden and profound shifts that a single piece of information can cause for an entire perspective can be exhilarating and enjoyable.
• Once we realign from Top-Down Thinking into Bottom-Up Thinking the idea of finding counter-arguments to points made in our notes becomes suddenly very attractive because of how much of an impact it can have on the other residents of the PKM (the notes)

the more diverse the content of the slip-box is, the further it can bring our thinking forward – provided we haven’t decided on the direction upfront. Contradictions within the slip-box can be discussed on follow-up notes or even in the final paper. It is so much easier to develop an interesting text from a lively discussion with a lot of pros and cons than from a collection of one-sided notes and seemingly fitting quotes. ([Location 1513](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1513))

• As long as we aren't approaching it from a Top-Down Thinking, and operating from preconceived notions, contradictions in the PKM can add to the discussion taking place in a final piece of content. The opposing forces of the perspectives taking place within the notes spark a more lively discussion than a series of one-sided opinions with no contradicting voice.
• The key phrase here is the bit about not deciding on a direction up front. We have to be open-minded and free in the process because that's how flashes of insight that knock us on our asses happen. Or, at least happen more often. As we encounter new and contradictory information, the entire system grows, relates, and gives birth to connections we may not have seen otherwise. All because we didn't start with a destination in mind... only Genuine Curiosity.

- 10.3 - Get the Gist

Extracting the gist of a text or an idea and giving an account in writing is for academics what daily practice on the piano is for pianists: The more often we do it and the more focused we are, the more virtuous we become. ([Location 1526](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1526))

• Basically, just like anything else, the ability to quickly extract the core of what is said in a text comes with practice, and time. The more We practice making good notes from a source of information, the more efficient and effective we become at it.
• This is the same underlying principle as EDU - Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast. We drill a process, practicing intentionally and increasing our skill, and efficiency in the process, at the same time.

Patterns that help us navigate texts and discourses are not only theories, concepts or the respective terminology, but also typical mistakes we automatically scan an argument for, general categories we apply, writing styles that indicate a certain school of thought or mental models we learn or develop from different insights and can collect like a great and ever-increasing set of thinking tools. Without these tools and reference points, no professional reading or understanding would be possible. We would read every text in the same way: like a novel. But with the learned ability of spotting patterns, we can enter the circle of virtuosity: Reading becomes easier, we grasp the gist quicker, can read more in less time, and can more easily spot patterns and improve our understanding of them. And along the way, we increase our set of thinking tools, which will not only help with academic work, but with thinking and understanding in general. That is why Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman Charlie Munger describes as worldly-wise someone who has a broad set of these tools and knows how to apply them. But this dynamic can only start if we ourselves deliberately decide to take on the task of reading and being selective about it, relying on nothing other than our own judgement of what is important and what is not. Textbooks or secondary literature in general cannot take this off our hands, and students who solely rely on them have no chance of becoming “worldly wise.” This is not far off from what philosopher Immanuel Kant described in his famous text about the Enlightenment: Immanuel Kant#What is Enlightenment ([Location 1528](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1528))

This long one is saved primarily because of the Kant quote, but also because of what is said at the beginning.

There are some patterns that help us navigate texts and discourses, which are:

• Theories, concepts, and respective terminologies
• Logical fallacies we scan an argument for
• General categories we apply
• Writing styles which indicate a school of thought
• Mental models we posses or acquire along the way

I don't know if I would classify these listed things as patterns, but I think I get the gist. There are a number of elements which contribute to our ability to quickly process a given text, and extract the essential meaning from it. Some of these are patterns of speech, or structure — some are common logical fallacies. Regardless, the point is to have a latticework of frames, patterns, and mental models, which all add to one's set of thinking tools.

Thus, If we can learn to spot common *patterns*, and read with a more educated eye, the whole process becomes easier because we increase our set of thinking tools.

• Granted, a huge part of why I captured the quote above had to do with the Kant quote at the end. That said, the overall point of the larger body of text is that we will learn, and become more efficient at recognizing patterns as we increase our set of thinking tools and mental models... which is a natural byproduct of being selective about what we read (meaning confirming and dis-confirming facts, etc.), and committing to actually reading and processing the material. The Kant quote is there to essentially say, trust your own internal compass and let it guide the process. You don't need anyone to guide you or hold your hand.

It is proven that readers regard an author and an audience a speaker as more intelligent the more clear and to the point their expressions are (Oppenheimer 2006). ([Location 1559](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1559))

• I think this is true for more than just readers. I think this applies to speakers, and verbal storytellers as well.
• If one can form cohesive explanations, arguments, etc. with clarity and brevity, it enhances other's impression of one's intelligence

The ability to spot patterns, to question the frames used and detect the distinctions made by others, is the precondition to thinking critically and looking behind the assertions of a text or a talk. **Being able to re-frame questions, assertions and information is even more important than having an extensive knowledge**, because without this ability, we wouldn’t be able to put our knowledge to use. The good news is that these skills can be learned. But it requires deliberate practice (Ericsson, Krampe, and Tesch-Römer 1993; Anders Ericsson 2008). Taking smart notes is the deliberate practice of these skills. Mere reading, underlining sentences and hoping to remember the content is not. ([Location 1561](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1561))

• The bolded section is what I want to focus on. I see the statement pointing to a mental nimbleness in general as being more important than extensive knowledge.
• Like learning notes and scales are a precursor to understanding Jazz. The deliberate and consistent practice of note-*making* is the knowledge-worker's scale practice. We have to become adept if we hope to be able to flow in the craft. This relates strongly to the Craftsman's Mindset.

- 10.4 - Learn to Read

The most important advantage of writing is that it helps us to confront ourselves when we do not understand something as well as we would like to believe. ([Location 1580](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1580))

• I think this is reiterating the same point from before. We need to work things out via writing in order to ensure that we posses a solid, and accurate understanding.
• The more I'm forced to rephrase something, the more solidly I can check my own understanding. If I don't get something, and I try to explain it in my own words, I'm immediately shown how little I actually know as the words fumble out of my mouth.

- 10.5 - Learn by Reading

Basically, don't cram in an attempt to learn. Instead, elaborate on what you ingest.

- 11. Take Smart Notes

- 11.1 - Make a Career One Note at a Time

The technique of writing a certain amount every day was perfected by Anthony Trollope, one of the most popular and productive authors of the 19th century: He would start every morning at 5:30 a.m. with a cup of coffee and a clock in front of him. Then he would write at least 250 words every 15 minutes. This, he writes in his autobiography: “allowed me to produce over ten pages of an ordinary novel volume a day, and if kept up through ten months, would have given as its results three novels of three volumes each in the year” (Trollope, 2008, 272). And that, mind you, was before breakfast. ([Location 1697](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1697))

• This is a great goal, and measurement. When I give myself a Morning Pages timer of 10 minutes, I can generally bang out about 600 words of freewriting. All that's left is a revision phase once I've given myself some temporal distance from the writing, and I can see how a goal like that could generate a massive amount of content. When it comes to writing things in a non-fiction function like the content I'm writing for Wabbit, it is a simple matter of a workflow like the one described in the quote above, and I can chip away at project that would otherwise overwhelm me to point of paralysis an inevitable procrastination. The next quote sums up the idea well...

You could therefore measure your daily productivity by the number of notes written. ([Location 1727](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1727))

• We should probably qualify the depth of the notes if we are going to measure quantity.

- 11.2 - Think Outside the Brain

When we take permanent notes, it is much more a form of thinking within the medium of writing and in dialogue with the already existing notes within the slip-box than a protocol of preconceived ideas. ([Location 1737](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1737))

• The next part goes on to say that ideas of a certain complexity need to be written. That the argument needs to be in a concrete form if we can hope to work with it, due to cognitive load, and our capacity. When it is written down, it becomes detached from the author (us) and we are able to get some distance between ourselves and the words. This distance helps us free up mental resources which we can then reallocate to analysis instead of retention. Which is wise for us to do because of how human memory works...

We reinvent and rewrite our memory every time we try to retrieve information. The brain works with rules of thumb and makes things look as if they fit, even if they don’t. It remembers events that never happened, connects unrelated episodes to convincing narratives and completes incomplete images. It cannot help but see patterns and meaning everywhere, even in the most random things (cf. Byrne, 2008). The brain, as Kahneman writes, is “a machine for jumping to conclusions” ([Location 1745](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1745))

• Sometimes the human brain just makes shit up, often without any basis in reality. Because of this fact, we use an external system — the slip-box — to externalize our thinking.

These two quotes from Neuroscientist Neil Levy are present in this section:

Notes on paper, or on a computer screen ... do not make contemporary physics or other kinds of intellectual endeavor easier, they make it possible - Neil Levy, from the introduction to the Oxford Handbook of Neuroethics

no matter how internal processes are implemented, insofar as thinkers are genuinely concerned with what enables human beings to perform the spectacular intellectual feats exhibited in science and other areas of systematic enquiry, as well as in the arts, they (you) need to understand the extent to which the mind is reliant upon external scaffolding - Neil Levy

- 11.3 - Learn by Not Trying

What does help for true, useful learning is to connect a piece of information to as many meaningful contexts as possible, which is what we do when we connect our notes in the slip-box with other notes. Making these connections deliberately means building up a self-supporting network of interconnected ideas and facts that work reciprocally as cues for each other. ([Location 1887](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1887))

• This is the relational element of the LYT Framework, making meaningful connections is how the system begins to support itself. Everything is connected, in some meaningful fashion, to the rest of the network. This process of meaningful connection is important to learning effectively.

If you focus your time and energy on understanding, you cannot help but learn. But if you focus your time and energy on learning without trying to understand, you will not only *not* understand, but also probably *not* learn. And the effects are cumulative. ([Location 1930](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1930))

• Learning isn't about relaying information. It is about understanding *why* that information is true. So, pursuing understanding is a sure path to true learning. Learning without exerting the effort to truly understand is little more than a recreation, because the learning won't stick.

Writing notes and sorting them into the slip-box is nothing other than an attempt to understand the wider meaning of something. The slip-box forces us to ask numerous elaborating questions: What does it mean? How does it connect to … ? What is the difference between … ? What is it similar to? That the slip-box is not sorted by topics is the precondition for actively building connections between notes. ([Location 1939](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1939))

• The workflow of inputting information into our PKM is designed to require us to elaborate on the information as we process it. This processing forces the formation of relationships between the new and existing knowledge, which enhances the learning process by forcing us to make sense of what we are processing. In the case of this system, I do that elaboration with + Prompts for note-making

- 11.4 - Adding Permanent Notes to the Slip-Box

This section only seems to be relevant for physical slip-boxes, not digital like this. It deals in the arrangements of the physical cards in the file.

- 12. Develop Ideas

Ideally, new notes are written with explicit reference to already existing notes. Obviously, this is not always possible, especially in the beginning when the slip-box is still in its infancy, but it will very soon become the first option most of the time. ([Location 1972](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=1972))

• I still have a large number of orphaned notes in this system because I input them before I understood how to work in this kind of system effectively.

- 12.1 - Develop Topics

the structure of topics and subtopics is not a given, but the outcome of our thinking, they too are subject to ongoing considerations and alteration. The consideration of how to structure a topic, therefore, belongs on notes as well – and not on a meta-hierarchical level. We can provide ourselves with a (temporarily valid) overview over a topic or subtopic just by making another note. If we then link from the index to such a note, we have a good entry point. If the overview on this note ceases to correctly represent the state of a cluster or topic, or we decide it should be structured differently, we can write a new note with a better structure and update the respective link from the index. ([Location 2015](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2015))

• This passage is referring to the creation of an MOC to give order to notes on a given topic, echoing the LYT Framework fluidity of using higher-order notes to give structure, context, and meaning to the notes it contains within itself.

- 12.2 - Make Smart Connections

It is important to always keep in mind that making these links is not a chore, a kind of file-box maintenance. The search for meaningful connections is a crucial part of the thinking process towards the finished manuscript. ([Location 2099](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2099))

• The link-making process — the commitment to meaningfully link new notes to existing notes in the system — is crucial to the thinking and learning processes.

- 12.3 - Compare, Correct and Differentiate

When we realize that we used to accept two contradicting ideas as equally true, we know that we have a problem – and problems are good because we now have something to solve. **A paradox can be a sign that we haven’t thought thoroughly enough about a problem or, conversely, that we exhausted the possibilities of a certain paradigm.** Finally, oppositions help to shape ideas by providing contrast. Albert Rothenberg suggests that the construction of oppositions is the most reliable way of generating new ideas (Rothenberg 1971; 1996; 2015). ([Location 2127](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2127))

• Emphasis mine. There are three points in this passage to make note of:
• The slip-box will show us where our ideas (conclusions, etc.) are contradicting each other. That's an important, and extremely helpful function of this tool.
• Paradox can be a sign that we haven't given something enough thought
• The construction of oppositions is the most reliable way of generating new ideas

Adding new notes to old notes and being forced to compare them leads not only to a constant improvement of one’s own work, but often discloses weaknesses in the texts we read. We have to compensate for that by being extra critical as readers and careful with extracting information from texts, and we always have to check the original source of a claim.[34] ([Location 2136](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2136))

• An encouragement and a warning... The constant addition of relevant notes with meaningful connections leads to constant improvement in one's work, that's the encouragement. The warning is to Always check the original source of a claim

the feature-positive effect (Allison and Messick 1988; Newman, Wolff, and Hearst 1980; Sainsbury 1971). This is the phenomenon in which we tend to overstate the importance of information that is (mentally) easily available to us and tilts our thinking towards the most recently acquired facts, not necessarily the most relevant ones. ([Location 2141](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2141))

• Feature-Positive Effect

- 12.4 - Assemble a Toolbox For Thinking

Just by working with the slip-box, we retrieve old ideas and facts on an irregular basis and connect them with other bits of information – very much how experts recommend we learn (Bjork 2011, 8; Kornell and Bjork 2008). ([Location 2149](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2149))

• By virtue of working in our PKM system, and using workflows that force us to elaborate on — and challenge — ideas, we become better, more effective learners
• Delegating knowledge to the slip-box, while focusing on the principles behind the thing we are writing about, we are building up a Latticework of mental models

Our ability to read a situation or to interpret information depends on our broader knowledge and how we make sense of it. ([Location 2157](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2157))

• As we grow our broader knowledge, we become more adept at reading or interpreting situations or information. The author quotes Charlie Munger heavily here.

“Well, the first rule is that you can’t really know anything if you just remember isolated facts and try and bang ’em back. If the facts don’t hang together on a latticework of theory, you don’t have them in a usable form. You’ve got to have models in your head. And you’ve got to array your experience, both vicarious and direct, on this latticework of models. You may have noticed students who just try to remember and pound back what is remembered. Well, they fail in school and in life. You’ve got to hang experience on a latticework of models in your head.” (Munger 1994). ([Location 2169](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2169))

• Cramming doesn't work. You can't brute force it because the facts you're ingesting don't relate in a grand latticework. Similar to how I give myself a place to hang my notes as I read a book by copying the table of contents into the note before I ever start reading, the scaffolding matters. Munger is talking about building a scaffolding of proven mental models, and hanging every experience you have onto that scaffolding. This is a path to wisdom. We trust our own intuition enough to self-guide our exploration, and we build a latticework (as Munger calls it) of proven things to aid us in our journey. The author offers his interpretation...

A truly wise person is not someone who knows everything, but someone who is able to make sense of things by drawing from an extended resource of interpretation schemes. This stands in harsh contrast to the common but not-so-wise belief that we need to learn from experience. It is much better to learn from the experiences of others – especially when this experience is reflected on and turned into versatile “mental models” that can be used in different situations. ([Location 2174](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2174))

• Learn from experience, and not necessarily from our own. As we grow our personal PKM, we reflect on what we intake, and use the relational thinking discussed earlier to build universally useful "mental models." He goes on, later in the section, to say...

If we practice learning not as a pure accumulation of knowledge, but as an attempt to build up a latticework of theories and mental models to which information can stick, we enter a virtuous circle where learning facilitates learning. ([Location 2184](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2184))

• Here, we come back to the feedback-loop idea, this cycle supports its own growth, which is exactly the kind of system we want. The fuel for the system is the goal of building the latticework, not the blind accumulation of knowledge.

Next up is a quote from Helmut Sachs, cited here, in Remember Everything You Want and Manage the Rest#Quotes

- 12.5 - Use the Slip-Box as a Creativity Machine

Being experienced with a problem and intimately familiar with the tools and devices we work with, ideally to the point of virtuosity, is the precondition for discovering their inherent possibilities, writes Ludwik Fleck, a historian of science (Fleck 2012, 126). ([Location 2220](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2220))

• Similar to the Craftsman's Mindset, we have to reach a base level of proficiency before we can hope to more in the medium freely. We can't expect to make sudden bursts of growth. Instead, to reach this proficiency, we practice regularly...

Most often, innovation is not the result of a sudden moment of realization, anyway, but incremental steps toward improvement. Even groundbreaking paradigm shifts are most often the consequence of many small moves in the right direction instead of one big idea. This is why the search for small differences is key. It is such an important skill to see differences between seemingly similar concepts, or connections between seemingly different ideas. ([Location 2236](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2236))

• One of the skills pointed out as being required here is the ability to see small differences between seemingly similar concepts. This is perhaps where prompts come into play when processing information. How is this similar to... How is this different from... This is related... This is unrelated... and so on.
• The author points our that it is much easier to compare multiple things if they are sitting side-by-side. Which brings us to a quote about our natural mode of perception: comparison.

The neurobiologist James Zull points out that comparing is our natural form of perception, where our cognitive interpretation is in lockstep with our actual eye movements. Therefore, comparing should be understood quite literally. We even compare when we focus on one thing: “Paying attention does not mean unrelenting attention on one focal point. Our brains evolved to notice details by shifting focus from one area to another, by repeatedly scanning the surroundings. [...] The brain is more likely to notice details when it scans than when it focuses.” (Zull 2002, 142f) ([Location 2243](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2243))

• Just the quote. Paying attention means scanning repeatedly, not unrelenting focus on a singular point.

- 12.6 - Think Inside the Box

Opens with great quote from Secrets of the Creative Brain

“Creative people are better at recognizing relationships, making associations and connections and seeing things in an original way—seeing things that others cannot see“

• I probably call it great because it causes me to feel good about myself. I see things in ways that others often don't, or can't.

Comparing, differentiating and connecting notes are the basis of good academic writing, but playing and tinkering with ideas is what leads to insight and exceptional texts. ([Location 2254](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2254))

• This struck a chord with me because of the notion of playing and tinkering. It is the way that I view my own relationship with creativity. Which is great because the author suggests this way is what leads to exceptional work.

Only by abstraction and re-specification can we apply ideas in the singular and always different situations in reality (Loewenstein, 2010). ([Location 2262](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2262))

• Note: What is Abstraction?

Being able to abstract and re-specify ideas is, again, only one side of the equation. It is not good for anything if we don’t have a system in place that allows us to put this into practice. Here, it is the concrete standardization of notes in just one format that enables us to literally shuffle them around, to add one idea to multiple contexts and to compare and combine them in a creative way without losing sight of what they truly contain. ([Location 2273](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2273))

• Related to abstraction in the context of a PKM, it is the atomicity of the notes, and standardization of processing workflow, that enables Fluid Thinking.

Creativity cannot be taught like a rule or approached like a plan. But we can make sure that our working environment allows us to be creative with ideas. ([Location 2277](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2277))

• How does one teach curiosity, and freedom, and play?

The real enemy of independent thinking is not an external authority, but our own inertia. The ability to generate new ideas has more to do with breaking with old habits of thinking than with coming up with as many ideas as possible. For obvious reasons, I do not recommend “thinking outside the box”. On the contrary, we can turn the slip-box into a tool for breaking out of our own thinking habits. ([Location 2281](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2281))

• We use the Slip-box to help us better discover and implement new ways of thinking, and to break old thinking habits that are holding us back. The author goes on to introduce the ideas presented in the book The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking. Here are the key bits:

We need therefore a bit of a ruse to break the power of thinking routines. In their book with the showy title “The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking”, the mathematicians Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird collected different strategies to do that (2012). ([Location 2286](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2286))

• Most of these strategies are a natural byproduct of using the slip-box, I've included the ones I find useful below:

Make sure that you really see what you think you see and describe it as plainly and factually as possible. Double-check if necessary. ([Location 2294](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2294))

• Check and check and check again to ensure that you are not succumbing to the instantaneous and often incorrect interpretations your human brain is presenting.

To really understand a text is therefore a constant revision of our first interpretation. We have to train ourselves to get used to seeing this difference and to hold back our ingrained urge to jump to conclusions. ([Location 2303](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2303))

• I think this passage speaks for itself. Our goal is true understanding — which takes constant revision of our ideas and interpretations

- 12.7 - Facilitate Creativity Through Restrictions

restrict ourselves to just one idea per note and force ourselves to be as precise and brief as possible. The restriction to one idea per note is also the precondition to recombine them freely later. ([Location 2372](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2372))

• This is describing Atomic Notes if I understand them correctly. For example, this note is far too long to be of any use. It exists as a reference tool when I need to cite things. It is quite likely that it will diminish greatly in size as I continue processing through the large number of highlights. I hope to correct this with what learn from How to Read a Book, which is what I will read next.

In his book “The Paradox of Choice,” Barry Schwartz used numerous examples, from shopping to career options to romance, to show that less choice can not only increase our productivity, but also our freedom and make it easier to be in the moment and enjoy it (Schwartz, 2007). ([Location 2383](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2383))

• Highlighted to remember the book The Paradox of Choice. It points to why Placing restrictions around ourselves can enhance our creativity, which is basically what the next passage is saying too...

Thinking and creativity can flourish under restricted conditions and there are plenty of studies to back that claim (cf. Stokes 2001; Rheinberger 1997). ([Location 2388](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2388))

• Stokes, Patricia D. 2001. “Variability, Constraints, and Creativity: Shedding Light on Claude Monet.” American Psychologist 56 (4): 355–59.

The biggest threat to creativity and scientific progress is therefore the opposite: a lack of structure and restrictions. Without structure, we cannot differentiate, compare or experiment with ideas. Without restrictions, we would never be forced to make the decision on what is worth pursuing and what is not. ([Location 2403](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2403))

• Perhaps that is a huge part of my recent struggles to make things. Or, even my inconsistency at creating things over the years. There is no real structure, or schedule to the work. Of course, I'm talking about the meta-level of producing on a daily or weekly basis. This passage is talking about restrictions to increase our productivity in the immediate future, not necessarily over the course of years

- 13. Share Your Insight

Since writing is nothing more than the revision of a rough draft, which is nothing more than turning a series of notes into a continuous text, which are written on a day-to-day basis, connected and indexed in the slip-box, there is no need to worry about finding a topic to write about. Just look into your slip-box and see where clusters have been built up. These clusters are what caught your interest again and again, so you already know that you have found material to work with. ([Location 2416](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2416))

-All it takes to write a rough draft, is to arrange a series of notes into an order that flows as a continuous text. We are already writing those notes on a day to day basis by working in the slip-box — so there is no need to worry about not having a topic. Simply open up the system, and look for where notes have clustered together. This is especially simple in Obsidian, where you can see visually where notes are clustering, so long as they are related (meaningfully) with our Guiding Principles of PKM. These clusters are what keep coming up for you. These are the places to look for your next most interesting topic, especially since you already have material there to work with.

- 13.1 - From Brain-Storming to Slip-Box-Storming

It makes things worse that we tend to like our first ideas the best and are very reluctant to let go of them, irrespective of their actual relevance (Strack and Mussweiler 1997). And before you now wonder if it would be a good idea to overcome the limitations of brainstorming by assembling a group of friends to brainstorm together, forget it: More people in a brainstorming group usually come up with less good ideas and restrict themselves inadvertently to a narrower range of topics (Mullen, Johnson, and Salas 1991).[38] ([Location 2444](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2444))

• I've expanded my thoughts on this passage in Brainstorming offers diminishing returns in groups

- 13.2 - From Top-Down to Bottom-Up

My summary of the section

Rather than approaching topics from the top down, with the Slip-Box we shift into a more organic, bottom-up mode of working. This is useful because the topics that emerge from the system are already surrounded by content-rich context, which is loaded with material already — because we put it there.

There's an added bonus: as our familiarity with our current ideas grows, we become more open to new ideas. The intense elaboration on what we currently know shows us holes in the thoughts, which encourages us to seek out new information — which inevitably leads to an increase in the overall quality of what we have in our system, and any content we generate from it.

- 13.3 - Getting Things Done by Following Your Interests

When even highly intelligent students fail in their studies, it’s most often because they cease to see the meaning in what they were supposed to learn (cf. Balduf 2009), are unable to make a connection to their personal goals (Glynn et al. 2009) or lack the ability to control their own studies autonomously and on their own terms (Reeve and Jan, 2006; Reeve, 2009). ([Location 2505](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2505))

• I would say both of these points (causes) ring true for me. In my youth, I only really understood why I was learning a few subjects. None of it was goal driven, other than passing tests.

If we accompany every step of our work with the question, “What is interesting about this?” and everything we read with the question, “What is so relevant about this that it is worth noting down?” we do not just choose information according to our interest. By elaborating on what we encounter, we also discover aspects we didn’t know anything about before and therefore develop our interests along the way. It would be quite sad if we did not change our interests during research. ([Location 2513](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2513))

• I filed these two prompts in my Workflows MOC

- 13.4 - Finishing and Review

Structure the text and keep it flexible. While the slip-box was very much about experimenting with and generating new ideas, we now need to bring our thoughts into a linear order. The key is to structure the draft visibly. It is not so much about deciding once and for all what to write in which chapter or paragraph, but what does not need to be written in a particular part of the manuscript. By looking at the (always preliminary) structure, you can see if information will be mentioned in another part. ([Location 2543](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2543))

• Structure your draft copy visually

As soon as the structure no longer changes much, we can happily call it a “table of contents.” But even then, it helps to see it as a structural guideline and not a prescription. It is not unusual to change the order of chapters at the very end. ([Location 2552](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2552))

-Also referenced in the note linked above.

If we read something that is interesting, but not directly relevant to our current project, we can still use it for another project we are working on or might work on. Everything that enriches our slip-box has the potential to end up in a text we might write. By taking smart notes, we collect en passant the material for our future writings in one place. The projects we work on can be in completely different stages of completion. Some of them might not even have come to our attention. This is advantageous not only because we make progress on the next papers or books while we are still working on the current one, but also because it allows us to switch to other projects whenever we get stuck or bored. ([Location 2564](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2564))

• The fluidity of the slip-box, paired with interlinked Atomic Notes, and the relational nature of the LYT Framework, allow us to move around freely — feeling confident that we are always making progress on our current and future projects through the active practice of inputting smart notes into a PKM

- 13.5 - Becoming an Expert by Giving Up Planning

It is much easier to get started if the next step is as feasible as “writing a note,” “collect what is interesting in this paper” or “turning this series of notes into a paragraph” than if we decide to spend the next days with a vague and ill-defined task like “keep working on that overdue paper.” ([Location 2631](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2631))

• This workflow with the slip-box makes goal setting even easier because it allows us to break down complex goals like "write a 6,500 article" into discrete chunks that are far less intimidating, like "turn this series of notes into a paragraph"

- 13.6 - The Actual Writing

One of the most difficult tasks is to rigorously delete what has no function within an argument – “kill your darlings.”This becomes much easier when you move the questionable passages into another document and tell yourself you might use them later. For every document I write, I have another called “xy-rest.doc,” and every single time I cut something, I copy it into the other document, convincing myself that I will later look through it and add it back where it might fit. Of course, it never happens – but it still works. ([Location 2648](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2648))

• Use a scrap note to collect all of the things you've cut from a piece. Not only will it be easier to work with your draft, and the cut content — it will also keep the "darlings" hoarder at bay.

- 14. Make it a Habit

The trick is not to try to break with old habits and also not to use willpower to force oneself to do something else, but to strategically build up new habits that have a chance to replace the old ones. ([Location 2678](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B06WVYW33Y&location=2678))

• Don't try to simply break an old habit with willpower. Instead, build up new and useful habits that you can eventually replace the old habit with.

4. Afterword

Memorable Quotes

Notes on paper, or on a computer screen ... do not make contemporary physics or other kinds of intellectual endeavor easier, they make it possible - Neil Levy, from the introduction to the Oxford Handbook of Neuroethics

no matter how internal processes are implemented, insofar as thinkers are genuinely concerned with what enables human beings to perform the spectacular intellectual feats exhibited in science and other areas of systematic enquiry, as well as in the arts, they (you) need to understand the extent to which the mind is reliant upon external scaffolding - Neil Levy

Prompts Generated

How does this fact fit into my idea of …?

How can this phenomenon be explained by that theory?

Are these two ideas contradictory or do they complement each other?

Isn’t this argument similar to that one?

Haven’t I heard this before?

What does x mean for y?