We have an eerily similar path from learning Zettelkasten. I watched Odysseus's video and then went on to Smart Notes and stumbled-on Andy's website only to browse for hours learning how he uses it and having a similar takeaway.
I found your post here trying to google my way into Andy's note on how it's not necessarily the best proxy for better thinking.
I'm relatively new to producing writings and articles but I feel invigorated with how forming the Zettelkasten has finally given me a visual representation of how I'm taking notes and thinking.
(It was a huge upgrade from a single notes folder on my phone and using tags)
I have always been interested in learning better. Particularly because I never went to university yet I find myself wanting to engage in knowledge work/writing to learn.
I find it difficult to translate much of what I'm learning about into articles for writing. My motivation within obsidian seems to clash with how I see my newsletters.
Do you have a process to produce directly from your zettelkasten? (Like Luhmann did) or do you find that your writing is a few more degrees separated?
I appreciate how candid you are in the newsletter. It makes me think of Henrik Karlsson's "A blog post is a very long and complex search query to find fascinating people and make them route interesting stuff to your inbox"
Thanks for reading, Keaton! I like that quote about a post as a search query. Typically my posts are a few degrees away from my Zettel. Interestingly, I haven't been adding to my Zettel in the past few weeks. I think it has something to do with a) having too little time to add to it and b) I bought these ridiculous notebooks that fall apart in my pocket. The notebook is a crucial step prior to the Zettel.
Hi Dr. Bonanno! I've been following your musings for a while but finally hopping on with a comment.
You had me at this line: "I often feel the urge to satirize hustle culture and the cult of productivity as an outgrowth of the self-help movement." Yes, Dr. Bonanno, please do. I have my own developing thoughts on this and would be extremely interested in reading yours!
But no, really, the whole article had my attention beyond that hot take. Thanks for taking the time to share these resources and insights. Wishing you a 2025 full of much much fruitful thinking and doing, and hopefully see you soon.
The end of this article reminds me of the end of Lost in the Cosmos: “Come back. Come back. Come back…” I am rodgering your Rodger.
I agree that ToDoist is very helpful, especially for people that scribble their to-dos on random scraps of paper and/or on grocery lists and then promptly lose them both. Even as a stay at home mom, not “producing” anything but comments on my husband’s Substack, I find that writing out my “to-dos” and dumping everything in one place that I can see, move, group, and otherwise organize (on the go using the phone and at home using the computer) has been very helpful. This comment is for all you moms reading!
As far as further questions to answer in this space, here is my spin on the Sphinx’s riddle:
1) What is the most important thing to know when you are young (baby-adolescent)?
2) What is the most important thing you have learned in the middle (I won’t call this middle age)?
3) What do you hope to know by the time you are, God-willing, an old man?
Academic, spiritual, and physical dimensions as well as hobbies are fair game. Least important knowledge in questions 1-3 is also interesting to me.
Do I know you? You look familiar. Thanks for reading this Substack.
As for your riddle, it took me awhile, but I finally get it. You did the Sphinx thing! I suppose it is an honor and privilege for me to be compared to Oedipus Rex, whom we all know lived a long, prosperous, completely happy, uneventful life wherein fortune favored him all his days.
Since you took the trouble to write this comment, I will answer these questions in the next post.
We have an eerily similar path from learning Zettelkasten. I watched Odysseus's video and then went on to Smart Notes and stumbled-on Andy's website only to browse for hours learning how he uses it and having a similar takeaway.
I found your post here trying to google my way into Andy's note on how it's not necessarily the best proxy for better thinking.
I'm relatively new to producing writings and articles but I feel invigorated with how forming the Zettelkasten has finally given me a visual representation of how I'm taking notes and thinking.
(It was a huge upgrade from a single notes folder on my phone and using tags)
I have always been interested in learning better. Particularly because I never went to university yet I find myself wanting to engage in knowledge work/writing to learn.
I find it difficult to translate much of what I'm learning about into articles for writing. My motivation within obsidian seems to clash with how I see my newsletters.
Do you have a process to produce directly from your zettelkasten? (Like Luhmann did) or do you find that your writing is a few more degrees separated?
I appreciate how candid you are in the newsletter. It makes me think of Henrik Karlsson's "A blog post is a very long and complex search query to find fascinating people and make them route interesting stuff to your inbox"
Thanks for reading, Keaton! I like that quote about a post as a search query. Typically my posts are a few degrees away from my Zettel. Interestingly, I haven't been adding to my Zettel in the past few weeks. I think it has something to do with a) having too little time to add to it and b) I bought these ridiculous notebooks that fall apart in my pocket. The notebook is a crucial step prior to the Zettel.
Hi Dr. Bonanno! I've been following your musings for a while but finally hopping on with a comment.
You had me at this line: "I often feel the urge to satirize hustle culture and the cult of productivity as an outgrowth of the self-help movement." Yes, Dr. Bonanno, please do. I have my own developing thoughts on this and would be extremely interested in reading yours!
But no, really, the whole article had my attention beyond that hot take. Thanks for taking the time to share these resources and insights. Wishing you a 2025 full of much much fruitful thinking and doing, and hopefully see you soon.
Thanks for reading, Leila!
I will make it a priority to satirize hustle culture (as I utilize the insights of hustle culture in the process).
Naturally. I look forward to it!
The end of this article reminds me of the end of Lost in the Cosmos: “Come back. Come back. Come back…” I am rodgering your Rodger.
I agree that ToDoist is very helpful, especially for people that scribble their to-dos on random scraps of paper and/or on grocery lists and then promptly lose them both. Even as a stay at home mom, not “producing” anything but comments on my husband’s Substack, I find that writing out my “to-dos” and dumping everything in one place that I can see, move, group, and otherwise organize (on the go using the phone and at home using the computer) has been very helpful. This comment is for all you moms reading!
As far as further questions to answer in this space, here is my spin on the Sphinx’s riddle:
1) What is the most important thing to know when you are young (baby-adolescent)?
2) What is the most important thing you have learned in the middle (I won’t call this middle age)?
3) What do you hope to know by the time you are, God-willing, an old man?
Academic, spiritual, and physical dimensions as well as hobbies are fair game. Least important knowledge in questions 1-3 is also interesting to me.
Dear Anna,
Do I know you? You look familiar. Thanks for reading this Substack.
As for your riddle, it took me awhile, but I finally get it. You did the Sphinx thing! I suppose it is an honor and privilege for me to be compared to Oedipus Rex, whom we all know lived a long, prosperous, completely happy, uneventful life wherein fortune favored him all his days.
Since you took the trouble to write this comment, I will answer these questions in the next post.
With best regards,
JB