I’m rediscovering the use of a blue SAD light for productive works/study time.
Also Newton’s cradle is good for setting a beat
ephedrine
As much as I can, I will use analog tools instead of digital.
- I keep a paper agenda.
- My to-do is paper too.
- I draft all my papers longhand.
- I sketch using pen and paper.
- I do all me y research using an analog Zettelkasten (a fancy word to designate a large pile of index cards stored in boxes). I’ve tried using the digital modernized version of that Zettelkasten (a concept that was formalized between the 1960-90s) using an app like Obsidian but it absolutely did not work for me. Paper suits me best.
No notifications, no update/upgrade, no recharging, no bugs and no temptation to go check something online every few seconds. 100% focus.
I’m not saying that analog is better than digital, just that it works best for me and since the better I work the faster I do the work and the less I have to work. The happier I am ;)
You have sent me down a mad rabbit hole, my friend. Thank you!
You’re welcome ;)
If you decide to give a try to a Zettelkasten and if I was to share a single advice it would be to keep it simple. Ignore all subtleties, you will know it when you need them.
I’ve started on obsidian and already I can see the benefit. I only wish I knew about zettelkasten back in University; it would have made my life so much easier!
Yep, it would have helped a lot. Back when I was in university, we did not even had a single note-taking/research course. We had to figure it out by ourselves, which i know a lot of my fellow students did not bother doing.
As for Obsidian, do not hesitate to share a few insights as I have yet to see how it can help me better than paper does. I mean, beside a faster search inside my notes (which is not what matters the most to me). For example, the fact I cannot manually/freely reorder my notes, in a note-taking app, is beyond me and it’s something I do all the time with my slip of papers. But I’m also willing to admit I’m missing out on something important.
I chose obsidian for two basic reasons 1. Easy backups and 2. No physical storage space required. Those are really the biggest bonuses, especially the backups, using the 3-2-1 rule. If I’m going to invest in this system I want to make sure it won’t just disappear one day, and with obsidian (or other zettelkasten programs) I can automate that process.
If those things aren’t an issue for you then I would recommend that you stick with what you know. Yes, there are lots of fancy things you can do with plugins and so forth on the computer, but the system was designed to work with paper, so I don’t see why you can’t stick with that, if it’s what you prefer.
Plus, the time cost of switching may not be worth it if you already have an extensive system in place.
I’m still not 100% sure I’m doing it right but it has definitely helped me organise and refine what’s in my head and see connections and possibilities that I didn’t see before, which makes me happy 😊
I might look up some tutorials next, but I don’t want to overcomplicate things. With any system there’s a point where you end up spending more time fussing with the scaffolding rather than just building the building, if you know what I mean.
