HOW TO TAKE SMART NOTES: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking – for Students, Academics and Nonfiction Book Writers

by Sönke Ahrens

The slip-box method (or Zettelkasten method) is a technique for note-taking and personal knowledge management invented by Niklas Luhmann. This book by Sönke Ahrens is the first English book to comprehensively explain how to restructure your workflow to effectively use the slip-box technique. This method can be used to help anyone to improve their learning and thinking skills, and is especially useful for students, researchers and nonfiction writers to improve the quality and productivity of their work.

In this summary, you'll learn: 

• What are slip-boxes, and how you can use it to capture and organize your notes, facilitate a writing project, accelerate your learning, and manage/grow your knowledge. Specifically, you'll learn about the different types of notes, how to file/cross-reference them, and how to connect and expand your ideas and insights.

• The common mistakes/hurdles in note-taking, learning and writing, and how the slip-box or Zettelkasten method can help to overcome them.

• The 4 principles for smart note-taking, and the 4 tools you can use to start transforming your workflow.

• How to incorporate the slip-box approach into 6 steps for successful writing.

Who should read this:
• Academics, students, and researchers; and
• Anyone who wishes to think, learn and write more effectively.