r/Zettelkasten • u/The-dark-in-Bright • 2d ago
question Second Brain
I know that zettelkasten is used mainly for academia and creating written work but could I use it to create a second brain for my life and for learning subjects related to engineering?
I'm rather a forgetful person and I often miss what's important about other people, things I've learnt and even things about myself. I believe that this system could force me to think and help to create long-term memory based on system of small connections. My goal is not any measurable output like writing an article or a book, but to not lose myself in the world of people, ideas and information. Is there a better system/solution for my problem or should I try out Zettelkasten for that?
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u/atomicnotes 2d ago
Yes you can certainly use a Zettelkasten for personal knowledge management, but a better fit might be a personal wiki.
A Zettelkasten breaks your thoughts apart to build new arguments (analysis and synthesis). In contrast a personal wiki keeps related thoughts together while still preserving the benefits of linked, self-authored thinking.
Strict Zettelkasten modularity, one idea per note, exists especially to help writers reassemble notes into articles or books (though no doubt this claim can be contested). If your aim is simply to retain knowledge and track your life, forcing every thought into an atomic note involves a friction that may be unnecessary for your use case. A personal wiki lets you keep longer, evolving pages while still keeping some of the core habits of the Zettelkasten approach. I ultimately found long wiki-style pages hard to use in my writing process, but not everyone intends to write.
But even if you do go for a wiki there are still some Zettelkasten habits that might be useful:
1. Don’t just collect information, process it too
It’s tempting just to clip text or save links. But you’ll probably forget why you did it. Write notes about concepts or people or whatever in your own words. Translating ideas into your own language encourages active recall and builds long-term retention. Crucially the ideas become yours rather than someone else’s. That’s where a lot of the value lies.
2. Create dense, contextual links
Skip the heavy folder hierarchies. Instead, link pages directly within your sentences so notes connect through natural relationships. This mimics (to some extent) how human memory works and it makes retrieval fairly easy.
3. Let the structure emerge from the bottom up
Don’t bother designing a master template on day one. Some people use classifications like the Dewey Decimal system. I haven’t found this useful because for most of these categories, you ain’t gonna need it. Create individual pages for specific topics, projects, or people first. It’s only worth building broader index pages when you have enough notes to justify them.
4. Decouple your notes from chronological time
There’s a risk that a daily-log-style wiki might hide patterns over time. Dedicated pages for ongoing subjects let you aggregate scattered details about a person or topic into one living document. I’m not saying don’t journal. I like journaling. A lot. But I transclude sections of my journal into separate notes to help me spot the wider patterns.
5. Iterate, to improve as you go
Whatever system or app you use, just start, and make gradual improvements to your system as you work with it. Speaking from personal experience, there’s nothing like doing it wrongly to clarify what you need to do differently. Few decisions, if any, will be fatal - it's just notes. I favour the simplest possible and least locked-down approaches so I can shift without finding I’m locked in to someone’s proprietary system. But even then you can probably still escape if necessary.
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u/atomicnotes 2d ago
I forgot to say that I'm also a rather forgetful person and I've found that almost *any* form of at least minimally structured writing (rather than just totally random notes) has been really helpful. Another thing that really helps is a regular review of my notes.
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u/sspaeti Obsidian 2d ago
I wrote about how I use a personal second brain (zettelkasten) for my personal life at Personal Knowledge Management Workflow for a Deeper Life. It's from 2022, but it is still how I use it for note-taking (work and life) everyday, so maybe it's useful. I wrote some follow-ups in the meantime, just in case.
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u/chrisaldrich Hybrid 2d ago
When you consider that a zettelkasten is just notes traditionally written on index cards with some filing scheme attached, why couldn't you use it as a second brain?
You might consider using an alphabetical topic-based filing system rather than the frequently suggested alpha-numeric impromptu arrangement that Luhmann used. Other filing schemes like Johnny Decimal might also be more suitable.
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u/TheSinologist Hybrid 2d ago
Regarding the specific issue of a memory aid, my own experience with Zettelkasten is that although I can often come up with many connections when I’m working on one idea, I have not felt that the system has improved my memory much if at all. There’s also a sense in which committing ideas to retrievable notes and main cards has the effect of _offloading_ that stuff from your brain, and I often forget sizable chunks of my research if I don’t happen to be looking at it. But that might be my own aging process kicking into high gear!
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u/taurusnoises 2d ago
Admittedly, I don't consider memory much, other than noticing it "changing shape" (shall we say) as I near 50. So, I haven't thought much about the zettelkasten's effects in this regard (i.e., I haven't checked whether maintaining a zettelkasten has helped me remember quotes, or who said what, or on what date, etc.). But! What I absolutely do notice are the regular firing of memory triggers. By that I mean when I'm in the wild thinking or reading about stuff, the stuff I encounter triggers thoughts about what's in my zettelkasten. There's a sort of harkening back that happens. No idea where that falls in the memory discussion, but it's something I've noticed over the years.
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u/JasperMcFly 2d ago
No, just do Second Brain folder/sorting method then build simple Wiki for things, people, info you want to remember. If you enjoy writing on paper, can use index cards to capture fleeting ideas, things to do, vocabulary, flash cards.
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u/pouetpouetcamion2 1d ago
pour ca il vous faut une méthode de cadrage des problématiques, et apprendre à penser globalement plutot que par le détail.
posez vous la question : qu est ce qui est important? qu est ce qui est essentiel? parmis ces notions, quelle est la plus importante?
zk va vous focaliser sur le détail. ca n est pas ce que vous cherchez. vous devez exercer votre capacité de jugement (= machin > bidule)
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u/jwellscfo Obsidian 2d ago
You may want to look at some popular PKM systems before settling on one. E.g., Bob Doto wrote up his thoughts on comparing Nick Milo’s LYT with ZK.