A practical brain for building a trusted second brain: PARA, Zettelkasten, evergreen notes, capture workflows, review habits, source notes, writing workflows, and AI-assisted knowledge work.
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Decision-making
Decision making Category: use case Summary: Using information, judgment, and reflection to choose a course of action. What it means PKM improves decision making by preserving evidence, assumptions,…
Niklas Luhmann
Niklas Luhmann Category: person Summary: Sociologist associated with the slip box system that inspired much of modern Zettelkasten practice. Tags: people, zettelkasten What it means Niklas Luhmann…
Archives
Archives Category: PARA component Summary: Inactive material preserved for future reference. What it means Archives reduce clutter without deleting potentially useful information. A good archive is…
Areas
Areas Category: PARA component Summary: Ongoing responsibilities or standards without a fixed finish line. What it means Areas are parts of life or work that require maintenance: health, finances,…
Zotero
Zotero Category: tool Summary: A reference manager commonly used for academic sources, citations, and PDFs. What it means Zotero is important for research workflows because it helps manage…
Zettelkasten workflow
Zettelkasten workflow Category: playbook A practical workflow for linked idea development. Capture Use fleeting notes to save thoughts quickly. Read Create literature notes and source notes while…
Zettelkasten
Zettelkasten Category: thinking method Summary: A linked note taking method inspired by slip box practices and designed to support long term thinking. What it means Zettelkasten emphasizes writing…
Writing workflow
Writing workflow Category: workflow Summary: A process for turning notes into drafts, essays, memos, reports, or other output. What it means Writing workflows connect reading and thinking to…
Writing process
Writing process Category: creative workflow Summary: The movement from idea development to outline, draft, revision, and publication or sharing. What it means Writing is where many knowledge systems…
Inbox processing
Inbox processing Category: workflow component Summary: The habit of reviewing captured items and deciding what they become. What it means Inbox processing turns raw capture into action, reference,…
Wikilinks
Wikilinks Category: linking concept Summary: Bracket style links used to connect notes or pages directly. What it means Wikilinks make relationships visible and navigable. They let a phrase become a…
Weekly review checklist
Weekly review checklist Category: playbook A lightweight review to keep the system trusted. Clear capture points Empty or triage the inbox. Process daily notes, voice notes, and quick captures. Move…
Annotation
Annotation Category: source practice Summary: Writing comments, questions, or reactions around a source. What it means Annotation turns reading into conversation. It captures why something matters…
David Allen
David Allen Category: person Summary: Author associated with Getting Things Done, a task and capture system often used alongside PKM. Tags: people, tasks What it means David Allen is relevant because…
Article notes
Article notes Category: note type Summary: Notes created from articles, essays, newsletters, or web pages. What it means Article notes are useful when they preserve the source’s argument, evidence,…
Weekly review
Weekly review Category: review habit Summary: A recurring review of projects, inboxes, tasks, and open loops. What it means Weekly review keeps the system trusted. It updates projects, clears capture…
Web clipping
Web clipping Category: capture workflow Summary: Saving web pages, selections, or excerpts into a knowledge system. What it means Web clipping preserves online material that may change or disappear.…
Course notes
Course notes Category: note type Summary: Notes created while taking a class, course, workshop, or training program. What it means Course notes should capture concepts, examples, assignments,…
Voice notes
Voice notes Category: capture workflow Summary: Capturing spoken thoughts, observations, or reminders. What it means Voice notes reduce friction when typing would interrupt movement or thought. They…
Video notes
Video notes Category: source type Summary: Notes or sources derived from videos, talks, courses, or screen recordings. What it means Video notes should capture the argument, examples, timestamps, and…
Associative trails
Associative trails Category: linking concept Summary: Paths through ideas created by following associations rather than strict hierarchy. What it means Associative trails reflect how thinking often…
Verbatim notes
Verbatim notes Category: note type Summary: Notes preserved in exact wording because the wording itself matters. What it means Verbatim notes are useful for quotes, definitions, transcripts, meeting…
CODE
CODE Category: workflow Summary: A four step workflow: capture, organize, distill, and express. What it means CODE frames knowledge work as a process that starts with capturing useful inputs and ends…
Vannevar Bush
Vannevar Bush Category: person Summary: Thinker associated with the Memex idea, an early vision of associative information trails. Tags: people, history What it means Vannevar Bush matters as a…
Trusted system
Trusted system Category: productivity concept Summary: A system the user trusts enough to stop keeping everything in working memory. What it means A trusted system depends on reliable capture,…
Obsidian
Obsidian Category: tool Summary: A markdown based note app commonly used for local files, backlinks, and linked notes. What it means Obsidian is often associated with Zettelkasten, evergreen notes,…
Audio notes
Audio notes Category: source type Summary: Notes or sources derived from audio recordings, podcasts, calls, or lectures. What it means Audio sources are valuable but harder to skim. Transcripts,…
Transcripts
Transcripts Category: source artifact Summary: Text versions of spoken audio or video. What it means Transcripts make spoken sources searchable, quotable, and easier to summarize. They may still need…
Calendar
Calendar Category: productivity tool Summary: A time based system for appointments, deadlines, routines, and time blocks. What it means A calendar handles time specific commitments. It complements,…
Andy Matuschak
Andy Matuschak Category: person Summary: Designer and researcher known for writing about evergreen notes, tools for thought, and learning systems. Tags: people, evergreen notes What it means Andy…
Tools for thought
Tools for thought Category: field Summary: Tools and systems designed to extend thinking, learning, memory, and creativity. What it means Tools for thought include note systems, hypertext, spaced…
Concepts
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