Quickly get started using Obsidian to implement "card box note-taking" to help writing

I just heard the "card box note-taking method", I was so excited that I couldn't sleep at night, and I was still pestering everyone in the "Suffix" Discord, asking everyone how to take notes. As a result, the editor-in-chief @Jeger said , let's make a special issue of notes in July. (...)

Why are you so excited about the card box note-taking method? Two reasons.

Reason one, past troubles

The pain of writing reports and papers during the research period was the lack of a note-taking system, and I always relied on the brain to memorize and label the passages to be quoted in the book. If I had to return the book halfway through the writing, it would be very troublesome (at that time, mobile phones that could take pictures were not so popular ← Am I leaking something).

At that time, as a professor assistant, the method for the professor to organize notes was to ask me to read all the books page by page, and enter the key of the part where she wrote notes into the data card system of the Apple computer. At that time, I was very curious about how she would find and apply such a huge note-taking system.

I have also thought about building my own paper note-taking system, but the thought of sorting and organizing like a library index card is boring.

The "card box note-taking method" combined with the APP can perfectly solve the needs and troubles of doing research at that time .

The second reason is to use the card box note-taking method to help write articles

Of course, there is no need to do research now, but I often feel troubled by the topic of writing articles, and I also feel that I do not have a system to organize the articles I wrote in the past.

The so-called "bottom-up" of the card box note-taking method is like building a foundation and then building a house, writing the article in the form of stacking wood , and the "top-down" that I used to be used to. White paper starts out very different.

Quickly get started with the "card box note-taking method"

There are a lot of "card box note-taking" information on the Internet. It is recommended to read the articles organized on the Internet first.
There are not many suggestions or examples on the operation surface in the book "Card Box Note Method", and it is more inclined to introduce the principles and advantages of this note-taking method.

Vaki's "Reading Outpost" related articles are very complete, and you can implement them immediately after reading them:

"Card Box Notes", my practical impressions and experience, and the reasons why I strongly recommend it

What is the card box note-taking method that is popular in Europe and the United States? 12 rules and key points

Six Key Steps to Properly Using Zettelkasten

Which APP do you use to make notes on card boxes?

Uncle Yideng uses the popular note-taking software-implementing the card box note-taking method-card box note-taking method-4 series of articles are also very practical. Decided to try out Obsidian, the free software recommended in the article.

What is Obsidian? Please refer to the introduction of Dingdingan Obsidian Notebook Software .

Uncle Yideng pointed out that the four major advantages of Obsidian are as follows:
One, it's free.
Second, the two-way link.
Third, visualization (Graph View).
Fourth, local archives.

For the above four points, my experience after using it:

One, it's free. For amateur users like me, this is important.

Second, the two-way link. I think this is the feature that amazes me the most. Two notes can be linked by "keywords". For example, if I write about a topic related to "unknown", I can take out all the notes related to "unknown" and check to see which one is suitable for use. For a detailed explanation, please see How Shouldwang uses -obsidian- to build his second brain

Three, visualization. Using an image system to show the link between keywords/notes is intuitive and can have a similar brainstorming effect on writing ideas.

Fourth, local archives. The files are stored on your own computer, which is more secure (remember to back them up).

Full of praise, sincerely recommend

For me, the card box method of note-taking has helped me the most in writing "from the bottom up". Starting with small concepts and small notes, after accumulating several small notes, after connecting with each other, it is possible to become a complete article .

For example, I read "Secrets of the Wonderful Life of Polar Explorers", and I had a particular feeling for one of the passages, so I created a note in Obsidian and wrote down my impressions.

At the same time, I found that the keyword "unknown" appeared in this note, which can be linked to the "unknown" note I created before.

When looking at the Graph View of these notes , I found that they were linked to the keyword "travel around the world", so I started thinking about how to use this data to combine into an article.

Questions like: Why set off on a trip around the world? How to overcome fear and face the unknown?

(This article is in the process of being written, and some tips for using the card box note-taking method in the process.)

Difficult to stay away

Difficulty point one, creating notes

The difficulty in using the card box note-taking method is to create notes.

Each note created by the card box note-taking method is an impression written in your own words . Because only in this way, this note can be used later.

How to have your own thoughts and reflections in the process of reading, and then be able to diligently create a note, there are many obstacles.

The process of taking notes: reading → thinking while reading → having something you want to say → using APP to take notes

Difficulty point two, reviewing notes and finding links between notes

Creating a good note is just the beginning. To be effective, the card box note-taking method is to constantly review the notes you have created, think about whether there is a connection between the notes, and whether you need to extend and find more information.

Although this process is brain-intensive, it is also fun, brainstorming, thinking about how to use the ingredients at hand to fry a dish with many ingredients (bottom-up writing method).

Note: Obsidian is free to use

Even without using the card box note-taking method, I think Obsidian is a very useful article management system. You can use # to create tags and categories.

Also, for some reason, writing on this software is extremely fast and not easily distracted. I wrote this article in Obsidian. There is a number of characters in the lower right corner, and watching the number of characters grow while typing is very fulfilling.