I have a bit of a soft spot for Niklas Luhmann ever since David Seidl introduced me to his ideas. I think it was at an EGOS conference in the early 2000s.

So when I read about Luhmann’s approach to note taking, the Zettelkasten, I thought I’d give it a go. Now, whilst I love paper-based systems I thought I’d do some kind to computer-based system. Since I keep my to-do list using Org mode, I cobbled together some elisp to glue it together with Deft mode and Org-capture to get a working system.

When I say ‘working’, I used it successfully to complete the six-course Google Project Management: Professional Certificate. At that point my Zettelkasten had about 176 cross-linked entries.

Now, I’ve just finished reading Chris Aldrich’s essay Reframing and simplifying the idea of how to keep a Zettelkasten where he suggests using a commonplace book as a step towards having a Zettelkasten. Indeed, the way he writes it sounds like a big step. And, I pretty much agree with all he says.

But, I’m left wondering if I need a separate Zettelkasten, or should I integrate it to this, my work-in-progress of a commonplace book.