5 Ways to Actually USE the Notes You Take

Key Concepts:

• Note Processing
• Zettelkasten Method (modified)
• Random Note Review
• Graph View for Note Organization
• Summary Properties for Notes
• Publishing Notes

Always Process Article, Book, or Meeting Notes After Writing or Importing

The speaker emphasizes the importance of processing notes after they are initially written or imported into Obsidian. This process is loosely based on the Zettelkasten method, as outlined in How to Take Smart Notes, but adapted for personal use.

Steps for Processing Notes:

1. Reread and Flesh Out Ideas: Reread the entire note, clarifying and expanding on the initial ideas to ensure clarity for future reference.
2. Highlight Key Points: Use bold text to emphasize key points and italicize helper phrases or related information to make them stand out during future reviews.
3. Rewrite Main Points in Own Words: Add a section at the top of the note summarizing the main points in your own words. This step promotes internalization and provides a quick reminder of the note's value.
4. Link, Tag, and Summarize: Link the note to other relevant notes, add appropriate tags for organization, and optionally, write a one-sentence summary using a "summary" property tag.

Start Doing Random Note Fridays

The speaker suggests dedicating time each week (e.g., 30-45 minutes on Fridays) to review random notes using Obsidian's built-in random note feature (accessed via the die icon).

Process for Random Note Review:

1. Open a Random Note: Click the die icon to open a random note.
2. Review and Enhance: Review the note, flesh out ideas, link it to other relevant notes, or copy and paste relevant information into other notes.
3. Delete Unnecessary Notes: If a note is no longer useful, consider deleting it.

Smart Random Note Plugin: For larger vaults, the speaker recommends using the "Smart Random Note" plugin, which allows users to specify properties of notes to prioritize during random selection.

Use Graph View to Find Lone Notes and Make Them Less Lonely

The speaker suggests using Obsidian's graph view to identify unattached nodes (notes without links to other notes).

Process for Using Graph View:

1. Identify Unattached Nodes: Use the graph view to find individual nodes that are not connected to other notes.
2. Process and Integrate: Jump into those notes, identify potential links to other notes in your system, and incorporate the ideas into your larger system.

This process is likened to "pruning the tree" in a digital garden, ensuring that all notes are integrated and connected.

Add a Summary Property to All Applicable Notes

The speaker recommends adding a "summary" property to notes, particularly meeting notes, to provide a quick overview of the note's content.

Process for Using Summary Properties:

1. Add Summary Property: Add a property called "summary" to applicable notes.
2. Write One-Sentence Summary: Write a concise, one-sentence summary of the note's content.
3. Use Dataview Tables: Use Dataview tables to pull in the summary information and display it on maps of contents or other overview pages.

This allows for quick scanning of notes and helps identify notes that have not yet been processed.

Publish Your Work

The speaker strongly encourages publishing notes, whether on a personal blog (e.g., WordPress, Squarespace) or other platforms.

Benefits of Publishing:

1. Idea Refinement: Publishing forces you to fully flesh out your ideas.
2. Online Presence: Creates an online presence that demonstrates thoughtfulness and expertise.
3. Career Advancement: Can lead to career opportunities, as demonstrated by the speaker's experience of getting their first staff writer job based on a self-published portfolio.
4. SEO Benefits: Over time, published content can gain search engine optimization (SEO) benefits.
5. Improved Thinking: Writing is thinking, so publishing forces you to think and understand topics better.

Notable Quote: "Writing is thinking, so forcing yourself to publish is forcing you to think, and you will understand topics better and just be a better note taker in general."

Conclusion:

The speaker provides five actionable strategies for effectively using notes taken in Obsidian or other note-taking apps. These strategies include processing notes after writing, reviewing random notes, using graph view for organization, adding summary properties, and publishing work. The emphasis is on actively engaging with notes to internalize information, connect ideas, and create value from the note-taking process.