This is fundamental and key, imo, with regards to capturing ideas in a zettelkasten even when you can't express or even comprehend them completely. It's Luhmann's "septic tank" idea. The value of an idea comes later, in relationship to other ideas.

Look, all I'm saying is, in this age when they're stuffing hallucination engines into everything, it's time to start, or revive, your hipster PDAs and Zettelkästen.

Timely and on point. When I get responses on Reddit that "post-structuralism and anything that came from it is *poison*", (like I did a month ago), Malabou's words ring in my ear. (listen to the first ten min if nothing else).

Thank you, Malik, for this wonderful, off-the-cuff, chit-chat.... Zettelkasten, AI, garbage writing, and more malikalimoekhamedov.substack.com/p/bob-doto-t...

Haters of post-structualism beware.... iai.tv/articles/lan...

A System for Writing teaches three things: 1. how to identify note types and their functions, 2. how to create relationships between ideas, 3. how to transform relationships into writing www.amazon.com/dp/B0D18J83VB

EPUB version of *A System for Writing* is now available through Gumroad! traditionkeeper8.gumroad.com/l/asystemfor...

Looking for alternatives to Amazon for selling the digital format of A System for Writing. I'm only aware of Gumroad. Anyone have suggestions? Especially grateful if you've used the service for selling ebooks yourself and can speak to its ease of set-up.

Had a great time at #pkmsummit2025, diving deep into productivity, writing, and knowledge management over two days. Highlights: Giving Nick Milo a demo of @markway.io, showing people whats possible with Raycast, and @bobdoto.bsky.social writing talk.

I'm giving a demo on how I write with a zettelkasten on Friday after lunch. So, don't stuff yourself into a food coma beforehand. Also, hmu if wanna meet up. I'll be holding court at The Bunk. digitalefitheid.notion.site/Program-PKM-...

One of the many problems with equating reading with "mining" (as in "mining books for knowledge," etc.) is that it equates ideas with rocks. #uncookedideasabouthowknowledgeworks

So stoked to be speaking at this year's PKM Summit in Utrecht, where I'll be live demoing how I write with a zettelkasten. Wanna come?? Wanna come for 20% off?? I bring you discounts... www.eventbrite.nl/e/tickets-pk...

Phones eat memory

A recent ditty on folgezettel. The piece gives a couple brief examples of divergence within alphanumeric "regions" to show just how varied topics can be despite notes sharing the same numeric prefix. writing.bobdoto.computer/folgezettel-...

My five-week online course, "Writing with Your Zettelkasten," begins in one week! If you've read A System for Writing, and you feel confident putting to work the various note-types and principles discussed therein, you're ready to take this course. DM w/ ? bobdoto.computer/sfw-writing-...

Prieur: "The 'deep state' is a propaganda term for a clunky bureaucracy that T* wants to replace w old-fashioned corruption: public officials using the office for personal gain. Not that that doesn't happen now, but it will surely get worse w so many grifters & easy marks." ranprieur.com/index.html

ONE MORE DAY to save $200 on my Practical PKM cohort! Includes a complimentary copy of LifeHQ ($297), a year of access to The Library ($500), and ALL of my video courses ($485). It's $797 until midnight Sunday! You can find out more and sign up here: join.practicalpkm.com

David Lynch (RIP) on where stories and scripts come from (hint: fragments of ideas). We need more David Lynch's in the pkm /zettelkasten world. m.youtube.com/shorts/-dBKj...

There seems to be some confusion in the PKM world re the difference btwn "maintaining" and "maintenance." You maintain your zettelkasten practice by regularly engaging with your zettelkasten. You perform maintenance on your zettelkasten when there's a problem. Doing -vs- fixing.

Thanks, Donovan!

It's not just this situation, and it's not just Teslas

They broke down how much of a Google search is useless for finding information on a popular topic

maybe the single most damaging thing the internet ever did was expose rich assholes to what everyone else actually thought of them, because every last one of them lost their fucking minds and is determined to burn the world to the ground in order to stop us making fun of them

Getting 2nd place on Mike's list is a great end-of-year surprise.

Lil Christmas gift to me: #3 on Amazon in the "Writing" category. 🤗 (Thanks for stepping aside for once, Strunk).

Microsoft just released a tool that lets you convert Office files to Markdown. Never thought I'd see the day. Google also added Markdown export to Google Docs a few months ago. github.com/microsoft/markitdown

Thank you!

The OED as sauerkraut assistant.

Heyooo.... ⚡️ A detailed breakdown of each of the 9 weeks of The System for Writing Master Course is now online! ⚡️ bobdoto.computer/weekly-class...

Gen-x coded text from friend: "Just ran into Ian at the Black Cat after eating Ethiopian food."

Ticketmaster requiring me to download an app to get my tickets is one of the most evil things out there, and should 1000% be illegal.

For those who wonder how long it takes to make main notes off of your fleeting or reference notes: it just took me 1 hour to process 11 notes.

Remove blank pages from the writing equation by starting your process with a treasure trove of notes. buttondown.com/thehighpony/...

Corporate media, a play in 3 acts

Getting lost in the contents of your system for writing is kinda sorta the point.... (video) start.digitalfitness.com/c/news/a-con...

Also big thanks to @bobdoto.bsky.social for writing such a great book.

Highly recommend, a system for writing by Bob Dota if you want to get the most out of the journey. Really helped me turn thoughts into articles and now into scripts.

I sat down with Bob Doto to talk about Zettelkasten, creativity and his new book "A system for writing" "Getting lost in your notes is a feature, not a flaw" Listen in your fav podcast app: app.springcast.fm/19192/bob-do…#digitalfitnesss#digitalefitheidid#zettelkastenmethodo#pkmkm

From feeling inspired to feeling backlogged to feeling despondent to feeling unmotivated. The plight of "Writers Who Don't Write." buttondown.com/thehighpony/...

"Getting Lost is a Feature, Not a Flaw" 👉🏽 A new Digital Fitness interview with yours truly just dropped. Hope you enjoy it. podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/b...

A seemingly common experience of the writers I know who don't write 👉🏽 The more ideas they have, the more backlogged they feel. In other words, w/o a way to offload what they're thinking, the more they feel overwhelmed by their thoughts. The irony 👉🏽 The more stoked they get, the less they write.

Another year, another round of Mon-Thurs listening to ambient drone from 930-11am.

Two stages of writing: 1) This shouldn't take too long 2) Oh no

Memory Eternal to our fallen brothers and martyrs, Fred Hampton and Mark Clark🤲

Last weekend, two dudes stole a truck, smashed it into a cop car, ran from the scene, and fled into our forest. Helicopters, hounds, texts from neighbors, and two cops driving up our driveway telling us to lock our doors, but also defs wondering if my friend and I were the two guys.

Then, of course, there's Ran Prieur on insomnia (11/25): "The other night I had insomnia and it was the best thing ever. Just chilling in silent darkness, reveling in having nothing to do, feeling the glow of my body.... I listened to the siren song of tinnitus and wished the night would never end."

Best thing I've learned to do if/when I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep: get up, go into another room, turn on a low light lamp / headlamp, and read. Lately it's a book on backgammon. I'm back to sleep in 30 min. Phone = sleep killer.

Wouldn't it be awesome to feel unphased by all the coo-coo bananas, conflicting, and misguided hot takes on the zettelkasten? ➡️ Jump to you deep in your writing, working your system, feeling inspired, the noise of boys fighting to be #1 note taker a distant memory. bobdoto.computer/sfw-master-c...

Did what he thought was right....