🌲 On notes bound by time and location
Be specific. Be aware of your biases. Break down information into its component parts for easier remixing. Above all; keep track of your sources.
![🌲 On notes bound by time and location](/content/images/size/w1460/2022/03/markus-winkler-H8SQHzxVk-A-unsplash.jpg)
Awhile back, I joined Bianca Pereira on Twitter Spaces to discuss knowledge management for research, specifically dealing with taking notes about history. Since Twitter Spaces recordings only last about a month, I wanted a permanent record of my thoughts on the topic; here it is.
My main advice is to focus on specific facts & insights over broad topics; although obviously you need to know where those facts fit into a broad context, the more narrowly focused your pieces, the more easily it is to spin them out into lists and timelines of elements that really matter — not a "timeline of all of human history" (oh god) but rather things like overviews of domestication, or events in a particular war; instead of just a line graph, I like think of timelines as branching maps of content.
Be aware of where labels and ideas come from
The concepts we research didn't spring fully-formed from the head of Zeus; they came from somewhere. Historically, we've chunked groups into sections when studying the past — but in fact the actual people living in those times would not have recognized themselves in that way. I talked about this more in my article about ancient identities, but basically, the Hellenic identity shifted over time, insofar as it was ever clearly defined — a fact debated by the ancient Greeks themselves!
This Content Is for Paid Members
Unlock full access to Obsidian Iceberg and see the entire library of members-only content.
Sign up to view this contentFree
- Weekly updates with community news
Yearly
- Weekly updates with community news
- Monthly essays with tips for leveraging Obsidian
- Defer server costs & thank me for my time
- Less money lost to processing fees
Monthly
- Weekly updates with community news
- Monthly essays with tips for leveraging Obsidian
- Defer server costs & thank me for my time
Already have an account? Log in
Writing Long Form Content With Obsidian
An evaluation of the viability of using Obsidian for long form content as opposed to tools like MS Word, Google Docs, & Scrivener.
![Writing Long Form Content With Obsidian](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/07/patrick-tomasso-Oaqk7qqNh_c-unsplash.jpg)
🌲Building a habit of checking in with the bigger picture
On the importance of knowing when to sit down and dive deep into your notes... so you don't get overwhelmed always keeping them neat.
![a forest with a zoomed out lens like an eye in the middle enabling the viewer to see more of the tree](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/02/Eleanor_seeing_the_forest_for_the_trees_1b9b7469-daca-4b98-a4e7-341e9b6cb65a.png)
🌲 My favorite productivity app that isn't a productivity app
Old, simple tools are often still useful, especially when paired with a practice of frequent check-ins with your goals and mental state.
![a lion wearing protective goggles that reflect blue icebergs via Midjourney](/content/images/size/w1460/2023/01/Eleanor_a_suave_lion_wearing_protective_goggles_370567fe-9938-4562-8e4f-f4e721e8280e.png)