Sönke Ahrens
8 key ideas, each explained in our own words.
How to Take Smart Notes
- IDEA 1
Writing is where thinking happens
Ahrens argues that writing is not just the final step of learning but the medium of thinking itself. Students and researchers who treat everything they read as preparation for writing, he suggests, end up understanding more and producing far more.
- IDEA 2
Luhmann's slip-box powered huge output
Ahrens describes the German sociologist Niklas Luhmann, who wrote dozens of books using a slip-box of linked index cards. Luhmann credited this system, rather than unusual genius, with letting his ideas grow and connect over decades.
- IDEA 3
Use three kinds of notes
Ahrens separates fleeting notes, quick reminders of ideas; literature notes, short notes in your own words about what you read; and permanent notes, carefully written ideas added to the slip-box. Each type has a different job and lifespan.
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