The Hypertext Maximalism note-taking system | Hacker News Reader

The Hypertext Maximalism note-taking system

ezhik.jp

3 pointsEzhik6 comments

Anybody here ever struggle with note-taking? I've spent many years trying to get good at it, but nothing really stuck until I decided to forget every buzzword I've ever heard and just do something simple.

The rules of "Hypertext Maximalism" are short enough to fit in a tweet, but perhaps if I gave it a proper name, somebody in a similar position as I once was would have an easier time coming across it.

By the way, here's the whole system for those who go straight to the comments:

    1. Get a note-taking app with links and backlinks such as Obsidian.  
    2. Make sure every note is connected via links and backlinks to at least two other notes.  
    3. Go write.

OK. Why are rules 1 and 2 important? I read your thing, but it didn't explain.

Rules 1 and 2 are how you actually organize notes. Instead of thinking about categories or tags, you just have interconnected notes. You use those connections to find the notes you need. Eventually, out of those connections, organic groupings of notes start to emerge, which is pretty neat.

Rule 3 really is the only important one, though. Ultimately it's all about getting your thoughts in order.

You'd habitually link to the same notes a lot. Those hub-like notes would fill the role of categories or tags, and would be functionally identical, except you wouldn't be paralysed by deciding what to name them or how to define criteria for inclusion in a category.

Exactly. It helps avoid decision paralysis and bikeshedding. And eventually once those hub notes become well-defined, it would be easier to shift to a more serious system.

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