PKM Notes

Linked notes in Obsidian are the foundation of my PKM system for personal knowledge management. After exploring folders in part 1 of my Shine a LYT on my PKM series, this post and cluster of related pages focus on specific aspects of making, developing, organizing, processing, and sharing my notes.

Making notes

I make notes with my ideas from information, events, and experiences in my life. It's personal because they are my notes, separate from information from other sources. They are "thought containers" that help me understand information and experiences for life areas, interests, and efforts.

Developing notes

I develop notes, connect related knowledge, build insights based on my understanding, grow my skills and expertise, and share my learning and discoveries to help others. This powerful web of knowledge is much more than the sum of its parts. As Nick Milo says, "linking is thinking", and the act of connecting notes often leads to new insights.

Organizing notes

I have developed my system with folders, tags, templates, and views to organize my notes with consistency and enable my PKM workflows for thinking, linking, and sharing.

Processing notes

Periodic practices are important to continually review, improve, and manage my PKM system and my life. Learning, reflection, and refinement improve how I do my work by processing note workflows.

Sharing notes

This PKM system enables me to capture ideas, develop notes, and organize maps for information, ideas, knowledge, and actions for my efforts and interests. Then, I can share my notes as discoveries and insights via my digital garden and website.

Summary

I make notes because I can capture, organize, find, remember, and understand my thoughts, ideas, and knowledge. My digital note library allows me to make connections and generate new insights. Then I can share that with my future self and others.

These activities with notes are fun: creating, linking, thinking, learning, writing, developing, and sharing. They produce feelings of joy and meaning, and that's what it's all about!

You can create a flexible and powerful PKM system that allows for both structured organization and serendipitous discovery of connections between notes. It's okay to wander and wonder as you can navigate your knowledge through linked notes and maps. And it helps that you can always get grounded and return home.