Build a minimalist personal knowledge management system with the Calmer Notes method
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How to build a simpler personal knowledge management system
Hello friends! ๐ I’m delighted that you’ve come across this corner of the internet in your search to building a sustainable, minimalist personal knowledge management system to organize your digital notes.
I came across this question about personal knowledge management on Reddit the other day:
I am new to knowledge management, currently using a mix of Zettelkasten and BASB but they are too complicated for me. Can someone give me any other systems with a minimalistic approach and a simpler process?
Iโm not active on Reddit myself (might make an account one day!), but I figured that if people are seeking answers about a minimalist approach to personal knowledge management on Reddit, they might also be searching Google with the same kind of questions. (So if youโve come across this article while looking for personal knowledge management examples or ideas for a personal knowledge management system workflow, welcome! ๐)
What does personal knowledge management mean?
Personal knowledge management (PKM) is just a fancy way of saying that you have an overarching system, strategy, or workflow to manage your files, notes, and ideas.
A personal knowledge management system can range from a folder of text files to an elaborate digital mind garden. It all counts as PKM. The distinguishing feature of personal knowledge management is having a trusted system for organizing your digital files, notes, and information.
Want a deeper dive into the details of personal knowledge management? Check out my ultimate guide to build a personal knowledge management system.
The hidden truth about personal knowledge management systems
The secret is? We all have personal knowledge management systems in place. You canโt be a person using technology in 2022 without having a digital knowledge management system that youโve created. But just because you have a personal knowledge management system doesnโt mean itโs been designed to fit your life.
The problem for most people? Your system exists, but it isnโt one that youโve mindfully designed or chosen. So it never quite feels like it fits properly.
Imagine for example that youโve started a new job. You probably set up a few folders in your inbox and work computer at the outset. But as your work responsibilities and pace of work changed, your system didnโt evolve very much. As things got busier, you started saving notes in your phone, plus your desktop on your personal and work computers. Now youโre at the point where you can no longer easily find key emails or documentsโ and feel confused about the best place to save new ones. When you take notes at a client meeting, you donโt have a trusted, central place to save ideas and files. So you end up juggling notes and documents saved across multiple apps and devicesโ never knowing exactly where to look for information you saved and solutions you already created.
Common personal knowledge management challenges and roadblocks
The temptation to search for existing best practices to organize your computer files
When youโre feeling frustrated by disorganized files and scattered ideas while working on projects at work, school, or in your personal life? Itโs extremely tempting to seek out best practices for electronic file management, or find yourself Googling โorganize your computer files in five stepsโ late into the evening.
You figure there has to be a better wayโ someone else must have figured out the solution. You feel like there must be one single, ideal way to set up a digital filing system to finally organize your ideas, notes, and files. You go down the rabbit hole of searching for electronic filing structure examples and examples of personal knowledge management workflows.
You might come across multiple alternative existing structures for building a personal knowledge management system, like zettelkasten, build a second brain/BASB, digital mind gardens, or smart notes.
These may initially feel inspiring and promising. You may feel like if you just follow one of these structures, it will fix all your digital file organizational challenges. Youโll finally feel organized and productive. One of these must be the best way to organize digital files.
You spend hours doing research and setting up systems to try each one out, and yetโฆ none quite fit right. These structures donโt solve your feeling of overwhelm. So you keep searching for ideas on electronic file management best practices, and type in โbest way to organize files on computerโ more ideas than you can count.
The temptation to focus on finding the “perfect” note taking app or software
You have probably already gone down the rabbit hole of seeking out personal knowledge management apps, software, and tools. You may have seen inspiring setups in Notion, or Obsidian, or Roam Research. You feel like it must be the tools that are holding you back. You think to yourself, if only you set up a zettelkasten or second brain or digital garden in the right app, youโd finally feel like your digital notes were fully organized.
Finding the right appโ that fits your work environment and lifeโ is absolutely an integral part of building a sustainable personal knowledge management system. But starting with an app and working backwards rarely works. The problem is that you’ll find yourself adjusting your own personal knowledge management workflow to suit the constraints of the appโ instead of the other way around.
Finding the right note taking app isn’t everything, but it’s certainly one piece of the puzzle. Check out my blog archives on note taking apps and software to help guide your choice of personal knowledge management app.
Starting with structure or apps doesnโt work
Hereโs the issue. All too often, the โpersonalโ aspect of personal knowledge management can get lost in the shuffle. Everyone who comes to personal knowledge management, looking for a better way to organize their notes and files, has a different reason for doing so. Everyone has different work environments, different schedules, different projects, different constraints. Everyone has a unique set of challenges theyโre facing when it comes to organizing digital notes and files.
There are absolutely some commonalities. And thatโs why many people do find existing structures (like zettelkasten, build a second brain/BASB, digital mind gardens, or smart notes) and specific personal knowledge management apps to be helpful. But not every tool or approach is the right fit for everyone.
When youโre searching for advice online, youโre going to find people who passionately declare their affinity for one specific personal knowledge management approach or software. They found this structure or app was the right fit for themโ so they feel like it must be the secret sauce, the hidden solution, the one single correct approach.
So they confidently and enthusiastically expound on its benefits. Theyโre quite rightโ it did work extremely well for them. And that’s because it fit well within their own specific constraints, unique group of projects, their work environment, and their own personality and aesthetic preferences.
The problem is that itโs easy to lose sight of these factors. People are excited to share the specifics of a structure or app thatโs worked well for them. But unless you have much in common with them (similar work type, work environment, location, personal responsibilities outside work, device/operating system, aesthetic preferences, etc), youโre going to end up disappointed when you try to simply replicate their system. If you donโt build a tailored system that fits your own specific goals and circumstances, youโre going to feel continually disappointed by the state of your personal knowledge management system.
A fresh approach: the Calmer Notes method
I created the Calmer Notes method to help guide you through the process of building an individualized personal knowledge management system that truly fits your life. The Calmer Notes method doesnโt prescribe a single app or structure for personal knowledge management. Instead, itโs a big picture, strategic framework to help you craft a tailored, goal-driven system to organize your notes, files, and ideas.
The Calmer Notes method will help you step back and consider what you specifically are hoping to gain through personal knowledge management. By identifying the goals and outcomes you’re working towardsโ and the current constraints of your day-to-day life and work environmentโ you’ll be able to create a sustainable personal knowledge management system that fits into your daily life.
You’ll use the Calmer Notes method to get clear on your outcomes and goals. Youโll get specific on why youโre interested in building a PKM system in the first place, and what youโre hoping to achieve with it. Once you’ve achieved clarity on how PKM can help you, specifically, you will then mindfully and strategically select a note-writing and note-structuring approach.
Calmer Notes takes a mindful, minimalist approach to personal knowledge management. Itโs designed to help you consider the key, essential elements of digital note-taking that helps support your own individual goals. A byword of Calmer Notesโ that youโll see repeated again and again in the trainingโ is โfind what fits, and leave the rest.โ
If you’d like to learn more, check out an overview of the Calmer Notes approach or visit Calmer Notes.
You’ll also get a free guide to the 5 most common note taking myths (that just might be stopping you from building a sustainable personal knowledge management system) when you sign up for my newsletter. ๐
Wishing you all the best on your personal knowledge management journey!