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How to Take Smart Notes
- One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking - for Students, Academics and Nonfiction Book Writers
- Narrated by: Nigel Fyfe
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Relationships, Parenting & Personal Development, Personal Development
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Publisher's Summary
The key to good and efficient writing lies in the intelligent organization of ideas and notes. This book helps students, academics, and nonfiction writers to get more done, write intelligent texts, and learn for the long run. It teaches you how to take smart notes and ensure they bring you and your projects forward.
The Take Smart Notes principle is based on established psychological insight and draws from a tried-and-tested note-taking technique. This is the first comprehensive guide and description of this system in English, and not only does it explain how it works, but also why. It suits students and academics in the social sciences and humanities, nonfiction writers, and others who are in the business of reading, thinking, and writing.
Instead of wasting your time searching for notes, quotes, or references, you can focus on what really counts: thinking, understanding, and developing new ideas in writing. It does not matter if you prefer taking notes with pen and paper or on a computer, be it Windows, Mac, or Linux. And you can start right away.
What listeners say about How to Take Smart Notes
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- David F
- 03-17-22
Highly lacking in practical examples
While this book describes an interesting approach. It's sadly has extremely few, if any, detailed examples of the zettelkasten method applied. I really wished it was more "show" and less "tell".
1 person found this helpful
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- Francesco.M
- 11-25-21
Motivating, informative and useful
As a very bad planner, desperate to reduce the friction related to collecting ideas and writing about them coherently, this approach looks promising!
I'm now in the process of starting a Zettelkasten routine, a mix between an Obsidian vault, a phone app to quickly jot down phrases and ideas on simple markdown files and a literal box with good old pen and paper notes.
I really recommend this book if you're struggling with writing and organising ideas into arguments.
1 person found this helpful
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- Joel
- 03-21-22
More than just better knowledge management
This was a timely title. This is _exactly_ what I was looking for in a system to keep my projects in order.
Calling this a book about note taking is massively underselling it. This book covers knowledge management, project management, motivation, and living the good life as someone that flits from idea to idea.
If you ever got the feeling that you're missing out on a network effect because you aren't building a knowledge base, buy this book.
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- Anonymous User
- 02-05-22
Excellent!
If you are new to Zettelkasten method, start with this book. Go nowhere else before reading this. Ahrens explains how it works and why it works. This book not only guides you how to use it, but also how to tweak it for your own special needs.
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- Anca
- 12-21-21
Good insights, yet focusing heavily on the why you should use the method rather than perfecting the method
I liked the utility of the book in terms of organising oneself, especially when liking multiple subjects.
I disliked the emphasis on author explaining the multiple disciplines where the method leads to results.
I still believe people should read this book :)
2 people found this helpful
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- Giovanni Misitano
- 01-01-22
Not a practical guide, but more of a motivator
This book lays down the motivation to why someone should consider the slipbox methofd of taking notes, and does a good job at it. However, it does not make it very clear how this method works in practice. Despite this shortcoming, the book is still an excellent read to anyone who reads and writes - despite being an academic or not. The lack in the practical topics can be easily supplemented with a couple of google searches.
1 person found this helpful
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- Bridget
- 01-20-22
revelutionary tool
The best book I have listened to. I started immediately to make slip notes and I can confirm that it not only works but I now feel confident that I will be able to create really good essays and a meaningful thesis. I have only read through 3 books and made slip. nota for each but I can already see connections. I can't wait to see how these grow with my reading.