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How to Set up Zettelkasten Part 1

The Zettelkasten Method for Beginners

Now let's explore how to implement the Zettelkasten method in Obsidian to create a powerful knowledge management system.

What is the Zettelkasten Method?

Inspired by "How to Take Smart Notes" by Sönke Ahrens, the Zettelkasten is a slip-box system that clusters ideas and links them to create a new synthesis of ideas.

Three Major Benefits

1. Great for learning

  • Encourages slow, deliberate learning that boosts memory
  • Provides instant feedback on your understanding
  • Gives freedom to connect ideas

2. Stores and mixes ideas

  • Notes are free to mingle and connect with each other

3. Faster and easier writing

  • Acts as a personal writing assistant

Setting Up Your Zettelkasten

Video Tutorial: Setting Up Your Zettelkasten

Tip

Above is a GIF on how to start off. Now that you're familiar with the basics of Obsidian from the previous pages, let's start by creating a new vault.

  1. Click on the left corner with the name "Obsidian Vault" (or whatever you named your vault previously)
  2. Next, click "Manage Vaults..."
  3. Once you do that, click on the purple "Create" button on the right side next to "Create new Vault"
  4. Let's name our new vault "The Zettelkasten"
  5. Set the location to your Desktop
  6. Wonderful! Now let's remove any clutter to start with a clean workspace.

Creating the Folder Structure

Video Tutorial: Creating the Folder Structure

Note

Create the following six folders by right-clicking on the empty space in the left sidebar and selecting "New Folder":

1 - Rough Notes:

For temporary ideas, reminders, and undeveloped thoughts

2 - Source Material:

For insights from content you consume

3 - Tags:

To help navigate your network of notes

4 - Indexes:

For tags that have grown significantly

5 - Template:

To store your notes templates

6 - Main Notes:

For your primary, well-developed notes

Video Tutorial: Setting Up Source Material Subfolders

Tip

Within the "2 - Source Material" folder, create subfolders to categorize your sources:

  • Videos
  • Readings
  • (You can add more categories as needed)

You can do this by:

  1. Right-clicking on "2 - Source Material" and clicking on "New Folder"

  2. Naming it "Videos"

  3. Repeating and naming the next subfolder "Readings"

  4. Adding more categories as needed (Podcasts, Articles, etc.)

Understanding Tags and Indexes

Important

Let's understand "3 - Tags" and "4 - Indexes" before we move on.

Imagine you're creating a note about "How Coffee is Made." This topic will be a note in the "3 - Tags" folder. Now, let's say you make another note about "How Coffee Beans are Harvested." To link this new note to your tag, you would include a reference in both notes using double square brackets:

Title: How Coffee is Made

 Tags:
[[How Coffee Beans are Harvested]]
[[Where Coffee Beans are Farmed]]
[[How to Grow a Coffee Bean]]

This is connected to:

Title: How Coffee Beans are Harvested

Tags: [[How Coffee is Made]]

Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum 
Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum
Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum
Important

When a tag has more than 15 connections, move that file to the "4 - Indexes" folder to better organize your knowledge network.

Another example would be a coding project where you want to take notes on every file. You might tag all these notes with "DevHouse," creating a network of connected information:

Title: DevHouse

Tags:
[[Coding File 3]]
[[Coding File 1]]
[[Coding File 2]]
[[Coding File 4]]
...

This tag is connected to:

Title: Coding File 3

Tags: [[DevHouse]]

Some code here

Which is connected to:

Title: Hono Sessions

Tags: [[Coding File 3]]

Some explanation here....

Note

This concept might seem abstract now, but it will make more sense as you begin using the system. Just remember that tags are the "links" for your notes, creating connections between related ideas.

Video Tutorial: Graph view in action

In Conclusion

Success!

In this first part of the instructions, you've learned the fundamentals of Zettelkasten and set up the foundation of your second brain.

In "How to Set up your Zettelkasten Part 2," we'll dive deeper into this system.

I've tried my best to explain the Tags folder and the Indexes folder, as these concepts provide the foundation for how your knowledge network will function. Don't worry if you don't fully understand them yet—we'll be using them extensively as we continue, and their purpose will become clearer through practice.