Only when all the related work becomes part of an overarching and interlocked process, where all bottlenecks are removed, can significant change take place.
— How to Take Smart Notes (Sönke Ahrens)
This quote describes what I think a true, effective and efficient “ecosystem” delivers.
Key traits:
- related work
- overarching process
- interlocked process (also: integrative, interactive, intracommunicative)
- tools that fit together
- bottlenecks removed
The right structure/ecosystem relieves you of the burden of remembering and keeping track of everything so you can focus on what’s important to you. Otherwise the things that aren’t “taken care of” will become nagging, distracting thoughts competing with the task at hand.
Every task that is interesting, meaningful and well-defined will be done, because there is no conflict between long- and short-term interests.
When our working memory is freed up, we can experience what David Allen calls “mind like water.”
More quotes from Ahrens:
the secret to a successful organization lies in the holistic perspective.
Only if they are embedded in a well-conceived working process can the tools play out their strengths.
There is no point in having great tools if they don’t fit together.
If you don’t have an external system to think in and organise your thoughts, ideas and collected facts, or have no idea how to embed it in your overarching daily routines, the disadvantage is so enormous that it just can’t be compensated by a high IQ.
Good tools do not add features and more options to what we already have, but help to reduce distractions from the main work, which here is thinking
Tools are only as good as your ability to work with them.
Quotes from Luhmann, originator of the Zettelkasten:
“I only do what is easy. I only write when I immediately know how to do it. If I falter for a moment, I put the matter aside and do something else.” (Luhmann et al., 1987, 154f.)