{"id":67624,"date":"2022-06-09T15:35:30","date_gmt":"2022-06-09T19:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=67624"},"modified":"2022-06-25T14:15:33","modified_gmt":"2022-06-25T18:15:33","slug":"indexing-notes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/indexing-notes\/","title":{"rendered":"Indexing Notes Using the Slip-Box Method"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are your notes scattered all over the place? What is the most effective method for indexing notes? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An index is helpful for note-taking because it provides a quick reference to all the notes you\u2019ve ever written. This way, you won’t struggle to find your notes while you’re conducting research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s look at how to index notes using the slip-box method<\/a>, according to Dr. S\u00f6nke Ahrens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How to Index Notes With the Slip-Box Method<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Indexing notes is an important part of the slip-box system. The index is a document with a list of topics with references to the notes on which those topics are mentioned. You use it to navigate <\/em>the collection of notes in your slip-box so that you can find the right idea when you need it. You can learn how to index your evergreen notes in one of two ways.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. <\/strong> Create a new index entry<\/strong> whenever you notice that several evergreen notes in your slip-box all revolve around a single topic. This will consist of a keyword and the few notes most relevant to that keyword. Customize these keywords so they make sense to you <\/em>and help you <\/em>think<\/strong>: For example, a food writer with Note #30 that says \u201cThe best honey comes from Australia\u201d might file that under the keywords \u201cingredient origins – honey.\u201d An economist with that same note might file it under \u201cbeekeeping industry.\u201d   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Similarly, Matuschak urges you to write your evergreen notes for your own eyes<\/a>; they only have to make sense to you. Some people try to write evergreen notes as if they\u2019ll publish them to save working time down the road\u2014but doing this risks making the task so difficult that you never write them at all.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Alternatively, another way to create an index is to link your evergreen note to an existing note<\/strong>. For example, if Note #31 reads, \u201cAustralian honey is very flowery,\u201d you could link it to Note #30 using the method described in Step 5. Since Note #30 is still in the index, this technique ensures that you can still find Note #31\u2014but it doesn\u2019t overcrowd your index. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potential Pitfalls of Ahrens\u2019 Index<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ahrens\u2019 way of creating an index differs from traditional indexes: It\u2019s designed to help you find the high-level<\/em> topics within your slip-box, whereas a traditional index would help you find every<\/em> idea within your slip-box. As discussed, this is a feature, not a bug. But it may be frustrating if you\u2019re looking for a specific <\/em>note<\/strong>\u2014a problem you can see firsthand if you go through Matuschak\u2019s online slip-box<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matuschak\u2019s slip-box doesn\u2019t require you to create an index per s\u00e9; rather, he has a page that lists what he\u2019s currently working on and notes that act like index entries. For example, one note titled \u201cEvergreen Notes<\/a>\u201d lists a brief explanation of evergreen notes and then links to several related notes. You can learn about his ideas as you organically follow links. However, if you, for example, close the system and return, you can only return to a specific note if you remember how you linked to it originally. This is an issue that could also arise if you\u2019re looking for a note not linked to the index in Ahrens\u2019s version of the slip-box.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are your notes scattered all over the place? What is the most effective method for indexing notes? An index is helpful for note-taking because it provides a quick reference to all the notes you\u2019ve ever written. This way, you won’t struggle to find your notes while you’re conducting research. Let’s look at how to index notes using the slip-box method, according to Dr. S\u00f6nke Ahrens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":31011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,15],"tags":[631],"class_list":["post-67624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-education","tag-how-to-take-smart-notes","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nIndexing Notes Using the Slip-Box Method - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A notes index provides a quick reference to all the notes you\u2019ve ever written. 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