Hey Friends!
Have you ever wondered about the difference between Zettelkasten and Tiago Forte's second brain method, PARA and CODE?
Now, I'm a bit biased, but who isn't? 🤣
Anyway, here's how I see it:
Purpose — The Zettelkasten is about turning your notes into sparks for new ideas. PARA is all about funneling your inputs into projects. It doesn't however, assist in the creation process beyond that.
Length of note — When it comes to the length of a note, PARA doesn't care. It's all about having all relevant notes in a folder. Zettelkasten notes are intentionally 'atomic'. This allows notes to be applied to multiple contexts sparking new interesting combinations of ideas.
Actionability - PARA & Code in some ways is a productivity system. The goal is to squeeze every ounce of material you consume. The process of using the zettelkasten sparks novel ideas and exposes holes in your knowledge. That's all. Turning that knowledge into action is entirely up to you.
Organization — Zettelkasten organizes notes based on the most related idea. I call this CONVO (Conversational Organization of Notes via Overview). It's the idea of organizing notes as if they're contributing to a conversation. This means related notes naturally organize themselves in the long run. PARA organizes notes by actionability. This means that notes have to keep moving around depending on whether they are actionable or not.
Ease of USE — This is where PARA really shines. Organizing by actionability is easy to understand and execute. It can also work in a collaborative setting. Meanwhile, Zettelkasten's methods can be confusing at first and easy to get wrong. Funny enough, it's actually maybe more simple in the long run. But, it's something you'll only get if you experience it as a complete system.
So, is there anything I didn't get right?
Anything else I missed?
I hope this breakdown helps you choose which method is right for you. If you want to learn more about how to set up a digital Zettelkasten, check out my free guide based on Niklas Luhmann's original paper.
Cheers,
King