Open Your Mind 🧠✨ with Quantum Knowledge Management
Folder hierarchy is anti-creativity and low key oppressive, try this out instead.
I believe the most important ingredient to any recipe for happiness and fulfilment is an open mind. But an open mind is not just about tolerance or being open to new things; it’s about being able to think outside of any prescribed box: to access life from an un-jaded and unlimited perspective. Having an open mind means processing one’s world organically, as it is, without muddling expectations or forcing information to become ✨something✨. This capacity allows you to truly know yourself and lay the foundation for your genius and innovation.
One of the most liberating things I have ever done for my mind and its plasticity was investing time in experimenting with Knowledge Management (KM), specifically ways of doing KM that do not rely heavily on a one-directional, folder hierarchy system.
What is Knowledge Management?
Knowledge Management (KM) is the process of _organising, creating, using, and sharing collective knowledge_ within an organisation or individual context. At its core, knowledge management seeks to maximise the value of informational input by making what you put into the system easier to find and build on. There are now several different programmes, methods, and thought models for KM, each fostering different approaches and mental exercises.
Examples of popular KM tools:
1. Notion
2. Obsidian
3. Tana Inc.
Examples of popular KM models:
1. Folder Hierarchy (most common)
2. PARA
3. Zettelkasten
...and many more!
The Folder Hierarchical Trap:
Even though you may not have actively thought about it before, you are no stranger to KM. Chances are, most of you, like myself, have been using the folder hierarchical system since primary school. The folder hierarchical method has been the default choice for organising notes for decades. It provides a structured approach, allowing users to neatly categorise their information into folders and subfolders. This system is a conventional approach to KM that resembles our physical filing systems, where documents are neatly tucked away in labelled folders within drawers. You start with a subject, which then has a topic, which then has a sub-topic or heading.
For example:
- Biology > Flora & Fauna > Biological Processes > Photosynthesis > Advanced Photosynthesis
- Business Home > HR > SOPs > Email Communication SOP
Although folder hierarchy has a time and a place, there are real downsides to it being the only KM system taught in schools and in the general social consciousness. As organised as it is, the rigidity of the system sets us up to create ideas that align with the folders we began with, effectively limiting our perspective of the whole picture. It becomes a trap, inhibiting our ability to see the interconnectedness of ideas. It's like trying to navigate a maze with blinders on – we can only see what's directly in front of us, missing out on the broader picture. Our world and challenges are dynamic and intersectional in nature, so our thinking should reflect that too.
The Future of Note-Taking is Quantum
To understand knowledge is to understand that it is quantum. The information that we store in our minds is only as important as the connections between them and their unlimited potential to expand each other. When we shift to an open note-taking system, we also allow our thinking to shift with it, letting information be intersectional, and knowledge be quantum.
How much more creative could we be if we let our ideas overlap? If we didn't dictate the timing of genius? If we didn't filter out our best ideas before they had the chance to reveal their true purpose? The world now more than ever needs free thinkers to imagine our way to a new reality.
Common features of a quantum note-taking knowledge management system:
There are many different ways to do quantum note-taking. In fact, there are just as many ways as there are people on this planet. The system will look different for each person, and not all suggestions work well for everyone. For example, I write all my fleeting atomic ideas and blurts in a monthly note, which I haven't seen online before. I’ve found this system to work best for me because immediately seeing what I did before encourages and inspires me to write more. Some people map their notes with directories or MOCs (maps of content), others use a very simple folder system that contains the notes. Some people don’t do any of that and just use search and tags.
The details of how you build your system will be _up to you_, but there are some core or common features of a quantum note-taking knowledge management system that I identified:
A REALLY simple and frictionless interface for capturing notes (so that you write down any fleeting thought) and resists the urge to have a place for everything.
Visual mapping and tagging facilitating intersectional ideas that cross over to multiple clusters of concepts.
Chronological capture system to show how your thoughts unfolded (optional, but for example using daily or monthly notes to capture your fleeting ideas)
Bi-directional linking, so you can create connections between notes organically (and see them on both pages)
Quick and reliable search (Preferably, native + cloud stored)
A processing system where you take time to review and connect notes to create more complex or creative ideas
...and that's really it! A lot of people take their note-taking system to the maximum with really complex builds, but it’s mostly about capturing everything and having a system to draw connections between it all.
📀 Here are some great videos to help your brain grasp the concept:
Where should I start?
Getting started is incredibly simple. You need your brain, a device, and an app that supports bidirectional linking. I recommend Obsidian because the interface is clean and looks just like a simple notes app you would already be accustomed to. However, any app of a similar vein will suffice (Logseq is one I've heard great things about!)
Once you have an app, I suggest taking it very slowly. Likely, the people reading this article are those who LOVE system shopping and using productivity to feel hardworking. And likely, you have dived headfirst into many a shiny new app and system before. The point of this article and KM shift is actually to do the opposite of that. Before trying to do anything too fancy, I recommend focusing on the habit itself to write anything and everything that comes to your mind and link it to other notes and knowledge. Start with what you have and allow your needs and ideas for upgrades to present themselves.
Taking it to the next level
One of my favourite parts of Obsidian is the community. I get so many ideas and so much help from all the other cool cats geeking out over knowledge management. I recommend browsing r/ObsidianMD on Reddit and going through all of Sergio’s YouTube videos on Obsidian as well.
Are there people interested in specific articles on how I do knowledge management?
This post was inspired by /littleonthemoon on Instagram, and her asking me about my system. I have greatly benefited from making this shift in the last year, and realising how much more creative I am as a result, has led me to questioning education and the ways we limit and kill imagination through establishment. More on this surely in the future. If this post inspired you, consider buying me a coffee so I continue this work.
Nuff love! Rae
Ohhh!! This is great. I've long aspired to get my Obsidian Vault going. A question for you ... how often do you check in on your vault? Is it only when you're capturing notes/ writing or do you have some other frequency?
This was a really interesting read. It makes me think about when I am drafting a post how I look at all my other drafts to see if there are any connected concepts that I can all fold into one to create a robust offering. Thank you for this breakdown.