Concept
Three Kinds of Notes
The three kinds of notes are Sönke Ahrens's distinction, drawn from Niklas Luhmann's method, between fleeting notes (quick reminders to process soon), literature notes (brief notes in your own words on a source, with the reference) and permanent notes (one idea each, written to stand alone).
Most note-taking fails because every note is treated the same: highlights, copied passages and passing thoughts all pile up in one place and are never used. Ahrens separates them by purpose. Fleeting notes catch an idea before it disappears; they are temporary and should be reviewed within a day or two, then thrown away or turned into something better. Literature notes are made while reading: short, selective, and in your own words rather than copied, with the page or source so you can find it again. Permanent notes are the ones that matter. Each holds a single idea, written in complete sentences as if for a reader who does not have the book, and connected to what you already think. Writing in your own words is the step that forces understanding: you cannot paraphrase what you have not grasped. Copying feels productive but skips that step.
A real-life example
Deniz, a product designer in Istanbul, has thousands of highlights in her reading app and remembers almost none. She changes the routine. While reading she writes two or three short literature notes per chapter, in her own words, with the page number. Each evening she turns one of them into a permanent note: one idea, complete sentences, and a line on how it relates to her work.
How to use it
- 1Keep fleeting notes in one inbox and empty it every day or two: delete them or turn them into proper notes.
- 2While reading, write short literature notes in your own words, with the source and page, instead of copying.
- 3Turn the best literature note of the day into a permanent note: one idea, full sentences, readable without the book.