pythonstrup notesShort notes. One claim each, and the filename is the title.https://pythonstrup.com/enA draft is not written from a blank page but assembled by translating noteshttps://pythonstrup.com/notes/a-draft-is-not-written-from-a-blank-page-but-assembled-by-translating-notes/https://pythonstrup.com/notes/a-draft-is-not-written-from-a-blank-page-but-assembled-by-translating-notes/Writing from a blank page is daunting. In a Zettelkasten, drafting is not creation but translation — you pick out permanent notes you have already written and tSat, 05 Sep 2026 09:06:57 GMTA note-taking habit is built by the environment, not by willpowerhttps://pythonstrup.com/notes/a-note-taking-habit-is-built-by-the-environment-not-by-willpower/https://pythonstrup.com/notes/a-note-taking-habit-is-built-by-the-environment-not-by-willpower/Human willpower is limited. It can supposedly be trained like a muscle, but it is far more efficient to spend that time reducing the load on the brain instead oSat, 05 Sep 2026 09:06:57 GMTAbstraction arises naturally while searching for a solutionhttps://pythonstrup.com/notes/abstraction-arises-naturally-while-searching-for-a-solution/https://pythonstrup.com/notes/abstraction-arises-naturally-while-searching-for-a-solution/Great engineers solve problems pragmatically through abstraction. Making every piece of information concrete in order to understand it costs too much in communiSat, 05 Sep 2026 09:06:57 GMTDeep understanding comes from asking the questions the author did not askhttps://pythonstrup.com/notes/deep-understanding-comes-from-asking-the-questions-the-author-did-not-ask/https://pythonstrup.com/notes/deep-understanding-comes-from-asking-the-questions-the-author-did-not-ask/To understand more deeply, you cannot stay trapped inside the frame of the sentence.Sat, 05 Sep 2026 09:06:57 GMTFeedback should come more often and be accepted more readilyhttps://pythonstrup.com/notes/feedback-should-come-more-often-and-be-accepted-more-readily/https://pythonstrup.com/notes/feedback-should-come-more-often-and-be-accepted-more-readily/The way to make this happen is the "circular approach to writing". Getting feedback in small pieces along the way meets far less resistance than getting it all Sat, 05 Sep 2026 09:06:57 GMTFollow the eight steps in orderhttps://pythonstrup.com/notes/follow-the-eight-steps-in-order/https://pythonstrup.com/notes/follow-the-eight-steps-in-order/> Literature note — source: Sönke Ahrens, How to Take Smart NotesSat, 05 Sep 2026 09:06:57 GMTInformation that contradicts my position is forgotten more easily, so note it down at oncehttps://pythonstrup.com/notes/information-that-contradicts-my-position-is-forgotten-more-easily-so-note-it-down-at-once/https://pythonstrup.com/notes/information-that-contradicts-my-position-is-forgotten-more-easily-so-note-it-down-at-once/Humans have confirmation bias. We give more weight to opinions that match our own.Sat, 05 Sep 2026 09:06:57 GMTIntegrating notes exposes hidden contradictions and gaps in consistencyhttps://pythonstrup.com/notes/integrating-notes-exposes-hidden-contradictions-and-gaps-in-consistency/https://pythonstrup.com/notes/integrating-notes-exposes-hidden-contradictions-and-gaps-in-consistency/When you integrate a new note with existing ones, the contradictions and inconsistencies between them come to the surface. Writing is the work of building consiSat, 05 Sep 2026 09:06:57 GMTLearning is understanding, not rememberinghttps://pythonstrup.com/notes/learning-is-understanding-not-remembering/https://pythonstrup.com/notes/learning-is-understanding-not-remembering/Understanding the essence is the true goal of learning, and in the process of understanding, knowledge becomes connected. The outcome of learning is not the amoSat, 05 Sep 2026 09:06:57 GMTLink notes whenever they touch, even slightlyhttps://pythonstrup.com/notes/link-notes-whenever-they-touch-even-slightly/https://pythonstrup.com/notes/link-notes-whenever-they-touch-even-slightly/Confining notes by topic isolates knowledge (Writing notes by topic can get in the way of understanding), so link notes whenever there is even the slightest reaSat, 05 Sep 2026 09:06:57 GMTMeaning sinks in only when a note is rewritten in my own words, not copiedhttps://pythonstrup.com/notes/meaning-sinks-in-only-when-a-note-is-rewritten-in-my-own-words-not-copied/https://pythonstrup.com/notes/meaning-sinks-in-only-when-a-note-is-rewritten-in-my-own-words-not-copied/Copying passes through the hand but not the head. To rewrite in my own words I first have to understand the meaning, so paraphrasing itself becomes a check thatSat, 05 Sep 2026 09:06:57 GMTThe ideas you did not predict become the best ideashttps://pythonstrup.com/notes/the-ideas-you-did-not-predict-become-the-best-ideas/https://pythonstrup.com/notes/the-ideas-you-did-not-predict-become-the-best-ideas/Ideas you stumble on while linking notes are often better than conclusions you planned your way to. Zettelkasten devices such as links and bottom-up developmentSat, 05 Sep 2026 09:06:57 GMTTopics are not decided from the top but emerge bottom-up from the notes that pile uphttps://pythonstrup.com/notes/topics-are-not-decided-from-the-top-but-emerge-bottom-up-from-the-notes-that-pile-up/https://pythonstrup.com/notes/topics-are-not-decided-from-the-top-but-emerge-bottom-up-from-the-notes-that-pile-up/You do not pick a writing topic or research question first and then gather material. Notes accumulate where your interest goes, and when they form clusters, theSat, 05 Sep 2026 09:06:57 GMTWriting notes by topic can get in the way of understandinghttps://pythonstrup.com/notes/writing-notes-by-topic-can-get-in-the-way-of-understanding/https://pythonstrup.com/notes/writing-notes-by-topic-can-get-in-the-way-of-understanding/Partitioning notes by topic can isolate knowledge, and isolated knowledge stops growing. New meaning arises when a note meets other topics, and splitting them bSat, 05 Sep 2026 09:06:57 GMT