Combining PKM methods into a system

Canonical version: Combining PKM methods into a system.

Most PKM methods solve one problem. The PARA method and the IPCRA Method tell you where to file a note. The Zettelkasten method tells you how to turn what you read into your own thinking. Getting Things Done (GTD) tells you how to get your commitments out of your head. Each one is useful, but a life and knowledge system has to handle all of those concerns at once (and more). A filing method alone can't tell you what matters, what to do next, or how to develop an idea.

So in the Obsidian Starter Kit, I don't use one method. I combine different systems into a larger one: a journaling system, an action system, a Zettelkasten system, and a zone system derived from PARA and the Johnny Decimal system, plus ideas of my own. Many ideas also come from GTD. The action system alone borrows from GTD, the MoSCoW method, the Eisenhower matrix and OKRs.

It's the same conviction I describe in How I Organize My Work As a Solo Founder: the combination makes the difference, because the whole is more valuable than the sum of its parts. A Personal Knowledge Management System (PKMS) is more than a method anyway; it's content, tools, conventions, workflows and habits (cfr Elements of a PKM System).

Each system stands on its own

The rule I follow in the kit: everything I add is designed as a sub-system. Each one stands on its own, has a clear set of responsibilities, and is fully integrated with the whole (cfr Obsidian Starter Kit - Foundation - Design Principles and Obsidian Starter Kit - Systems).

"Stands on its own" means you can adopt one system without the others. "Integrated with the whole" is where the value comes from: everything is first captured in the daily notes, periodic reviews move it into separate notes, and the journaling system feeds the action system for planning. The Obsidian Starter Kit - Theory guide is the map of the ideas behind each piece.

The risk is obvious: combine too much and you build a monster you can't maintain. That's why I keep each piece simple and add them one at a time (cfr Key principles of a good Personal Organization System).

Top down: clarity first

The action system corresponds to what I call "Clarity" in my Knowledge Worker Kit (cfr Knowledge Worker Kit - 01 Clarity). You can only achieve meaningful things, and get clarity of mind, if you're clear about:

• Values and principles
• Purpose (your ikigai, see What is your Ikigai)
• Goals and non-goals
• Priorities and obligations

Projects and tasks come from there. Clarity at the top tells you WHAT matters; what you capture day after day comes from the bottom up, and gets connected to it during your reviews.

The order I'd learn it in

Don't adopt all of this at once. The path I recommend:

1. Clarity: values, principles, purpose, goals, priorities
2. A system: one place where everything goes, with a few conventions
3. The capture habit (cfr The Capture Habit), starting with journaling. It's the simplest entry point, and it builds the habit (cfr Building a PKM system requires changing your habits)
4. Expand: the action system, the Zettelkasten, and the rest, one piece at a time

In Knowledge Management for Beginners, I present PARA, the Johnny Decimal system, the Zettelkasten method, the LIFT principle and the FILE framework side by side, as building blocks. Pick one for each concern, make it solid, then connect it to the rest.

References

• Knowledge Worker Kit: https://store.dsebastien.net/product/knowledge-worker-kit
• Knowledge Management for Beginners: https://store.dsebastien.net/product/knowledge-management-for-beginners

Related

• IPCRA Method
• Project context note
• Organize information by type, not by topic
• One home per note
• Ontology
• Slow Burn Method
• How I Organize My Work As a Solo Founder
• Key principles of a good Personal Organization System
• Personal Knowledge Management System (PKMS)
• Elements of a PKM System
• Main parts of Personal Knowledge Management (PKM)
• Personal Knowledge Management Process
• Overview of my PKM System
• My PKM System Handbook
• Knowledge Management Proficiency Ladder
• Introducing the FILE Framework for Information and Knowledge Management
• Building a PKM system requires changing your habits
• The Capture Habit
• PARA method
• Johnny Decimal system
• Zettelkasten method
• Getting Things Done (GTD)
• Journaling
• Personal Knowledge Management (PKM)
• Knowledge Worker Kit
• Knowledge Worker Kit - 01 Clarity
• Knowledge Management for Beginners
• Obsidian Starter Kit - Theory
• Obsidian Starter Kit - Systems
• Obsidian Starter Kit - Foundation - Design Principles

About Sébastien

Ready to get to the next level?