Melomi

The Problem with PKM Systems

There are far too many PKM systems, such as Zettelkasten, Evergreen Notes, PARA, Johnny Decimal, etc...

Why do we need so many systems? How are you meant to pick one? What are the benefits other than vague statment such as "organising your thinking" and "making connections"?

I argue that you shouldn't limit yourself one of these systems, or any other system that claims to be "the one true system"

Why? Because these systems were made by other people, who may have had different goals than you. For example, zettlekasten was made so the  creator could pump out books as quickly as possible, books which are noted by those who've read them to be low quality and incomprehensible.

If you're starting out, you might not even know consciously what your goals are in the first place. How would you know what you need without making notes yourself? But you can't make notes without a system!

Actually, you can. Because even if you're not aware of it, making notes will adhere to your unconscious system. When you're new, you may not quite know what you're doing, but with time you'll end up discovering what works and what doesn't.

If you custom make your own system to fit how you think, it'll be far more useful to you than a system that was made by and for someone else.

In the PKMS space there seems to be an assumption that everyone else wants to achieve the same thing as them, so people will get into disagreements about what PKMS even is, because what they use PKMS for is different than the other person.

Here are some examples of things I've heard people say they want to do with PKMS, which may be helpful in thinking about your goals