How to Take Smart Notes

“How to Take Smart Notes” by Sönke Ahrens presents a radically different method for learning, reading, thinking, and writing—one that transforms note-taking from passive information collection into an active process of knowledge creation.

Most people struggle with writing because they treat writing as something that happens after thinking and research are finished. They spend weeks or months gathering material, highlighting texts, bookmarking pages, and copying quotations, only to sit in front of a blank screen with no idea where to begin. Ahrens argues that this struggle is not caused by lack of skill, motivation, or discipline, but by a flawed process.

The Slip-Box method, originally developed by the sociologist Niklas Luhmann, integrates reading, note-taking, thinking, and writing into a single continuous workflow. Instead of separating research, analysis, and writing into distinct phases, the Slip-Box treats writing as a constant activity that develops ideas incrementally. The result is a system that converts knowledge into interconnected insights and eventually into publishable work, eliminating writer’s block and dramatically increasing originality and productivity.

The Slip-Box functions like an external brain that accumulates and develops insights over time, allowing understanding to deepen and ideas to evolve long after they were first recorded. This makes it equally valuable to students, academics, researchers, lawyers, journalists, nonfiction authors, entrepreneurs, designers, software engineers, and lifelong learners.

The Three Types of Notes That Power the Slip-Box System

The Slip-Box relies on three types of notes, each playing a distinct role in the thinking and writing process. These types prevent confusion between raw ideas, extracted knowledge, and integrated understanding.

Fleeting Notes

Fleeting notes capture spontaneous thoughts, curiosities, questions, observations, or ideas that occur throughout the day. These notes are quick, informal, and temporary, meant only to save ideas before they disappear.

Example:

While cooking dinner, you suddenly think: “People make healthier choices when ingredients are visible rather than hidden inside sealed packaging. Is transparency itself a driver of better decisions?” You jot it down quickly so it can be processed later.

Other examples include:

• A surprising comment overheard in conversation
• A question that emerges while driving
• A phrase that could become an opening paragraph someday
• A connection between two concepts from different books

Fleeting notes are emptied daily. Some are converted into more permanent insights; others are discarded if unhelpful.

Literature Notes

Literature notes summarize key ideas from books, articles, lectures, videos, podcasts, or research sources in full sentences and in your own words. They prevent passive reading and force comprehension.

Example:

Reading Daniel Pink’s Drive, you write:
“Pink argues that extrinsic rewards can reduce intrinsic motivation by shifting focus from learning to compliance. Autonomy, mastery, and purpose create stronger long-term performance (Pink, 2009, p. 45).”

This is far more valuable than a highlight or copied quote because it reflects your interpretation and understanding.

Literature notes include:

• Full sentence explanations
• Only one idea per note
• Bibliographic details for easy citation
• No verbatim copying unless essential for quoting later

These notes are stored in a reference system separate from the Slip-Box.

Permanent (Evergreen) Notes

Permanent notes are the ...