Make Useful Notes. Use an Outline Wall.

A framework for taking smart notes. From Take Useful Notes.

The Outline Wall is a technique used by historian Robert Caro [1], to organize and make sense of large amounts of information. He would create an outline of the main ideas and concepts of a historical event or period and post it on a wall. Then, he would add all the research materials he gathered, such as documents, images, and notes, and pin them around the outline.

I can‘t start writing until I‘ve thought it through and can see it whole in my mind. — Robert Caro

The idea behind it is that by visually organizing the information and seeing it in front of him, he can easily identify patterns and connections between the different pieces of information. The outline serves as a structure, helping him to see the big picture and understand how all the pieces fit together, also allowing him to change the structure as he gathers new information. This way, he can think more clearly and make connections between different pieces of information.

Obsidian offers the option to create infinite outline walls with its amazing Canvas plugin. Watch Nick Milo and his introductory tutorial about Obsidian Canvas on YouTube [2].

[1] Paul, Annie Murphy. The Extended Mind — The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain. Mariner Books, 2022.

[2] Obsidian Canvas, 2022. https://youtube.com/watch?v=vLBd_ADeKIw.

Thanks very much! I really appreciate you reading my work. If you enjoyed it and found it useful, you might also like the related book “TAKE USEFUL NOTES. A simple guide to a complex skill by using Sketchnotes, Obsidian and Zettelkasten”. Here’s your free copy