Zettelkasten in Workflowy

Workflowy is a list-style note-taking software characterized by the absence of the “page” concept. Each piece of content is placed under a node, and the entire note database consists of an endless, infinitely layered structure of nodes. I read an article on Zhihu（https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/109388901） discussing how Workflowy reshaped the author’s knowledge management approach. A key insight was that in Workflowy, each node is linked through thoughtful consideration, which indirectly aids in knowledge construction. Each node represents specific content — whether daily, work-related, or knowledge-based — and the user must evaluate the connections between nodes to organize their relationships (either parallel or hierarchical).

According to the design principles of Niklas Luhmann’s slip-box note-taking method, the essence lies in the connections between cards and their resulting tree structure. A brief internet search reveals that various note-taking software utilized for this method relies heavily on “bi-directional linking” to structure notes. I have tried using bi-directional linking in Roam Research, Logseq, and Obsidian to create my knowledge network. However, realizing that bi-directional linking differs from Luhmann’s “numbering,” I began numbering each note in Obsidian to reflect the branching of knowledge content.

Compared to using bi-directional linking, which aggregates notes around a particular term or issue, adopting “numbering” forced me to consider the logical relationships between notes. Bi-directional linking acts as a medium for gathering related notes under a theme or concept, but further sorting is required, especially in academic research, where finding related data is crucial for forming a personal perspective. If I merely tagged each piece of data under a specific topic using bi-directional linking, it would only show the relevance without detailing the interconnections. This problem led me to appreciate Luhmann’s numbering method, which builds a network of knowledge around a topic through thoughtful consideration of card connections.

After numbering notes in Obsidian, I gained insights into Luhmann’s method, despite encountering issues such as needing to adjust numbering if note content changes or is misinterpreted. For example, if a note initially numbered as 1.1a requires substantial modifications, it might need to be re-numbered as 1.3a. This lack of familiarity with the slip-box method or my interpretation skills could be contributing factors.

In Obsidian, changes to a page’s numbering must also be reflected in the Index to maintain a clear presentation of the branching structure.

For instance, if the code 1.1a_XXX needs changing to 1.3a_XXX, 1.1b_XXX might also need re-numbering to maintain logical continuity and relevance.

This led me to consider whether maintaining the continuity of exploration on a specific issue without explicit numbering is feasible. I decided to experiment with this approach in Workflowy, where nodes represent notes. Even if notes are not explicitly numbered, maintaining order within a theme at the same level in Workflowy allows one to understand the thought process from nodes 1.1 to 1.4, and their branching sub-thoughts, 1.1a and 1.1b.

Workflowy’s design, with its collapsible nodes, simplifies viewing notes at the same level, reflecting the path of thought even without explicit numbering. The ability to drag and drop nodes facilitates quick adjustment and modification of notes within different sequences.

In Luhmann’s method, the placement of a concept within the note network was crucial for revisiting thought paths. Workflowy’s search function, by revealing the preceding levels of a node where a concept appears, efficiently shows its position within the knowledge network.

In summary, the essence of Luhmann’s slip-box method lies in “numbering” to structure the relationships between notes. By keeping the principles of numbering in mind and noting each level’s significance in Workflowy, explicit numbering may not be necessary, and the software offers user-friendly manipulation of note positions. While Luhmann relied on paper cards and numbering to visualize his knowledge network, modern note-taking software provides convenient structuring and powerful search capabilities, making Workflowy an excellent tool for practicing the slip-box note-taking method.