The two dimensions of Roaming Writing

The singularities of space and time within Roam Research

Roam Research embraces disorder. Disorder makes us creative, productive. Just look at the desks of creative and productive people. Einstein, Jobs, Twain, Edison, etc. They are always far away from minimalism and cleanness. Or look at the notebooks of Leonardo or Nietzsche. Disorder.

Nietzsche Faksimile KGW IX 1 3 N VII 1

I know there is a lot of hype around Niklas Luhmann’s note-taking system—zettelkasten. The argument in favor is that he wrote a lot of books. But he was a prodigious thinker, not because of his note-taking system. There is a subtle implication in this trend that if you follow Luhmann’s system you are going to think and write like him.

But what is wrong with Nietzsche’s system for writing and taking notes, for example? Or better, the Nietzsche’s no system. Or Leonardo’s. Or what about Einstein and Jobs’ messy desks?

Note-taking or writing systems follow ways of thought, not the opposite.

Ways of thought even overwrite note-taking or writing systems. Literally. Both Nietzsche and Leonardo wrote over previously written pages because of the lack of blank paper in difficult times.

Roam is not designed to follow Luhmann’s method, though you can use it for that if you want.