Writing should not start with a blank page. The work happens before you sit down to write.
An optimal structure generates ideas organically with minimal willpower. A state of flow.
Success is not the result of strong willpower — it is the result of smart working environments that avoid resistance in the first place.
Bottom-up thinking is the best way to deal with complexity. Build up from foundational basics.
Willpower is finite. Build systems that create feedback loops automatically.
Multitasking is a lie.
Flexible focus — not relentless focus — distinguishes Nobel Prize winners. Alternate between deep focus on specific concepts and playful exploration of ideas.
Permanent notes should be written so they can still be understood even when you've forgotten the context they came from.
"If you can't say it clearly, you don't understand it yourself." — John Searle
Zeigarnik Effect: open tasks occupy short-term memory until they are done. Simply writing a note frees up cognitive space.
Things we understand are connected — through rules, theories, narratives, logic, mental models. The slip-box is about deliberately building these connections.
Ask: How does this fit into my idea of X? How can this be explained by that theory? Are these ideas contradictory or complementary? What does X mean for Y?
Confirmation bias is a subtle but major force. Actively ask what is not in the picture but could be relevant.
"Creativity is just connecting things." — Steve Jobs
Genuine new ideas often come from a "slow hunch."
Luhmann's Slip-Box Method
Write bibliographic info on one side of a card and brief content notes on the other.
Turn to the main slip-box shortly after. Think about the relevance of what you read to your own thinking — one idea per card, written with care.
Don't copy ideas or quotes. Translate them — reframe in your own context and thinking.
Link and index cards so they can talk to each other over time.