I have a bit of a hot take for you here. Searching and linking in Obsidian is overrated. There, I said it. Now let me explain what I mean.
There are 2 types of ways to structure knowledge. There’s a rigid structure which is how librarians structure knowledge using the Dewey Decimal system for example. Another instance of a rigid structure is folders and subfolders in computing.
Then there’s fluid structures. This is what you see in the Obsidian graph view that shows how your notes create this interconnected web of knowledge through linking.
Many PKM gurus tend to overemphasize a reliance on these fluid knowledge structures and because they look like our brain’s neural network, we tend to fall for the illusion that this is how we naturally develop knowledge.
And while the local graph view can be really useful to inspire ideation, by relying solely on linking, we are left with this web of knowledge that functions like wikilinks with no clear lines of thought. When it comes to generating creative outputs with your notes, it can become a whole task in itself to piece together all these connected notes into a sequential order.
Let’s say I want to write an article about how zettelkasten helps with our brain’s working memory. I have 11 notes directly linked to my main note on working memory and 28 notes linking to my note on zettelkasten. Where would I start in this interconnected web? I can search for a connection between the two notes and click around to find a starting point, but where do I go from there?
By relying solely on links and searches, entire lines of thought are lost in the web of interconnected notes.The way that our brains think, process knowledge and establish memory is both fluid and linear. This is where using sequence notes with indexes within a fluid knowledge structure provides the best of both worlds.
Sequence notes are known in the zettelkasten community as its German term “folgezettel” and refers to the sequential linking of notes using unique ID’s to branch linear progressions of thought. The use of note sequences is one of the most debated topics in the digital zettelkasten community because many see it as unnecessary due to the frictionless ease of linking.
The sequential cataloging of notes is a core of the zettelkasten and index notes are the entry points into the note box. These 2 components are what defines the zettelkasten. The unique ID on each note designates its position in a sequence of thought.
Let’s use the example I mentioned earlier of writing an article on how zettelkasten supports working memory. Instead of using the search function, I go straight to my index note on working memory which contains sequences of thoughts on the subject.
Each note gets a unique ID before the title. Note 1.1 is whatever note you write first. Then continue the tree like sequence as more ideas are noted. If the note is not related to any others, start a new branch sequence (e.g. 2.1, 2.2, 2.2a, etc).
Here’s what my working memory index note looks like.