Several universities have guidelines on how to write papers following a top-down approach, starting with a research topic and going downwards until the student can decide what to read and finally write about. This may not be a good approach because:[@ahrens2017How to take smart notes: one simple technique to boost writing, learning and thinking: for students, academics and nonfiction book writers]

1. It lacks to acknowledge that students have pre-existing ideas that they are carrying with them (things they already studied or experienced)
2. It creates a linearity in the process that does not represent how people normally think

The Luhmann method of storing (and fundamentally retrieving) notes can help overcome these difficulties because of its non-linearity. The digital garden is an ideal metaphor for creating networked thoughts that can quickly be used to put together blog posts, essays, or eventually longer, more formal, content.

if you’ve already written lots of concept-oriented Evergreen notes around the topic, your task is more like editing than composition. You can make an outline by shuffling the note titles, write notes on any missing material, and edit them together into a narrative. AM notes

Well formatted notes, especially if we pay attention to Tendering a digital garden, could become a fantastic tool to speed up the time it takes to sit down and write with novel insights. However, I still wonder where does observation fit into the digital garden.

Tags: #note-taking, #Zettelkasten, #Luhmann-method