I think there is a trap in these tools and a lot of the digital tools make it very easy to link between notes and to connect them and it's fun to do.

But if you don't think through the connection and make it explicit and like your suggestion to not just put a link to another node.

But to embed the link in a full sentence makes all the difference because instead of saying, well, there is something else that is somehow related to this.

You justify it by explaining to yourself, well, but on the other note, there is a contradicting information.

And that triggers the question, well, is the empirical data wrong or is that a different perspective and now you have to really engage in the questions and it also produces a lot of questions.

And I think that's kind of the beauty of this forced elaboration that comes with it that you constantly come up with new questions.

I'm Srini Rao and this is the unmistakable creative podcast where you get a window into the stories and insights of the most innovative and creative minds who have started movements, built driving businesses, written best selling books and created an insanely interesting art.

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Saka, welcome to the unmistakable creative. Thanks for taking the time to join us.

Thank you so much for having me.

It is my absolute pleasure to have you here.

I found out about your work to be honest.

I have no idea how I stumbled on this lecture you did about the Zettel Castle method and Nicholas Lumen.

And that I found your book how to take Spartan notes and when dad being a college professor when I saw the idea that somebody finished a PhD at a year, I thought, wait a minute, what the hell?

I have 58 books 500 papers. I'm a writer and I have a dad as a college professor. I have to find out more about this.

And you know, it's amazing how transformative these ideas have been.

So that note, I was asking, what did your parents do for work?

And how did that end up shaping and influencing the choices that you've made throughout your life and your career?

Oh, that's an interesting question.

So there's no obvious answer because both of my parents don't have an academic background at all.

So my mom was a social worker. My dad was in the administration in my home city, Hamburg.

And in a way, I think it puts you in a weird place because you have to figure a lot out on your own.

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