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Publishing my zettels can be seen not just as a kindness towards myself in spite of my inherited maximalism, but towards my ADHD self specifically.
As Niklas Luhmann describes in his paper, translated into English as Communication with Slip Boxes, over time, a Zettelkasten (notes collection or slip box) becomes an alter ego of its creator, and it can be used as a communication partner, that even can surprise its creator with unexpected messages. These unexpected messages come from the complex web of associations we put into the system.
Luhmann’s description rang a bell in me and it reminded me of my own brain, a tangled web of wild associations and unexpected findings.
Hence, publishing this alter ego of mine, gives legitimacy to a side of me that I often used to feel insecure about. (It gets better as I get older and I know myself better.)
Related
- Simple understanding can make things so much easier. It happened with understanding my anxiety and recognizing its tendencies, and then it happened by understanding my ADHD and recognizing its tendencies.
- Linking in a Zettelkasten can be over-mystified, but it’s really just “this reminds me of that, that reminds me of this”. 1a1-the-knowledge-flower-and-idea-compass-tools-have-beginner-friendly-alternatives