Practice

Putting It Into Practice

NetworkNotes is a method, not an app. Here's how to practise it in whatever tool you already use.

NetworkNotes is a system, not a piece of software. There is nothing to install. It’s a way of working with notes (link instead of file, and invest in connections), and you can practise it in almost any tool that lets one note point to another.

That portability is the point. Your notes outlive any app. Pick a tool that fits how you work today, and take the method with you if you ever switch.

What a tool needs to support the method

You don’t need a dedicated “network” tool. You need three things:

  • Links between notes: ideally bidirectional, so a link shows up from both ends (the [[wikilink]] convention is the common shorthand).
  • Fast note creation: capturing a Note should take seconds, or you won’t do it.
  • Search: to find an existing note worth linking to while you write.

A network view, backlink panels, and tag filters are nice, but they’re conveniences layered on top of the method, not the method itself.

Tools that work well

Any of these can host a NetworkNotes practice. The method is the same in all of them:

  • Obsidian or Logseq: local Markdown files with [[wikilinks]] and backlinks built in.
  • Roam Research or Tana: outliner-style, link-first by design.
  • Foam (VS Code), if you’d rather stay in your editor.
  • A plain folder of Markdown files + Git: the most portable option of all.

Note

The system is the practice, not the software. Two people using completely different apps are both "using NetworkNotes" if they link over filing and build for density.

The minimum viable setup

You can start with nothing but a text editor and a folder. A Note is just a Markdown file; a Link is just a reference in the text:

# Spaced repetition

Reviewing material at increasing intervals beats cramming for
long-term retention.

Relates to [[Memory]] and [[Interface design]].
Cited by [[Project: Flashcard app]].

Write the note, drop in a [[link]] to every idea it touches, and you have a Note with Links. Do that consistently and a network accumulates, no app required.

How to start

  1. Pick one tool from the list above (or just a folder of .md files).
  2. Capture your next idea as a Note, stated so it says one thing well.
  3. Before you save it, link it to at least one note you already have.
  4. Repeat. Let the structure emerge.

Warning

Don't let tool-shopping become the work. The method rewards practice, not setup, and a proprietary app that won't export plain Markdown can trap years of thinking. Favour tools that keep your notes portable.

With a tool chosen, revisit Concepts to keep the three primitives and three principles close at hand as you build.

Connections

Links to

See this page in the whole NetworkMap.