PKM

One Mistake I Made When I Set Up My PKM You Can Avoid as a Knowledge Worker

2 min read

Building a PKM is an endless journey.

You never stop polishing it. Mistakes help that process. Avoiding them is even better.

Here, you can avoid one I made.

How I Set Up My PKM

My PKM has 4 systems:

  1. Capture
  2. Process
  3. Action
  4. Think

1. Capture

The one you use to capture ideas or thoughts from your deepest inner self or the outer world.

2. Process

The one you use to filter the information you’ve captured.

Input: ideas.

Output: action or thinking.

3. Action

The one you use to organize all your actions: from big projects to stupid little tiny to-dos.

4. Think

The one you use to do the essential process to grow as a human being: thinking.

The Mistake I Made Setting Up My PKM

I separated my Action System and Think system into 2 different apps:

  • Action System: Notion.
  • Think System: Obsidian.

I was so convinced that I wrote an article.

“Why Your Action System Cannot Be Your Thinking System as a Knowledge Worker?”

No shame. It’s by justifying your thoughts how you take action because it’s based on your common sense.

Why Did I Admit My Mistake and Change My Mind?

Because I started facing this scenario every day:

  1. Actions popped up while thinking.
  2. Thoughts appeared while executing tasks.

Continuously changing from one app to another was a pain in the ass.

How Did I Solve This Problem?

Using just one app to combine my Action System and my Thinking System.

I bet on Obsidian.

It’s been one of my most significant steps after dedicating more than 3 decades to the PKM world.

3 Immediate Consequences I Got

1. Speed.

I move fast from actions to thinking and vice versa.

No friction at all.

2. Flow

I don’t lose my flow.

I keep executing in the right direction, no matter what comes to my head or what I’m performing.

I perform at my highest level without stopping, naturally.

3. Simplicity

I’ve concluded something: the fewer apps I use, the more productive I am.

That’s why I’m uninstalling apps here, there, and everywhere.

Simplicity brings clarity, peace of mind, a good life.

Takeaways

  • Thanks to implementing, failing, and trying to improve my PKM, I’ve set up the best PKM in all my life.
  • Don’t be afraid of mistakes. They always appear to make you better.

 

Photo by Sarah Kilian on Unsplash.