Categories of notes in Zettelkasten (2025-04-23)

“Zettelkasten” literally means “slip box,” i.e., a box holding index-card notes.

So what kind of notes can we have in our Slip Box?

  • Fleeting notes – quick, disposable captures of ideas or observations; process or delete soon after.
  • Literature notes – brief, cited summaries of what a source says, written in your own words.
  • Permanent notes – distilled, stand-alone insights that connect to other notes and stay in the system.
  • Structure / index notes – hub pages that group and link related permanent notes to show the big picture.
  • Project notes – ad-hoc planning, to-dos, or drafts tied to a specific project; archived when finished.