# Knowledge Cycle The **knowledge cycle** is composed of four steps: 1. Research 2. Read 3. Take Notes (see [The Right Information](The%20Right%20Information.md)) 4. Write (synthesis) > Progress is continuous when we are certain we move forward. This implies we complete one chunk of work after another. The opposite would be to research for days, not knowing where the research leads us. We’re busy when we research, but we have to asks: are we moving towards the goal? We wouldn’t know until we try to integrate the new findings into what we already have, be it a draft or just a pile of notes. Continuous progress is about constant re-affirmation that we’re on track. Consequently, it’s about short _Knowledge Cycles_, because a short Knowledge Cycle implies moving from research to writing in a short amount of time, repeatedly. ### To Make a Habit of Learning 1. **Research** for new material, where we have to scan and select what’s useful and what isn’t, 2. **Reading** the findings, thus increasing our _temporary_ understanding based on the capacity of our short-term memory, 3. **Taking lasting notes** to feed the Zettelkasten and thus _permanently_ increase our knowledge. 4. **Compose** a new section or add notes to the outline of an existing draft. ### To Create a Routine - **Start** with 1 hour of research. Stick to the time limit. You will return to this later, so take note of your trails before you leave. - **Process** all your findings of the first step. Take notes and connect them in your _Zettelkasten_ note archive. Once you think you got everything in the archive, add the notes or references to them to your draft. Write a sentence or two to explain the connections between the notes you just inserted if you like. Do whatever it takes to really _integrate_ the new findings into your current draft. - **Reflect on** the process. How well did you do? Did you learn something new? Judge the processing work you had to do: Was the amount of material manageable? How long did it take to work through your findings Would you prefer to have more or less time to research? Keep book of your answers. It’s important to write them down in a log to review changes over time. - **Adapt the routine:** change the time limit of your research. Try to double or halve the time at first to get a feeling for the direction in which you’ll have to push the time boundary. The time it takes to process your findings is part of the feedback you can use to change the boundary. One of the most useful things to keep in mind is **knowing in advance when you'll have to stop.** Have a fixed time after which you are not allowed to bring in any more input. ### Write Early and Write Often > When you **write early and write often**, you will be able to think about the problem domain with greater expertise. Writing improves thinking, and thus it also improves making project-related decisions, like which resource may be useful to look at next during research. --- Date: 20220606 Links to: Tags: #review References: * [Use a Short Knowledge Cycle to Keep Your Cool • Zettelkasten Method](https://zettelkasten.de/posts/knowledge-cycle-efficiently-organize-writing-projects/)