You need a place to practice. So, let’s begin!
Throughout this book, you’ll build a knowledge repository. Forget everything you think you know about what knowledge, repository, or even creating means. Chances are, your definitions will change.
To begin, set up a practice area — your experimental home. It can live anywhere you like, using any tool you prefer. I’m so not the boss of you. To make it easy, though, here is an entire template you can copy into a Coda space.
Or just use this studio as a guide, to get a sense of what you want in a space. Explore tools like Obsidian, Notion, Airtable, Heptabase, Google Sheets, Figma, or Miro (if you’re visually inclined).
You can Luddite this work and use a notebook (or a reMarkable), but capturing links will be harder. If you still work by hand, I’m sure you’re not averse to a little sweat.
Make It Yours
A knowledge flow studio is not a filing cabinet. It’s a kitchen — where you are a knowledge chef. Be messy, half-baked, experimenting, in motion.
What else might you need? Ask yourself:
- What do I reach for when making sense of something?
- What information do I keep losing track of?
- What makes lightbulbs go off?
- What do I wish I could see when thinking?
Adjust your space choice accordingly. You’re designing your first emergent meaning architecture.
You’ll probably use more than one tool, over time. For example, you’ll probably need a visual tool. (Like Figma.) I love my Remarkable. I can move drawings from there to here.
I won’t, though, be sharing many drawings. Nobody picks me for their Pictionary team. But as others share their work, I’ll add more visual examples.
Write Now
To begin, do nothing but open a page. Barebones is beautiful — let your mind wander in the space.
Set a timer for 10, 20, or 30 minutes (or, whatever weird number occurs to you).
Just write. Whatever comes to mind in response to this prompt:
What the heck is knowledge?
Over time, your studio will help you answer it.
