~ PKM Track

The CODE Method

The CODE Method is a process for turning the information you consume into creative outputs.

• Capture: Save ideas and insights that personally resonate with you (be selective - don’t try to save everything)
• Organize: Keep your notes organized in a way that makes them easily retrievable
• Distill: Extract the essence of your notes to maximize impact and maintain clarity
• Express: Using the previous three steps, express yourself through creative output

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Capture - Only the most important information

Your goal is not to recreate your own version of the internet (this will only ever lead to catastrophe and hitting the Mental Squeeze Point). Your goal is to save only the most interesting and surprising information.

Creating a knowledge bank:

• Start with the information you already consume (external knowledge) and your life experience (internal knowledge).
• Your external knowledge might include: article highlights, favorite quotes, book notes, voice memos, meeting notes, images, etc.
• Your internal knowledge might include: sparks of insight, stories, memories, journal reflections, musings, etc.

Develop your capture habit:

1. Choose 2-3 kinds of content (internal/external knowledge)
2. Start capturing what resonates with you

Organize - In a way that compounds usability over time

There are many ways to think about how to organize information. You can spend hours, days, or weeks contemplating the best way to organize information and never spend a moment actually organizing it.

It’s similar to buying a car. Yes, the price and mpg is important, but the point is to use it to get you from Point A to Point B. That’s it. While it’s easy to get hung up on the status an Escalade would give you, a Honda Civic has four wheels and does the job.

I guess what I’m saying here is there is no perfect way, there is only the one you choose and if it’s serving your needs. What I’ve found to be most helpful is to consider what you’ll be using your system for and assimilate your organization to match your preference.

With that being said, here’s a few of the most popular ways to organize information that suits our PKM needs:

• PARA Method
• ACE Framework
• Johnny Decimal System
• Zettelkasten

Distill - Extract the Essence of Your Knowledge

The Goal: Refine your processed information into its most essential, actionable form.

Think of distillation like making espresso - you’re concentrating the valuable parts and removing the excess to create something more potent and useful.

What Distillation Looks Like: • Summarizing: What are the key takeaways in your own words? • Highlighting: What are the most important quotes or insights? • Connecting: How does this relate to your other knowledge? • Questioning: What’s still unclear or worth exploring further?

Common Distillation Bottlenecks: • Keeping everything: Afraid to cut out any information • No clear criteria: Not knowing what makes information “essential” • Perfectionism: Endlessly refining instead of moving forward

Express - Create and Share Your Knowledge

The Goal: Transform your distilled knowledge into something valuable for yourself and others.

This is where your PKM system pays off - you’re not just collecting information, you’re creating new value with it.

What Expression Looks Like: • Creating: Writing, speaking, building, teaching • Sharing: Publishing, presenting, discussing • Applying: Using your knowledge to make better decisions • Connecting: Introducing ideas or people

Common Expression Bottlenecks: • Perfectionism: Waiting for ideas to be “complete” • Fear of judgment: Keeping insights private • Wrong format: Forcing yourself into uncomfortable creation modes