What learning a language taught me about building a second brain.
Today I took an online test for „English as second language“. The test uses the popular CEFR standard (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) for evaluation.
The CEFR defines six levels of English proficiency: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2. These levels are widely accepted as the global standard for grading an individual’s language proficiency. I achieved a C1 level and was very proud.
But what‘s the connection to Zettelkasten? My brain automatically transferred the phrase „English as a second language“ to „Zettelkasten as a second brain“.
Why? I have no answer. However, my thoughts were heading in a new direction. What do these levels mean? Google showed me a list of related vocabulary:
A1 - 500 words
A2 - 1,000 words
B1 - 2,000 words
B2 - 4,000 words
C1 - 8,000 words
C2 - 16,000 words
native speaker - 32,000 words
It's a nice, non-linear function. The vocabulary at each level is double that of the level below.
What might this list look like for a Zettelkasten user? My proposal:
A1 - 500 ideas
A2 - 1,000 ideas
B1 - 2,000 ideas
B2 - 4,000 ideas
C1 - 8,000 ideas
C2 - 16,000 ideas
native Zettelkasten user - 32,000 ideas
On the CEFR scale, you are expected to have a reasonable degree of fluency at B1 level, which should improve further up the scale.
How many ideas do I have in my vault? Let's take a look: 1,606 permanent notes. According to my newly created CZFR standard (Common Zettelkasten Framework of Reference for Second Brains), this is an A2 level.
Wow! According to CZFR, I need less than 400 ideas to reach my B1 level.
I’m very excited.
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