In a world focusing more and more on a quick fix, it’s important to invest
in the
Build a note-taking system for real work, not just one that looks nice when it's time to show your notes off but lets you down behind closed doors...
Your notes should be helping you by now but instead, you’ve installed the plugins, built the databases and rebuilt your folders more times than you’d like to admit.
It isn’t for a lack of trying - every week the internet promises a new quick fix, and none of them move you any closer to your actual work. Sure, all the suggestions make it such that you’re working hard, but on your note-taking system, not in it.
I know, because I was there. Four years ago I was working to pass the exams I needed for university, and instead of studying, I was jumping from Notion to OneNote to so many others. Eventually I realised I’d been chasing the wrong thing.
Slowly, I settled into a simple system in Obsidian, PARAZETTEL, and started teaching about my processes from my university dorm, through articles and later, a template of my own.
Hundreds of people enjoyed it but I knew I could do better, and teach from closer to the source, so that anyone who learns from me takes better notes for the rest of their life.
That’s what I want for you. No more analysis paralysis when new information arrives. You’ll know how to capture it, process it and use it, and make faster progress towards your goals.
It’s your life and your work we want to be building, not the illusion of productivity that a complicated system gives you.
The program you see here is called PARAZETTEL Foundations, and I’m so confident it’ll shift how you see knowledge management that I’ll make you a deal…
Take the entire program, watch and read all of the lessons and if you feel as though nothing’s changed, we’ll give you back everything you paid to be there.
But first, let me tell you a little more…
We left Skool to build a better, customised solution... Meet the
Your lessons, bonus courses and live sessions, all in one calm place at learn.parazettel.com. Have a look around...
- Day 3: Real Roles of a 'Note' and 'System'
- Day 4: Minimal Note-Taking ≠ Aesthetics
- Day 5: Building the MVS in Obsidian
- Day 6: Capturing With an Inbox
- Day 7: Clipping Content w/ Web Clipper
As you can see above, more specifically, this includes…
- The Foundations program. The core of it all. Ten lessons, one a day for ten days, in the classroom and in your inbox, with video, text and the files you need. You build a note-taking system around one of your current projects, step by step. It’s a way of building, not a template to copy.
- Bonus: your first 30 days in the PARAZETTEL community, free. All the courses (Obsidian x AI Agents, Minimal Note-Taking, Use Your Ideas and PKM for Students), the live session recordings, and me answering your posts.
Courses + calls on our platformCommunity on Discord - Bonus: the full PARAZETTEL Vault. My former flagship Obsidian template and its 50+ lesson course, for you to gain inspiration from once you’ve built your own Foundations.
Why it doesn’t all unlock on day one - If I gave you everything at once, you’d spend the week browsing instead of building.
I wouldn’t be doing anything to help the analysis paralysis we’re looking to avoid. You get the next resource when you’re ready for it.
Foundations, as told by the students…
We opened access for a pilot cohort back at the end of July. Here’s what a couple of the students had to say about the experience. We’ll add more as more people complete the program and leave a review…
Who exactly is this for?
Foundations is built for you if you’re:
- A student or educator. Every principle in Foundations was first forged in academia, taking notes for a BSc in Zoology at the University of Sheffield.
- A knowledge worker or business owner with a lot of moving pieces, where the quality of your results depends on keeping track of them.
- Anyone who wants a sustainable practice of capturing, processing and using the ideas and resources they come across, whatever app they use.
It’s probably not for you if:
- You’re still looking for the silver bullet, the one app and system that makes everything work out of the box. The reality is we build from the ground up, regardless of app or system.
- You want a bloated template that tells you how to do a hundred things you don’t need. ‘Build from the ground-up’ rejects having features and complexity ‘just-in-case’.
If what we’ve described here sounds like you, it’s about time I invited you to…
Enrol in the program today
Foundations is open now, choose below and you could be watching the Introduction lesson in the next 10 minutes…
PARAZETTEL Foundations + Community 30 days free
- Full Foundations program: All lessons and resources, built around one of your real projects
- 30 days of Community access free, with four additional courses and live recordings ($246 value)
- Bonuses: Unlock the Minimal Note-Taking book and the full PARAZETTEL Obsidian vault as you go, completely included (previously $214+)
- 14-day money-back guarantee, finish the whole program risk-free
PARAZETTEL Foundations + Community Lifetime
- Lifetime PARAZETTEL community membership, with all the courses, live recordings and me answering your posts
- Everything from day one: the Minimal Note-Taking book and the full PARAZETTEL Vault, for when you'd rather set your own pace
- Unlimited access to every resource added in the future
- No more payments, ever
- 14-day money-back guarantee, full refund, no questions
More on the way, and it’s all included…
The Foundations program is where you start and the PARAZETTEL Community is where you continue to learn and grow your practice. Everything comes included with your membership.
- PARAZETTEL Workflows A new initiative coming very soon - sessions where I take a real workflow and build it on top of Foundations, end to end.
- New live sessions Deep dives on the problems members are working through right now, with recordings so you can watch later (not to mention the recordings of previous live sessions)
- New and updated lessons Fresh material for the bonus courses and the vault as my own PKM develops (I'm planning a vault update very soon!)
Join now and all of it comes to you as it lands, with your $14/mo locked in.
FAQs
Foundations is relatively new, so here are the answers to all of the questions that you might have about it…
Do I need to use Obsidian already?
Not at all. Foundations is as tool-agnostic as I can make it without pretending I don't recommend Obsidian. We set Obsidian up together from a simple starting point, but everything applies just as well in Notion or whatever else you choose to use.
Do I need a note-taking practice already?
Nope. It works whether it's your first time capturing, processing and using notes, or you're trying to rein in a system that's got out of hand and become hard to trust.
What do the lessons actually cover?
Ten days, including a lesson video and handwritten notes every day. Day 1 is a welcome where you pick the real project we'll build your system around, and on Day 2 we set up a vanilla Obsidian vault. From there, the program runs in three parts...
I. The Minimum Viable System (Days 3-5): what a 'note' and a 'system' are really for, why minimal note-taking isn't about aesthetics, and building your MVS in Obsidian.
II. Idea → Output Pipeline (Days 6-9): capturing with an inbox, clipping content with Web Clipper, wrangling ideas with the Zettelkasten, and putting your notes to use in your projects.
III. Expand + Compound (Day 10): evolving your system over time without losing your sanity, followed by a program conclusion.
Here's what it looks like inside the classroom:
How much time does it take?
One lesson unlocks each day for ten days, and each one comes with an email, so you don't have to sit in the community waiting for the next drop.
Every lesson can be done in half an hour or less. The bonus courses are there if you have more time, but you’re not obliged to touch them.
Where is the program held?
On the PARAZETTEL Platform at learn.parazettel.com, which I built for Foundations and the courses that come with it. Once you've paid, sign in there with the email you used at checkout and we'll email you a link, so there's no password to remember. You can start the first lesson straight away.
The community chat lives on Discord, and live sessions run on Google Meet, with every recording added to the platform afterwards.
Can I cancel or get a refund?
Yes. Cancel anytime and you stop being billed for Community membership immediately. If you cancel before day 30, your $14/month Community membership never starts.
If Foundations isn’t for you, ask within 14 days and I’ll refund everything you paid to enrol, no questions asked.
Can I try it without paying?
Yes. Sign up for free and I'll send you the first lesson of Foundations, along with a few short emails about taking notes simply, in Obsidian and beyond. When you're ready to build your own system, come back here and join.
I bought the Minimal Note-Taking book. What do I get?
Thank you! Your receipt should contain a code for 20% off. Use it at checkout (if it's not already applied!).
I'm already a PARAZETTEL member. Does anything change?
Nothing changes about what you pay. You keep your access and your rate, and the new unlocks come to you as they roll out. Your classroom has moved from Skool to learn.parazettel.com: sign in with the email your membership is under.
Finally build a PKM practice that serves you...
Forget the one-size-fits-all templates with a million features and zero active guidance about how to use them.
PARAZETTEL Foundations is here to teach you note-taking that serves you, whatever app and system you choose, for life...