Why Index Cards Are Still The Most Powerful Productivity Tool<br /> by [[Sevetech]] aka [[Seve Tessarin]] accessed on 2026-04-18T21:10:50

Not sure I see the value of putting index cards into notebook form? How is it different from "just a notebook"?

Advanced Typing - Shortcuts (1943)

Advanced Typing: Shortcuts. 16 mm. Vol. MN-1512c. United States Navy Training Film, 1943. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUJfCfqgsX0.

Correct typing posture: fingers curved<br /> arms sloping up<br /> light fast strokes<br /> steady rhythm

fast continuous motion of return lever<br /> using backing sheet (aka temping sheet ??)

Shortcuts:<br /> mise en place for office supplies (she doesn't use this phrasing though) - greater efficiency - cuts down on searching

tabulators can be helpful. There are two types:<br /> - automatic - handset

Use tabs for paragraphs, dating letters, columns of numbers, and letter closings.

To clear all tab stops, put carriage to left, hold tab clear key and move the carriage across. (Usually applies to Royal, Remington, Underwood, and Electromatic).

On LC Smith and Woodstock machines sometimes have a tab clear lever on the back.

Decimal tabulator keys help to align a variety of numbers around a decimal point. 09:43

Always have a few tabs set to prevent a flying carriage which can be hard on the machine.

When using carbon sheets which are slightly longer than the paper size, cut off a small triangle at the top left hand side. This makes it easier for one to separate the carbons from the copies by holding the top left with one hand and pulling the carbons out from the bottom of the stack.

To align multiple sheets of paper for carbon copies, use a folded sheet at the top to taco the pages into the machine. Remove the folded sheet once the carbon pack is rolled forward.

Paper bail rollers should be set to split the pages into thirds (for two rollers).

Remington noiseless machines have a pressure indicator on the front of the machine (usually above the keyboard) which can be used when using thick carbon packs that may cause the ribbon guide to stick or bind.

Only erase when the carriage is fully left or right to prevent eraser crumbs from falling into the machine. 15:26

Use a soft eraser on carbon copies. Use and insert slips of paper behind the carbons and allowing them to stick out the sides, erasing from back sheet to front so as not to allow the eraser to mark your carbon copies. For the front sheet, use a shield and ink eraser and erase with a horizontal motion. After erasing, easily pull out the inserted sheets.

When typing a correction, tap the key lightly two or three times rather than hard once.

When in a rush and it's necessary to add a word (on double spacing), underline the last letter of the prior word and type a slash (/). Then move the typing line up and type the insertion above the prior line. This creates an "arrow" of sorts for the inserted word.

Details for inserting extra letters in misspelled words using half-spacing machines. (Underwoods and Electromatics don't have this function.)

Light pencil marks at the bottom of the sheet can help to indicate the coming bottom of the sheet.

Putting up the card holders (fingers) on Underwoods and Royals. They help to hold the card and improve print quality and reduce noise.

Card holders can cause markings on carbon packs if they're not lowered.

Trick for quickly writing postcards in succession: Disengage the ratchet using the platen spring release (or variable platen switch) Type the address on the front of the card. When done give the platen a quick practiced spin. The postcard with "jump" up and stop at the paper table and be in position for rolling in the opposite direction to write the message on the back of the card! When done a faster spin of the platen will shoot the card over the back of the typewriter where it can land in a box to collect all the postcards which were written in such a manner. <br /> timestamp 23:22

Time saving methods for addressing envelopes:

• Front seat principle. Insert the envelope in the usual way and type out the address. When done, turn the envelope down through the machine with the right hand. With the left hand, place the next envelope between the top of the first envelope and the front of the platen. Feed the first envelope back through the machine (in reverse) and the second will be rolled in to place for typing. Continue in this fashion until finished. All the finished envelopes will stack up in the back at the paper table.

• Chain feeding. The first envelope is inserted and rolled partway into the machine. A second envelope is inserted between the platen and the second envelope (behind the platen). Turn the first envelope to the writing line and type the address. Take out the first envelope and insert the next the same way as before.

• Uses paper bail. Do the first envelope in the usual way. Spin it out of the machine up and behind the paper bail into a box behind the typewriter.

For quickly doing labels or small cards:<br /> Create a small zig-zag fold into a piece of paper to create a pocket slot which can be scotch taped on either side. This template paper can then be inserted so that the pocket is visible above the writing line, but the paper below it is still in the platen. The label or card can be placed into the pocket and the platen reversed to feed the label or card in backwards to the desired typing line. Using a v-groove or hole in the typing line can create a pencil line to serve as a guide for inserting many labels at the same place so that the typing lines up between labels.

Some offices had special platens for holding cards like this.

Pockets like this can also be used to hold the page to add additional lines at the bottom of pages. Deeper pockets may need to be used for doing this with carbon packs whose carbons are longer than the pages.

Alternately one can do something similar by creating a inverted u-shaped set of slits into an index card. to hold such labels.

When in the midst of a page and needing to do another piece urgently, roll back the letter until about 2 inches from the top, and then place in the new page and one between each of the carbons. Then roll forward to do the short message as necessary. Turn back to the insertion position to remove the copies and then continue with the first letter where you left off.

For drawing horizontal lines on typewriter paper, push the carriage to the extreme left and place the pencil or pen at the edge of the card guide and the scale. Then move the carriage to the right to effect the line. For vertical lines, put the carriage at the desired space and place the pencil at the card guide and scale and move the platen up/down as necessary.

https://www.reddit.com/r/BaseballScorecards/comments/1mt1cuz/typewriter_experiment_4_the_index_card_multiple/

joe_skidiachi_irl experiment for baseball scorecards with typewriters.

https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1025789669

An index card masterclass to kick start your writing.<br /> by [[Justin Hill]] on YouTube<br /> accessed on 2026-01-14T09:17:56

Justin Hill, a long form writer, uses index cards in his writing for taking notes, inspiration/prompts, as well as for outlining/organizing the plot of his material.

“NFORMATION RETRIEVAL” 1961 IBM BUSINESS COMPUTER PROMO MAINFRAME PUNCHCARD COMPUTERS SM10435<br /> by [[Periscope Film]] on YouTube <br /> accessed on 2026-01-04T15:56:12

Some great visuals hiding in here.<br /> Starts out with details for properly threading film projector<br /> keywords - indexing methods<br /> Key Word in Context (KWIC)<br /> inverted file (aka lookup file)<br /> Notice this is a few years after Desk Set (1957)<br /> Selective dissemination of information<br /> Fake company name: Alamer

It's almost as if they're suggesting putting ideas onto index cards after-the-fact rather than from the start as older manuals would have suggested. This would seem to add a huge amount of work to the process.

Of course no mention of how the material gets onto the "good old-fashioned" index cards.

Index cards are important tools, particularly if you're going through a thousand or more a month. I tend toward the cheapest ones I can find and am always half tempted to bulk order them in pallet quantity from somewhere to get a steep discount, especially as I've got filing cabinet storage space for another 40,000 4x6 index cards readily at hand.

I looked more closely at the Wexfords I just picked up and they are made in India. Comparatively my Staples branded cards are also made in India, while the Amazon Basics and Oxford cards are made in the United States.

As for line quality, the most consistent I've seen are the Stockroom Cards designed in California, but made in China. Oxford has been generally solid and Amazon lines have been occasionally hit and miss.

About a year ago, the local Amazon Fresh store had dozens of their 500 card packs listed for an overly reasonable $2.50 each (half a penny per card), so I picked up about 15,000 cards at a time when they were usually in the $12-15 range online. They're presently at a near annual best of $7.45 (about 1.5 cents per card). At $3.50 for 100, the Wexfords ran almost twice as expensive at 3.5 cents per card. I suspect tariffs are likely affecting the price of foreign cards more heavily lately.

I've not really tried out any listed as "flashcards", so I can't comment on the prices or quantities there. Some of the ones I have seen tended to the more expensive side, so I've passed on them.

Good luck in your continued search.

I tried out some of the Wexford cards today. They're generally the same exact thickness and general quality as the Amazon Basics and the Oxford branded cards I've got. They're probably closer in quality to Amazon Basics than the Oxford which are a bit "tighter weave". I've got almost a dozen different brands, perhaps one of these days I'll set up my microscope along with a camera and do photos of the differences in paper quality.

The Wexfords have some of the more textured feel of any I've seen out there. They have the standard red top line, but the rest of the lines seem almost grayish or nearly black compared to most other cards which have a medium to lighter blue coloring. The Wexfords also have an only very slightly thinner than usual 1/4" spacing. (It measures out to 0.2375 inches between lines rather than the typical 0.25" most American cards would have. This nets out to be a 6mm line which makes me think it's a more European/Japanese/Chinese card than an American one despite the 4x6" dimensions.)

https://www.amazon.com/MicroSpark-Heavyweight-Checklist-Strategy-Tinplate/dp/B0DHYKG6VT?th=1 MicroSpark 3x5" index card product with holder and tin can

I've never tried Wexford before either, but often those sorts of products are mass produced in China by one company and just re-labeled for half a dozen different companies, so searching around may find something similar under a different name.

I will say that some of the ones you listed tend to be the cheapest, lower quality cards I've run across. I use the Amazon Basics a lot, but primarily because they had a sale on their bricks of 500 cards a year or two back and I picked up 20 of them for $2.50 each.

Oxford cards are some of the smoother (inexpensive) cards I've tried in the past, but even their paper quality has shifted a bit over the past 15 years.

If you're doing 3x5 cards in blank, Brodart's library catalog cards are of a much higher quality and durability without breaking the bank and they're wonderfully smooth as well. https://www.shopbrodart.com/

Stockroom plus has some great quality, smooth cards, but I've only ever seen them in gridded format and never plain or lined: https://www.amazon.com/Grid-Index-Cards-Inches-White/dp/B08BJ11LWC/

Notsu also has some high quality smooth cards, but I don't think I've seen them in lined format and they can tend toward being very expensive.

If you have the funds and want something incredibly smooth, try the Exacompta Bristol cards made by Clairefontaine. Their manufacturing process is dramatically different and they're incredibly smooth, particularly for fountain pen use. The downside is that they can be almost 3 times more expensive than other brands. They do carry their cards in a wide variety of sizes and formats though.

One of these days I ought to lay out a grid of the more common cards and do some more serious reviews.

reply to https://old.reddit.com/r/indexcards/comments/1p8xog6/looking_for_index_card_recommendations_similar_to/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DG6om2UyUNX/

Reply to query about the differences between using index cards versus planners at https://reddit.com/r/indexcards/comments/1or2btl/gloria_steinems_memindex/

Broadly, yes, but there are a few subtle affordances index cards have over book-bound or notebook-style planners: - Self indexing. Any notes you write down on separate cards really self-index themselves when filed versus needing to index them on a separate page in your planner/notebook which, if used over several years, means consulting multiple indexes rather than just one to search your data. (This is big for me as I also use cards for my commonplacebook/zettelkasten/pkm needs as well as for project planning and general notes.) - More portable. You can put one or several at your own discretion in your pocket at a time. (You can also carry a larger swath in a small pouch if you need more.) - Better protection against total loss. If you lose your planner, everything in if for the year is gone. If you loose the cards you're carrying, it's only a few days' worth. - Takes away the worries of starting and/or perfection, especially in a new notebook as you can always rewrite/recreate a card. - If you make your own layouts/spreads, there's less worry about planning ahead. - If you need to, you can lay out multiple cards at a time to more easily view, cross-reference, or reorganize them on the table instead of all your data being bound on separate pages and needing to flip back and forth. - Index cards can be much less expensive, particularly when compared to some of the higher end notebooks, even if you buy the more premium cards.

In the end it all comes down to personal preference and what works best for you and your favorite working methods.

More material on these and related topics based on my own research and experiences: https://boffosocko.com/research/zettelkasten-commonplace-books-and-note-taking-collection/

https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1oincod/can_someone_tell_me_what_yearmodel_this_is/

https://pocketmod.com/

http://brianrytel.com/envie-transatlantique/

Typing Skills: Fields of Typing. 16 mm, Instructional film. Periscope Film, 1972. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvF0atKsggY.

Typing Skills: Fields of Typing <br /> Coronet Instructional Films, a division of Esquire, Inc., 1972<br /> Lawrence W. Erickson, Ed.D. Professor of Education, University of California, Los Angeles<br /> Production: Coronet Films and Creative Establishment, Inc.<br /> Director and Writer: Don B. Klugman<br /> Photography Robert Flaxman<br /> Editing: Barbara Kaplan

Periscope Film XD72104 archived at https://stock.periscopefilm.com/xd72104-typing-skills-fields-of-typing-1972-typewriter-based-careers-educational-film/

Alternate version at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMmsE6GMIR8

Warm ups of fingers

Rules of good typing - concentrate on the copy

Typewriters in the piece: <br /> - Olivett editor 5<br /> - Others...

• copy typing - types material already written or typed
• setting margins
• centering letters on page
• formatting and spacing
• double spacing with wide margins
• editor's marks

Backspace from center method for setting tab stops

Uses for typewriters:<br /> - check writing - billing - chain feeding - financial records and reports - filling in forms - carbon copies

index and file cards - inserted into a pleated page which may have lines.

Typing on Small Cards by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Hurd, Cuthbert C., ed. Proceedings: IBM Computation Seminar December 1949. New York: Internation Buisiness Machines Corporation, 1951. http://archive.org/details/bitsavers_ibmproceedeminarDec49_14295048.

In a variety of context here the idea of "cards" could be held to be synonymous with "notes".

Collision cards (though used in a physics setting) could be a bit hilarious with the idea of "atomic notes" and the idea of "combinatorial creativity".

An indication of the state-of-the-art in punch card systems from 1951 to 1958, particularly with respect to practical applications.

Casey, Robert S., James W. Perry, Madeline M. Berry, and Allen Kent. Punched Cards: Their Applications To Science And Industry. 2nd ed. 1951. Reprint, New York: Reinhold Publishing Corporation, 1958. http://archive.org/details/PunchedCardsTheirApplicationsToScienceAndIndustry.

Begun, George M. “Making Your Own Punched Cards.” Journal of Chemical Education 32, no. 6 (June 1, 1955): 328. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed032p328.

George Begun used a template of "heavy galvanized iron" to drill holes into his 5 x 8" index cards to create his own edge-noted card system for use in his chemistry work. Rather than using commercially made sorting needles, he recommended the use of a ice pick with a dulled point "for safety".

Edge-Notched Cards: A queryable database...made of paper by [[Soren Bjornstad]]

https://www.suppliesshops.com/737534-x-32534-white-pinfeed-index-cards-perfed-4000-cards-per-carton-p-38937.html?gQT=1

These are the sorts of cards one would use with something like my Singer Business Card Index filing cabinet.

https://warrenpaper.com/product/1003/

https://warrenpaper.com/product/1001/

Love that Miles talks about what index cards he uses, where he gets them from and even their relative prices!

Julius Reizen in reviewing over Umberto Eco's index card system in How to Write a Thesis, defines his own "insurance card" as one which contains "hard-to-classify thoughts, questions, and areas for further inquiry". These he would keep together so that they don't otherwise get lost in the variety of other locations one might keep them

These might be akin to Ahrens' "fleeting notes" but are ones which may not easily or even immediately be converted in to "permanent notes" for one's zettelkasten. However, given their mission critical importance, they may be some of the most important cards in one's repository.

link this to - idea of centralizing one's note taking practice to a single location

Is this idea in Eco's book and Reizen is the one that gives it a name since some of the other categories have names? (examples: bibliographic index cards, reading index cards (aka literature notes), cards for themes, author index cards, quote index cards, idea index cards, connection cards). Were these "officially" named and categorized by Eco?

May be worthwhile to create a grid of these naming systems and uses amongst some of the broader note taking methods. Where are they similar, where do they differ?

Multi-search tools that have full access to multiple trusted data stores (ostensibly personal ones across notebooks, hard drives, social media services, etc.) could potentially solve the problem of needing to remember where you noted something.

Currently, in the social media space especially, this is not a realized service.

https://reddit.com/r/Zettelkasten/comments/1fjfl1g/highest_quality_archival_4x6_index_cards_lined/

https://www.franklin-christoph.com/

Among various fountain pens, notebooks, and other papers, they sell archival quality 3 x 5 inch index cards suited to fountain pen use.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LettersWithImpact

Someone selling individual typed index cards with quotes for $9.99 each?!? Who knew this was a business?

example:<br />

Joe Van Cleave has used an index card with his typewriter to hold up the back of his typewriter paper on machines (the Ten Forty, for example) which lack a metal support on the back of the paper table.

Nabokov used index cards for his research and writing. In one index card for research on Lolita, he creates a "weight-heigh-age table for girls of school age" to be able to specify Lolita's measurements. He also researched the Colt catalog of 1940 to get gun specifications to make those small points realistic in his writing.

syndication link

https://cambridgetypewriter.blogspot.com/2019/03/some-stories-from-2018.htmlk

Includes some images of interchangeable platens for typewriters including some for index cards, library work, and labels.

I have run across Jeff Shelton's Analog system (originally via Kickstarter) before. Thanks for the reminder.

There's also a slew of others, especially for folks looking at commercially preprinted cards (though I tend to think they're overpriced compared to blank cards): - The Hipster PDA (Parietal Disgorgement Aid) https://web.archive.org/web/20040906150523/https://merlin.blogs.com/43folders/2004/09/introducing_the.html - Pile of Index Cards (PoIC) https://www.flickr.com/photos/hawkexpress/albums/72157594200490122/ - Levenger https://www.levenger.com/products/triple-decker-pocket-planner?variant=42485422424213 (among others they carry including pocket briefcases) - Notsu https://notsubrand.com/ - Baronfig / Strategist: https://baronfig.com/products/strategist?variant=39787199529043 - Jeff Shelton's Analog system https://ugmonk.com/ - 3x5 Life https://www.3x5life.com/ - Foglietto https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/collections/foglietto - Jot & Mark https://amzn.to/3Qs26Je

Am I missing any significant or influential examples, particularly branded ones?

Hubnote for 3 x 5" index cards for productivity

I love the verb "carding" here.

This is similar to the idea of edge notched cards, but is done visually instead of cutting the cards. It's also seen in the Pile of Index Card method which uses a variety of marks on gridded cards.

He notes the general equivalency of cards and papers in vertical files.

One of the primary affordances that individual atomic cards have is the ability to more easily re-arrange and reuse them for various purposes in comparison with larger sheets with greater amounts of data on them.

Index card quality can be important for cards that are repeatedly used.

This admonition was more frequently attended to with respect to library card catalogs, but potentially less followed in personal use—Niklas Luhmann's self-cut paper slips which wore ragged over time come quickly to mind here.

Burke, Colin B. Information and Intrigue: From Index Cards to Dewey Decimals to Alger Hiss. History and Foundations of Information Science. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2014. https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262027021/information-and-intrigue/

annotation URL: urn:x-pdf:3ca2bc5e94d24cfc51c7b40b4ea7daf9

alternate: https://jonudell.info/h/facet/?user=chrisaldrich&max=100&exactTagSearch=true&expanded=true&url=urn%3Ax-pdf%3A3ca2bc5e94d24cfc51c7b40b4ea7daf9

The wear of cards can be an important part of your history with the information you handle.

Luhmann’s slips show some of this sort of wear as well, though his show it to extreme as he used thinner paper than the standard index card so some of his slips have incredibly worn/ripped/torn tops more than any grime. Many of my own books show that grime layer on the fore-edge in sections which I’ve read and re-read.

One of my favorite examples of this sort of wear through use occurs in early manuscripts (usually only religious ones) where readers literally kissed off portions of illuminations when venerating the images in their books. Later illuminators included osculation targets to help prevent these problems. (Cross reference: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370119878_Touching_Parchment_How_Medieval_Users_Rubbed_Handled_and_Kissed_Their_Manuscripts_Volume_1_Officials_and_Their_Books)

(syndication link: https://boffosocko.com/2024/02/04/55821315/#comment-430267)

https://www.levenger.com/products/vintage-library-catalog-cards-set-of-50?variant=43444256243861

These don't have the pre-drilled holes, but at least are still offered, though at the price gouging cost of $14.50 for 50 (in 2024).

Cost per card: $0.29

https://www.levenger.com/products/card-catalog-box?variant=43007544066197

A bit on the small side, but has a built in pen holder:

https://www.demco.com/demco-reg-permalife-catalog-cards

The old school Library of Congress card catalog cards with the red ruling.

Volunteer 'Readers' for the Oxford English Dictionary were encouraged to write down interesting headwords along with their appearances in-situ along with the associated bibliographical information. The recommended paper size was 4 x 6-inch pieces of paper which were commonly called 'slips'.

(Double check this against the historical requests from James Murray.)

https://cultpens.com/products/exacompta-white-5-x-3-125-x-75-record-cards-pack-of-100

These are surprisingly inexpensive here at CultPens.com! They don't seem to have the larger 100x150s though.

https://web.archive.org/web/20180227134526/http://pileofindexcards.org/blog/2006/12/22/writing-format-of-fieldnote/

Hawk Sugano uses a wastebook-like process to take contemporaneous notes in a pocket notebook and later transfers the ideas to index cards for follow up and filing.

Hawk Sugano was introduced to index cards circa 2001 by means of Watanabe Shoichi's book “知的生活の方法” (A Method of Intellectual Life".

https://web.archive.org/web/20170530033313/http://pileofindexcards.org/blog/2006/08/20/me-and-indexcard/

https://web.archive.org/web/20180227130424/http://pileofindexcards.org/blog/2006/12/25/start-indexcard-provider-service/

Hawk Sugano apparently offered the Pile of Index Cards as a physical product offering by combining Correct's index card dock and Kokuyo's fieldnotes in late December 2006.

https://web.archive.org/web/20170321222822/http://pileofindexcards.org/blog/cluster/

Hawk Sugano's archived Pile of Index Cards website for exploration.

https://oblivion.university/

ᔥ[[Jim Groom]] in AI106: Long Live the New Flesh

https://web.archive.org/web/20240000000000*/next-action.net

Archive pages for Aki Oda's website next-action.net

https://flickr.com/photos/hawkexpress/275215540/

Fascinating commentary here

https://www.flickr.com/photos/aki_oda/albums/72157606070587225/

Another writer in Japan using the Pile of Index Cards method with visualizations in Flickr.

read [[Edward Vielmetti]] in Index Cards, Anne Lamott, from Bird By Bird

https://shop.canvascorpbrands.com/products/gypsy-momets-card-today

https://www.reddit.com/r/antinet/comments/18omqgt/a_no_coding_required_alternative_to_printing_your/

Instructions and a method for printing out Obsidian notes onto index cards.

Hawk considered PoIC a "software" and licensed it as such. :)

Avery Templates for 4 x 6" products:

• Avery 8386 postcards 2 per sheet (template compatibility 5889)
• Avery 5292 Shipping Labels 1 per Sheet White (template compatibility 5454, 5614)
• Avery 5454 Print or Write Multi-Use Labels 6" x 4" 1 per Sheet White (template compatibility 5292, 5614)
• Avery 5389 Postcards 4" x 6" 2 per Sheet White (template compatibility 15389)

Ron White recommends taking notes on 3 x 5 inch index cards. One should place the Dewey Decimal or Library of Congress catalog number in the upper left of their bibliography card and in the upper right corner one should number their cards consecutively (1, 2, 3, etc.). White indicates the importance of these numbers is primarily that they are unique, presumably so one can refer to them or reorder them if they are put out of order. (p46-7)

https://web.archive.org/web/20170321132112/http://pileofindexcards.org/blog/

Hawk Sugano's blog Pile of Index Cards

https://web.archive.org/web/20060422014759/http://that4.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/stationery/1021438965/l50

https://web.archive.org/web/20060422014759/http://that4.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/stationery/1021438965/l50

the 2ch site that inspired Hawk Sugano's Pile of Index Cards method

ᔥ[[hawkexpress]] in How to link between Cards

Hawk Sugano's Pile of Index Cards method is laid out visually in his Flickr account using photos of several of his cards along with descriptions of what each is for and how they work.

These include: 0. PoIC Format/Template 1. Record Card 2. Discovery Card 3. GTD Card 4. Cite Card 5. How to link between cards

<small><cite class='h-cite via'>ᔥ <span class='p-author h-card'>Manfred Kuehn</span> in Taking note: Luhmann's Zettelkasten (<time class='dt-published'>08/06/2021 00:16:23</time>)</cite></small>

Note the use of the edge highlighted taxonomy system used on these cards:

Similar to the so called high five indexing system I ran across recently.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hawkexpress/albums/72157594200490122/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hawkexpress/189972895/in/album-72157594200490122/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hawkexpress/192480328/in/album-72157594200490122/

The PoIC system allows linking of cards using date/timestamps for indexing/finding. Interestingly they were all kept in chronological order rather than in idea order as in Luhmann's zettelkasten.

What are the pros/cons of this?<br /> - more searching and hunting through cards certainly is a drawback for lack of "threaded" ideas - others...

hawkexpress apparently learned this technique on the 2-channel.

(Edited 2022-10-13, 2023-12-27)

https://web.archive.org/web/20170321132253/http://pileofindexcards.org/blog/2006/08/23/link-between-cards/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hawkexpress/189972899/in/album-72157594200490122/

Despite being used primarily as a productivity tool the PoIC system also included some features of personal knowledge management with "discovery cards" and "citation cards". Discovery cards were things which contained one's own ideas while the citation cards were the ideas of others and included bibliographic information. Citation cards were tagged on the 5th block as an indicator within the system.

Question: How was the information material managed? Was it separate from the date-based system? On first blush it would appear not, nor was there a subject index which would have made it more difficult for one to find data within the system.

Introduction to the Pile of Index Cards method.

These are more similar to zettelkasten and commonplacing traditions. They comprise the majority of the system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxsCVEBM510<br /> How To Use An Antinet Zettelkasten For Personal Growth by Haile Rene on 2023-12-21<br /> featured on Scott P. Scheper (channel)

Video intro for Soul Cards book...

ugh...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/305300436363

Vintage Imperial card catalog for 5 x 8" index cards

Listed for auction in December 2023. After 14 bids, sold for $158.50 on 2023-12-11. Seems rare for these to actually sell by auction.

Cost per drawer: $39.63.

https://emacsconf.org/2023/talks/nabokov/

https://www.maxtonandcompany.com/alfion

Maxton & Company also carries Notsu cards.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/305189692899

The Merchants Box Co. manufactured a variety of wooden index card boxes in the 1960s.

I've seen some marked 1960 and 1962. Dates of manufacture? Sizes? Definitely 4x6".

Barbara Tuchman took her notes on four-by-six inch index cards.

She repeated the oft-advised mantra to only write on one side of a sheet.

What manual did she read this in? She specifically puts quotes on "Never write on the back of anything." so perhaps it might be something that could be tracked down?

Who was the earliest version of this quote? And was it always towards the idea of cutting up slips or pages and not wanting to lose material on the back? or did it also (later? when?) include ease-of-use and user interface features even when not cutting things up?

At what point did double sided become a thing for personal printed materials? Certainly out of a duty to minimize materials, but it also needed the ability to duplex print pages or photocopy them that way.

One wonders if Lipton kept or filed his questions or perhaps even reused some of the interesting generic ones the way he reused the questions he credited to Bernard Pivot?

Being born in 1926, he was certainly closer to the index card generation.

https://www.calendarsquick.com/printables/free.html

reply to u/Sensitive-Binding at https://www.reddit.com/r/antinet/comments/17ck5la/what_is_it_with_index_cards/

Some of it may involve the difference in available space versus other forms of writing on larger pages of paper. Similarly, many find that there is less pressure to write something short on Twitter or similar social media platforms because there is less space in the user interface that your mind feels the need to fill up. One can become paralyzed by looking at the larger open space on a platform like WordPress with the need to feel like they should write more.

With index cards you fill one up easily enough, and if there's more, you just grab another card and repeat.

cross reference with Fermat's Last Theorem being easier to suggest in a margin than actually writing it out in full.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMVUzlrSjiw

As an index card guy, you gotta love that their onboarding begins with index cards instead of paper....

https://aboard.com/

A card-based collaboration tool that leverages information visualization. Pinterest for collaborative teams with expandable data.

Looks interesting and I've got a beta invite, but not sure if it fits any of my needs, particularly with an eye toward note taking.

https://milanote.com/

David Lynch described the method from Frank Daniel (1926-1996) of the American Film Institute and Dean of advanced film studies who taught students to plot out their screenplays using 3 x 5" index cards. One would write out a total of 70 cards each with scene headings. Once fleshed out, one would have a complete screenplay.

via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yngWNmouhP0

https://notsubrand.com/

Notsu has a variety of 3 x 5" index card products for productivity and planning.

Zajímavý, jednoduchý způsob jak psát kartičky s poznámkami z četby.

etymology?

from card as in card catalogue? thus dis-card or un-card, remove a card and throw it away?

apparently attested in the 16th century from card games...

late 16th century (originally in the sense ‘reject (a playing card’)): from dis- (expressing removal) + the noun card

though one should keep in mind that playing cards were also used as early index cards for their small functionality

So we'll expect the notebook to be recommended over the index card?

"index card" doesn't appear in the text

https://www.ebay.com/itm/195958563431

A relatively uncommon 5 x 8" index card box from Yawman & Erbe.

Listed for $61.50 on 2023-08-31

https://kingjim.us/flatty-works<br /> Flatty Works A6 size horizontal case<br /> ~$24.00

Acquired green version 2023-04-07<br /> https://boffosocko.com/2023/04/20/review-of-king-jim-a6-size-horizontal-flatty-works-case-5460/

https://www.lochby.com/collections/frontpage/products/venture-pouch<br /> Lochby Venture Pouch<br /> $44.00

Acquired one of these in early 2023 on sale?

several internal sections including for pens. <br /> will easily fit a handful or so of 4 x 6" index cards for quick travel

https://www.rickshawbags.com/travelers-notebook-case#!/graphite/orange-420d-liner/flo-orange/no-mod/no-mod/flo-orange

Rickshaw Bags, Traveler's Notebook Case $59.00

https://www.jetpens.com/Delfonics-Carrying-Bag-M-A5-Dark-Denim/pd/37102

Delfonics Carrying Bag - M (A5) - Dark Denim<br /> $36.00

Perhaps a bit large, but could be used as a mini-portable office to hold a variety of things including 4 x 6" index cards for work on the go.

https://www.jetpens.com/Lihit-Lab-Altna-Carrying-Sleeve-Small-Gray/pd/24824<br /> Lihit Lab Altna Carrying Sleeve - Small - Gray<br /> $30.50

B6 is 4.9 x 6.9 inches, so just slightly larger than 4 x 6 inches

https://www.jetpens.com/Lihit-Lab-Smart-Fit-Carrying-Pouch-A6-Olive/pd/12378

Lihit Lab Smart Fit Carrying Pouch - A6 - Olive<br /> $21.50

https://www.jetpens.com/Delfonics-Carrying-Bag-S-A6-Dark-Blue/pd/38393<br /> Delfonics Carrying Bag - S (A6) - Dark Blue $32.00