(For readers of Bob Doto’s system – integrating PDFs into the note‑making workflow)
The real magic happens in how these note types interact within a continuous workflow.
"Okay, get out."
Most writers see the PDF as a tomb. You export, you seal, you send. But what if the PDF were a sandbox — a space where text can shift, annotations become new sentences, and highlights are not merely marks but generative triggers ? bob doto a system for writing pdf
"In Doto, there is no collision. There is only order." Bob typed a string that looked like poetry: >> doto --flow vertical --priority footnote:absolute
Doto emphasizes "atomic" notes—meaning each note should contain one, and only one, idea. This allows you to combine and rearrange notes in unforeseen ways later, enabling "wild thinking." 2. The Three Types of Notes
: Transform raw notes into permanent "Main Notes" with unique alphanumeric IDs (folgezettel) and link them to existing ideas to spark new insights. (For readers of Bob Doto’s system – integrating
Print the PDF. Physically cut it into paragraphs, headings, captions, and orphaned lines. Drop them into a box. Shake. Pull out 20 slips. Arrange them in the order pulled. Scan that arrangement back into a new PDF. That new PDF is your first draft. Rewrite it with the goal of making the non-sequiturs feel inevitable. This is not randomness — it is constraint as collaborator .
Bob didn't smile. He tapped the device. A holographic interface bloomed in the air between them, a swirling vortex of brackets, slashes, and vector paths. It looked less like a word processor and more like a bomb disposal schematic.
Doto broke writing down into distinct phases: Collection , Processing , and Output . He spoke of the "Evergreen Note," the "Literature Note," and the "Project Note." He demystified the Austrian sociologist Niklas Luhmann’s famous slip-box, stripping away the mystique to reveal the mechanics. But what if the PDF were a sandbox
Cannot be backed up easily; takes up physical space; requires manual filing. The Digital Approach (Obsidian, Logseq, etc.)
: Each of the 10 chapters ends with checklists of "things to do," "things to remember," and "things to watch out for".
The PDF as Oblique Sandbox: A System for Writing That Breathes
This is distinct from simply copying quotes. Doto emphasizes that "quotes are not notes". The act of rewriting ideas in your own words is what transforms external information into internal understanding.
The system is built on a non-hierarchical network where notes are "active thinking tools" rather than just passive storage.