Use a PDF reader that supports standard highlights and comments.
💡 Stop treating PDFs as digital paper. Treat them as data sources to be mined, atomized, and reconnected within your personal writing ecosystem. To help you implement this specific workflow today: Specific software you currently use for PDFs?
Convert those notes into "Permanent Notes" in your own voice. Link notes to create a web of ideas. Phase 1: Engaging with the PDF bob doto a system for writing pdf
For most researchers, the PDF is the primary unit of information. However, a PDF is often a "silo"—information goes in, but it rarely interacts with your other thoughts. Doto’s system breaks these silos.
you do (academic, creative, or professional)? Current biggest bottleneck in your writing process? Use a PDF reader that supports standard highlights
A markdown-based app that allows for the "graph view" connections Doto champions.
At the heart of Bob Doto’s system is the belief that writing is not the result of thinking, but the process of thinking itself. He emphasizes "Personal Knowledge Management" (PKM) as a way to engage deeply with texts. Instead of passive reading, Doto suggests a rigorous pipeline: Capture fleeting thoughts immediately. Extract "Literature Notes" from your sources (like PDFs). To help you implement this specific workflow today:
While the system is "tool-agnostic," certain software fits the Doto philosophy better than others.