Last week I published an introductory guide to level 0 of my AI PKM framework which I’m currently developing. But the framework also has levels 1 and 2, which I’ll be covering in a later post aimed at more experienced users.
This raises the question: how do you know when you’re ready? The aim of this blog post is to answer this question before I publish my introductory guide to levels 1 and 2.
Self Assessment: Are You Ready for Levels 1 and 2?
My AI PKM framework is built around the Zettelkasten method, so some of the questions use common Zettelkasten terminology. However, the concepts should work with other PKM frameworks such as digital gardens.
The Assessment Questions
Currently the framework consists of five diagnostic questions:
- Can you write permanent notes in your own words without AI assistance?
- Do you instinctively look for connections when creating new notes?
- Can you identify knowledge gaps as they emerge?
- Do you understand the difference between AI as starting point vs AI as answer?
- Have you resisted the urge to let AI write your literature notes?
Positive Indicators That You Can Move onto Levels 1 and 2
These signs below act as indicators on whether you’re ready to move onto the next phase or not:
- Writing permanent notes feels natural
- You add backlinks before thinking about AI suggestions
- You can articulate why the three red lines matter
- You’ve developed your own processing rhythm
- Friction in the process feels productive, not frustrating
These factors are what makes the Zettelkasten a gym for your cognitive workout. The creating of permanent notes and the linking of the ideas they represent help you to embed these ideas and the connections between them over time.
It also acts as an external store of your knowledge—an external schema that can be accessed by AI, giving it context on how you think. If you let the AI add to this schema you’re letting your cognitive abilities decline. That’s why the three red lines matter:
- Write your own literature notes – This is the first step in processing the source or fleeting notes of the ideas you capture, where you start to reduce them down to the core ideas of what you consumed. I find it helps me to write my permanent notes.
- Write your own permanent notes using your own words – This helps you to make the idea your own as it forces you to process the core idea.
- Link your own notes – One of the core ways we learn is by linking related ideas in our own minds. Linking in your notes simulates this process. After adding your own links, it’s worth checking the AI at times as on occasions it will offer a link you’d forgotten, but it makes sense to add it. Who knows? It might trigger another idea.
Warning Signs (You’re Not Yet Ready to Proceed)
I wanted to include a few of the signs that could be indicating that you’re not yet ready to move onto the next stage of the framework:
- You find it difficult to write your own permanent notes. This could be due to being new to keeping a Zettelkasten, but if you use AI as a writing tool it would likely impact this ability as well.
- Accepting AI suggestions without questioning. Especially within your PKM—it’s your thinking tool!
- Notes starting to sound generic. This is either due to a lack of understanding on your part or what some research seems to indicate is the averaging function of AI.
- Relying on AI to find connections.
- Skipping the thinking process to get to the “answer”. This depends on the context, but if it’s a core area of interest, it’s a problem. Using AI to answer the occasional quick query shouldn’t be a problem.
The thing is, we shouldn’t just be looking out for these warning signs when considering if we’re moving onto levels 1 and 2. We should be considering them at all times. That’s why I’m planning to review how I’m using AI quarterly. It’s an ever-present temptation.
I’m planning to publish an update off the back of these reviews. You can expect the first one in April after my review of the first quarter in 2026. Sign up to my monthly newsletter to be kept up to date on new content.
The Readiness Checklist
This practical checklist emphasises skill development rather than time spent at Level 0:
- [ ] I can write literature notes from source material independently
- [ ] I write permanent notes in my own words
- [ ] I make connections between notes before consulting AI
- [ ] I understand why friction is valuable in learning
- [ ] I can distinguish between helpful AI assistance and cognitive offloading
- [ ] The Zettelkasten process feels embedded, not forced
If you can honestly tick each point in this checklist, you’re ready to move onto levels 1 and 2, which I’ll link to once I have published the post.
Conclusion
You should now have some understanding of why I’ve separated my framework into different levels and how to determine if you’re ready to move onto levels 1 and 2.
If you’re not ready yet, keep working on developing your Zettelkasten and AI skills and you’ll get there. There’s no rush—Level 0 is where the real foundation gets built, and that foundation is worth taking the time to establish properly. I’ll link to other resources to help you.
Further Reading
Research papers
- The impact of generative AI on critical thinking: Research paper on the impact of generative AI on critical thinking
- Introduction to my AI Knowledge Framework level 0: Blog post introducing Level 0 of my framework
- Introductory guide to Zettelkasten: My Introductory guide to the Zettelkasten method.