Your Personal Second Brain Powered by Spaced Repetition

Hanazono is a powerful system designed to help you build your own "second brain" combining efficient note-taking with the proven learning principles of spaced repetition. Hanazono is a companion for retaining knowledge that matters.

The Motivation Behind Hanazono

As someone deeply passionate about learning, I immerse myself in research papers, podcasts, and videos. But like many, I struggled with one major challenge: retaining all that information. I found myself forgetting key points, even after diligently taking notes.

Inspired by the Leitner box method of spaced repetition, I wanted a system that would help me actively recall and retain knowledge over time. This personal need became the driving force behind Hanazono, my very own personal knowledge management system.

Building Hanazono turned out to be a win-win project. Not only did it solve my need for better knowledge retention, but it also gave me the opportunity to learn new technologies while creating the system. Instead of spending time simply learning new tools, I was actively applying them to build something I would use daily.

Key Features of Hanazono

Effortless Note-Taking: Write and organize your notes with ease using simple Markdown (.md) files.

Seamless Flashcard Creation: Turn notes into flashcards with a single step: just add a question to your notes and Hanazono does the rest.

??? question "How is engram sparsity conserved? How does it vary across brain regions?"
    Engram sparsity is conserved and controlled through neuronal competition.
    The degree of sparsity differs across various brain regions, with it being high in the hippocampus and low in the cortex.

Spaced Repetition Learning: Master your knowledge with daily quizzes, leveraging the Leitner system to optimize your learning and recall.
Optional AI Assistant: Accelerate your workflow with an integrated AI assistant, capable of generating notes and flashcards using cutting-edge language models.

Under the Hood: Technical Architecture

Hanazono is built with a strong technical foundation to ensure performance, scalability, and user-friendliness:

Frontend: Powered by MkDocs Material for a smooth writing and navigation experience.
Backend: Built with Django, managing the core business logic and data handling.
Database: Supports both SQLite3 for quick, standalone deployments, and PostgreSQL for more advanced, scalable needs.
Containerization: Easily deploy Hanazono anywhere with Docker, ensuring consistency across platforms.
AI Integration: Using Langchain and CrewAI, the AI assistant brings a layer of automation and intelligence to your workflow.

Deployment Options

Hanazono is designed to fit various needs, offering flexible deployment solutions:

Docker Compose (Recommended): Ideal for local environments or servers that support Docker.
Standalone: Perfect for free hosting on platforms like Render or Azure, using SQLite3 for easy database management.
PDM (For Developers): A development-friendly setup using PDM for efficient dependency management.

Why Hanazono Matters

Hanazono is a project that brings together my interest for learning, productivity, and software development. It’s a powerful and adaptable tool that I created to solve a personal problem: forgetting valuable information.

Since I started using Hanazono, my rapport with information has evolved. I find myself more selective and exigent about the content I engage with, focusing on what truly matters and prioritizing depth over breadth. Now, I consume less information overall but with greater intention. I primarily engage with material I know I’ll write a note about, ensuring that what I absorb is purposeful and contributes to my long-term understanding.