Maps of Content
A MOC is a curated index of notes on a topic - not a folder list, a table of contents I write by hand.
- MOC
- Maps of Content
- PKM
- Linking
- Organization
- Second Brain
Notes
- Home /
- Notes
Getting Started
How my linked notes garden works on this site - atomic claims, wikilinks, and a public graph.
- Notes
- Meta
Active Knowledge Curation
Saving links isn't curation. Here's how I try to keep notes useful - revisiting, pruning, and connecting what I actually care about.
- PKM
- Curation
- Note Taking
- Second Brain
- Knowledge Management
- Productivity
Advantages of Digital Gardens
A digital garden grows in public - messy, linked, alive. Here's why I prefer that over polishing every thought into a finished essay.
- Digital Garden
- PKM
- Publishing
- Note Taking
- Second Brain
- Ideas
Building a Second Brain
My brain is for having ideas, not storing them. A Second Brain is the system that holds them - starting with capture.
- Second Brain
- PKM
- Note Taking
- Productivity
- TiddlyWiki
- Tiago Forte
- CODE Method
- Knowledge Management
- Capture
- Personal Wiki
- Information Architecture
Analog Capture Tools
I love my wiki, but sometimes paper wins - meetings, sermons, the pocket notebook that survives a dead phone battery.
- Analog
- Capture
- Note Taking
- Bullet Journal
- PKM
- Productivity
Capture
Capture is where PKM lives or dies. I save what resonates, not everything I see - and I keep one inbox I actually trust.
- Capture
- PKM
- Second Brain
- CODE Method
- Note Taking
- Productivity
Associative Linking
Folders sort. Links think. Here's how I use associative linking so notes meet each other without me remembering every filename.
- Linking
- PKM
- Zettelkasten
- Note Taking
- Second Brain
- Digital Garden
Evergreen Notes
I write evergreen notes to stay useful - timeless phrasing, clear claims, updated when reality changes.
- Evergreen Notes
- PKM
- Note Taking
- Zettelkasten
- Second Brain
- Writing
Anti-Fragile Systems
Fragile systems break when an app shuts down. I try to build note workflows that get stronger under stress - plain files, open formats, owned exports.
- PKM
- Anti-Fragile
- Local First
- Productivity
- Note Taking
- Future Proofing
Atomic Design for Notes
Brad Frost's atomic design is for UI components. I borrowed the idea for notes - one idea per file, combinable later. Here's how that changed my wiki.
- Atomic Notes
- PKM
- Note Taking
- Zettelkasten
- Information Architecture
- Second Brain
PKM
PKM is the boring name for how I save, organize, and use what I learn. Here's my unspectacular definition.
- PKM
- Personal Knowledge Management
- Second Brain
- Note Taking
- Productivity
- Learning
Creative Output
Notes are inventory. Output is the point - blog posts, sermons, code, dinner experiments. Here's how I push from archive to shipped.
- Creative Output
- Express
- PKM
- Writing
- Second Brain
- Publishing
Zettelkasten
Zettelkasten is one idea per note, dense links, writing from the network.
- Zettelkasten
- PKM
- Atomic Notes
- Linking
- Luhmann
- Note Taking
Creative Blocks
I have thousands of notes and still stare at a blank page sometimes. Creative blocks aren't solved by more capture - here's what actually unsticks me.
- Creative Blocks
- Writing
- PKM
- Productivity
- Express
- Second Brain
Atomic Notes
One idea per note, written to stand alone and link freely - not mini blog posts.
- Atomic Notes
- Zettelkasten
- PKM
- Note Taking
- Second Brain
- Linking
Drafting in Public
I publish rough ideas before they're finished. Drafting in public keeps me honest and makes the garden grow.
- Drafting in Public
- Digital Garden
- Publishing
- PKM
- Writing
- Blogging
Periodic Knowledge Review
Notes rot without review. I calendar weekly and quarterly passes - inbox, projects, evergreens.
- Review
- PKM
- Weekly Review
- Maintenance
- Second Brain
- Habits
Bullet Journaling
I don't bullet journal for pretty spreads. I use rapid logging when digital capture feels slow - tasks, events, notes on paper, migrated weekly.
- Bullet Journal
- Analog
- Productivity
- Note Taking
- PKM
- Planning
Context-Aware Capture
A link without context is a mystery six weeks later. I try to capture why I saved something - project, mood, question - while it's still obvious.
- Capture
- PKM
- Context
- Note Taking
- Second Brain
- Metadata
Digital Garden
My digital garden is a personal site where notes grow in public - linked, imperfect, alive.
- Digital Garden
- PKM
- Publishing
- Wiki
- Second Brain
- TiddlyWiki
Organization
Organization in PKM isn't a perfect tree - it's enough structure to find things when life gets loud.
- Organization
- PARA
- PKM
- Productivity
- Note Taking
- Structure
PARA Method
PARA is how I sort notes by life responsibility - not by topic alphabet soup. Four buckets, clear questions.
- PARA
- Tiago Forte
- PKM
- Organization
- Second Brain
- Productivity
Second Brain Daily Workflow
A Second Brain isn't only notes for me - it's how I move through the day: middle-click tabs, curated feeds, and faster learning loops.
- Second Brain
- Workflow
- Browser Tips
- Productivity
- PKM
- RSS
- Middle Click
- Daily Routine
- Information Diet
- Learning
- Tab Management
The Archive Method
Archive isn't delete. It's moving finished work out of active PARA so today's projects breathe.
- Archive
- PARA
- Organization
- PKM
- Projects
- Productivity
Distraction-Free Writing
Fullscreen, plain text, notifications off. I don't need a special app - I need fewer excuses to leave the sentence.
- Writing
- Focus
- Distraction Free
- Productivity
- PKM
- Markdown
Evergreen vs Fleeting Notes
Fleeting notes catch sparks. Evergreen notes hold truth. I need both lanes and a clear promotion path.
- Evergreen Notes
- Fleeting Notes
- PKM
- Note Taking
- Review
- Zettelkasten
Mobile Capture Workflows
Most sparks die on mobile because capture takes twelve taps. I reduced mine to share sheet → inbox.
- Mobile
- Capture
- Workflow
- PKM
- Productivity
- Note Taking
RSS for Research
RSS is how I research without Twitter. Subscribe to blogs, clip to notes, ignore the rest.
- RSS
- Research
- PKM
- Information Diet
- Feeds
- Learning
Digital Serendipity
Serendipity isn't random luck for me - it's building a system where old notes surprise me at the right time.
- Serendipity
- PKM
- Second Brain
- Linking
- Review
- Discovery
From Note to Book
Books aren't written; they're compiled. My path from atomic notes to long-form is outline, link, expand.
- Writing
- Books
- PKM
- Evergreen Notes
- Publishing
- Assembly
Future-Proofing Knowledge
Future-proofing isn't predicting tech for me. It's plain text, open tools, and exports I test before I need them.
- Future Proofing
- PKM
- Markdown
- Local First
- Backup
- Note Taking
Local-first Software
Local-first means my device holds the truth; sync is optional icing. That's how I want my brain's backup to behave.
- Local First
- PKM
- Sync
- Privacy
- Note Taking
- Offline
Mental Models List
Mental models are shortcuts for thinking. I keep a short list of ones that survived contact with real decisions - not every model on Wikipedia.
- Mental Models
- Thinking
- PKM
- Decision Making
- MOC
- Learning
Synthesis as a Goal
Collecting quotes isn't PKM for me. Synthesis is merging sources into what I believe and can defend.
- Synthesis
- PKM
- Writing
- Research
- Second Brain
- Express
Daily Notes
Daily notes are my scratch pad for the day - tasks, fragments, links. Not a diary. Not permanent by default.
- Daily Notes
- PKM
- Journaling
- Productivity
- Note Taking
- Review
Digital Minimalism
Fewer apps, fewer sync layers, fewer notifications. My PKM got better when I stopped collecting tools.
- Digital Minimalism
- PKM
- Productivity
- Focus
- Note Taking
- Tools
GTD vs PARA
GTD runs my tasks. PARA runs my notes. They're cousins, not competitors - here's how I use both without doubling admin.
- GTD
- PARA
- Productivity
- PKM
- Tiago Forte
- David Allen
Interstitial Journaling
Between meetings and deep work, I jot what just happened and what's next. Interstitial journaling clears the buffer.
- Journaling
- Interstitial
- Productivity
- Focus
- PKM
- Workflow
Note-Taking for Researchers
Researchers drown in PDF highlights. I borrow lit-review habits: source notes, synthesis notes, never merge the two.
- Research
- Note Taking
- Academic
- Zettelkasten
- Citations
- PKM
Building a Personal API
My personal API isn't OAuth and microservices. It's structured context for future me and my tools without re-explaining everything.
- Personal API
- PKM
- Automation
- Second Brain
- AI
- Knowledge Management
Curation as Creation
Selecting, ordering, and framing notes is creative work. I stopped treating curation as housekeeping.
- Curation
- PKM
- Creation
- Note Taking
- MOC
- Second Brain
E2EE Security
End-to-end encryption matters when my notes are actually private. I balance convenience with what I'm willing to store in plain text.
- E2EE
- Security
- Privacy
- PKM
- Encryption
- Note Taking
Intellectual Sourcing
I cite sources in notes not for academia - so I can trust my own synthesis and find the original six months later.
- Sourcing
- Citations
- PKM
- Research
- Note Taking
- Integrity
Mind Mapping
Mind maps are for the messy first pass - branches, bubbles, relationships. I export to atomic notes after, not instead.
- Mind Mapping
- Visual Thinking
- PKM
- Brainstorming
- Note Taking
- Planning
Privacy and Data Sovereignty
I want to control where my notes live, who can read them, and how they leave my machine.
- Privacy
- Data Sovereignty
- Security
- PKM
- Self Hosting
- Local First
Serendipitous Resurfacing
I design for resurfacing - old notes beat systems that only search what I remember to search for.
- Serendipity
- Resurfacing
- PKM
- Review
- Second Brain
- Discovery
Signal vs Noise
Most content is noise. PKM fails if capture doesn't filter. I save signal - stuff that changes action or belief.
- Signal vs Noise
- Information Diet
- PKM
- Capture
- Focus
- Curation
Slip-box History
The slip-box (Zettelkasten) wasn't magic software - Luhmann's physical note cards and links. History helps separate myth from method.
- Zettelkasten
- Slip-box
- History
- Luhmann
- PKM
- Note Taking
Slow Productivity
Slow productivity pushes back on busy-as-virtue. I run fewer active projects so notes become output, not backlog.
- Slow Productivity
- Cal Newport
- PKM
- Focus
- Productivity
- Deep Work
The Garage Concept
The garage holds tools, scraps, experiments. The showroom is the blog. I don't confuse the two.
- Garage Concept
- Digital Garden
- PKM
- Publishing
- Workflow
- Privacy
The Power of Interconnectivity
A note's value for me lives in what it connects to. Interconnectivity turns files into a network I think inside.
- Interconnectivity
- Linking
- PKM
- Graph
- Second Brain
- Network
The Second Brain Workflow
CODE and PARA in one loop: capture to inbox, organize by project, distill on use, express weekly.
- Second Brain
- Workflow
- CODE Method
- PARA
- PKM
- Productivity
Weekly Review Checklists
My weekly review is a checklist - inbox, calendar, projects, one express action. Boring on purpose.
- Weekly Review
- Checklist
- GTD
- PKM
- PARA
- Habits
First Principles Thinking
When a note is just a quote from someone smarter, I add a section: what do I actually believe from scratch?
- First Principles
- Thinking
- PKM
- Mental Models
- Note Taking
- Synthesis
Formatting for Readability
Dense walls of text don't get reread. I format notes like I'd format a post - headings, bullets, bold for the point.
- Formatting
- Readability
- Markdown
- Note Taking
- PKM
- Writing
Graph View Analytics
Graph view looks sci-fi. Mostly I use it to find orphans, hubs, and notes I forgot to link.
- Graph View
- PKM
- Obsidian
- Linking
- Analytics
- Note Taking
Metadata Strategy
Tags, categories, dates, aliases - metadata should help me find notes, not become a second job.
- Metadata
- Tags
- PKM
- Organization
- Taxonomy
- Note Taking
Newsletter Filtering
Newsletters are RSS with delivery guilt. I filter them to a label, batch read weekly, clip what resonates.
- Newsletter
- RSS
- Filtering
- PKM
- Information Diet
The Collector's Fallacy
Collecting articles feels like progress. It isn't. The collector's fallacy bit me until I tied saves to express deadlines.
- Collectors Fallacy
- PKM
- Capture
- Learning
- Productivity
- Express
The Trusted Inbox
If I don't trust my inbox, I capture in my head instead. One pipe, weekly empty, no exceptions.
- Inbox
- GTD
- Capture
- PKM
- Trust
- Workflow
The Zettelkasten Myth
Luhmann's output wasn't copy-paste from buying the right notebook. The Zettelkasten myth oversells tools and undersells writing.
- Zettelkasten
- Myth
- PKM
- Productivity
- Writing
- Luhmann
Visual Thinking
Some thoughts need boxes and arrows before words. Visual thinking in PKM means diagrams beside Markdown.
- Visual Thinking
- Diagrams
- PKM
- Mind Mapping
- Excalidraw
- Creativity
Collaborative Knowledge
Most of my notes are solo. But teams need shared context too - here's what I look for when knowledge has more than one author.
- Collaboration
- PKM
- Knowledge Management
- Teams
- Documentation
- Second Brain
Progressive Summarization
I don't rewrite whole notes when I distill - bold, then highlight, then summarize when I reuse.
- Progressive Summarization
- Tiago Forte
- PKM
- Distill
- Note Taking
- CODE Method
Spaced Repetition
Spaced repetition schedules reviews before I forget. I use it for facts I need cold, not for whole wiki pages.
- Spaced Repetition
- SRS
- Anki
- Learning
- Memory
- PKM
Spaced Repetition Systems (SRS)
SRS apps implement the algorithm; I supply the discipline. Here's how I fit Anki beside my wiki without merging them.
- SRS
- Spaced Repetition
- Anki
- Learning
- Memory
- Tools
The 12 Week Year
Twelve-week years compress annual goals into quarters I actually feel. I map wiki projects to 12-week arcs.
- 12 Week Year
- Planning
- Goals
- PKM
- Projects
- Productivity
The Future of PKM
AI, agents, new apps - PKM hype cycles spin. The future still looks like capture, connect, create, with better search.
- Future of PKM
- AI
- PKM
- Trends
- Second Brain
- Tools
The Knowledge Lifecycle
Ideas have lifecycles: capture, active use, evergreen, decay, archive. PKM should match the stage.
- Knowledge Lifecycle
- PKM
- Archive
- Evergreen Notes
- Workflow
- Organization
There Is No Perfect Solution
Waiting for the perfect tool, plan, or answer feels responsible. It's often the nirvana fallacy. Here's why I choose good-enough tradeoffs on purpose.
- Decision Making
- Tradeoffs
- Productivity
- Mindset
- Nirvana Fallacy
- Good Enough
- Problem Solving
- Prioritization
- Perfectionism
Process Over Outcomes
Results matter - but optimizing only for outcomes wins once. Optimizing for a repeatable process wins again and again.
- James Clear
- Process
- Habits
- Mindset
- Atomic Habits
- Systems Thinking
- Goal Setting
- Continuous Improvement
- Self Improvement
The Feynman Technique
I explain notes like I'm teaching someone - gaps in my explanation show gaps in understanding.
- Feynman Technique
- Learning
- PKM
- Teaching
- Understanding
- Writing