Evergreen vs Fleeting Notes
Table of Contents
Sparks belong in fleeting notes; trusted claims belong in evergreen, with a clear path between them.
Key Concept
- Two speeds, one promotion rule.
- Fleeting notes catch sparks you would lose by Friday; evergreen notes hold claims you would cite next year.
- The stake is rot - sparks that never promote clutter the inbox, and forcing everything evergreen buries what was only true this week.
- Note Maturity is the path between: capture fast, promote when the idea survives a second read.
Level 1 - Recognize
Evergreen vs fleeting notes are two speeds on one desk - quick capture in the tray, trusted claims in the cabinet after promotion earns it.
Level 2 - Explain
Quick notes catch ideas you might lose this week; slow notes hold what you trust next year - capture fast in the tray, promote when the claim survives a second read.
Level 3 - Use
Capture fast in fleeting; promote only when you would trust the claim next year - forcing everything evergreen buries what was only true this week.
Level 4 - Connect
Note Maturity is the path between - fleeting catches what might vanish this week; evergreen holds what you would cite next year after promotion earns it.
Level 5 - Create
Build one promotion rule that moves repeated sparks into trusted claims, adds their links, and leaves short-lived fragments in the fleeting lane.
Examples
- I promoted a hot take about last night's game into the garden and winced rereading it six months later - sparks belong on the fridge, not in permanence.
- The shift manager's scribble about today's rush stays on the clipboard; the safety rule we cite in training every quarter lives in the binder.
Note Relationships
| Relationship | Wikilink | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| contradicts | Evergreen Notes | when both lanes beat forcing everything evergreen |
| extends | Note Maturity | Stages a note passes through - future lifecycle note |
| extends | Take Smart Notes | Ahrens three-bucket split matches fleeting vs permanent lanes |
