| name | evergreen |
| description | Principles for creating evergreen notes - atomic, lasting insights that compound over time. Use when discussing note quality, what makes a good evergreen note, or the "only what was explored" principle. Tool-agnostic concepts that apply regardless of note-taking app. |
Evergreen Notes
Atomic insights that remain true and useful over time.
Atomicity
One claim per note. The title states the claim. If you can't write a complete statement title, decompose.
- Good: "Spaced repetition works because forgetting is desirable difficulty"
- Bad: "Spaced repetition"
Quality Bar
Include: Genuinely grasped, non-obvious, atomic, lasting value
Reject: Surface observations, vague generalizations, obvious statements, current-event descriptions
Core Principles
Only what was explored - The note reads "here's what you discovered, explained expertly."
- If something would illuminate understanding → stop and discuss first
- Deepen, don't expand
Self-contained - Makes sense when you've forgotten the original context.
Notes evolve - Not final artifacts. Revise as understanding deepens.
Concept-oriented - "How spaced repetition works" not "Notes from Make It Stick"
Links over folders - Connections create value; associative beats hierarchical.
Multiple Notes
Write in dependency order. If re-explaining → link instead. If concept repeats → extract.