Progressive summarization is just-in-time only — apply…

Apply progressive summarization layers only to notes you revisit for specific purposes, never in batch processing sessions, to ensure layers reflect actual utility rather than speculative importance.

When This Fires

When tempted to spend a block of time "processing" or "organizing" your notes
When designing your note-processing workflow and scheduling when layers get applied
When you feel guilty about having many un-processed notes in your system
The critical timing constraint for Bold 10-20% of a note's text on first revisit — select… (bold), Highlight 10-20% of bolded passages on subsequent revisits… (highlight), and Write a 3-5 sentence executive summary at the top… (summary)

Common Failure Mode

"Note processing Sundays": dedicating time to batch-process accumulated notes. This feels productive (you're "getting organized!") but wastes time on notes that will never be needed while potentially missing the notes that would benefit most (which surface through use, not through batch scanning).

The Protocol

(1) Capture notes freely without any processing at capture time. Raw capture is fast and should stay fast. (2) When a note naturally resurfaces — through search, browsing, or memory — and you open it for a specific purpose, that's the moment to apply the next progressive summarization layer. (3) First revisit → apply bold (Bold 10-20% of a note's text on first revisit — select…). Second revisit → apply highlight (Highlight 10-20% of bolded passages on subsequent revisits…). Third+ revisit → consider executive summary (Write a 3-5 sentence executive summary at the top…). (4) Notes that are never revisited receive zero processing effort. This is correct: they haven't demonstrated value and don't deserve investment. (5) Resist the urge to "get ahead." An unprocessed note costs nothing. A note processed for no reason costs your time and attention with no return.