Quarterly
Schedule quarterly depreciation reviews where you scan captured notes and bookmarks for information that has exceeded its useful life, then either update with current data, archive with context, or delete entirely to prevent outdated information from corrupting current decisions.
When This Fires
- At the beginning of each quarter during scheduled knowledge base maintenance
- When a decision based on stored information produces an unexpected result (the info may be stale)
- After a major industry, market, or organizational change that invalidates stored knowledge
- When your knowledge base exceeds 200 notes and manual freshness tracking becomes impractical
Common Failure Mode
Reviewing only recent notes and assuming older notes are fine. The oldest notes are the most likely to have depreciated — and the most dangerous because you've forgotten their age and treat them as current. A systematic scan must cover the full knowledge base, not just recent additions.
The Protocol
Quarterly: (1) Scan all notes and bookmarks, focusing on time-sensitive domains (technology, market data, processes, contacts). (2) For each item, ask: "Is this still accurate?" (3) If still accurate → keep. If outdated but historically valuable → archive with "as of [date]" context. If outdated and not historically valuable → delete. (4) Pay special attention to notes that inform recurring decisions — these are the highest-risk items if they've deprecated without updating.