Give questions the same structural treatment as answers…
Store well-formed questions as first-class atoms in your knowledge system with the same structural treatment (unique identifiers, bidirectional links, metadata) as claims and answers, because questions organize attention and generate persistent search filters.
When This Fires
- A question arises that you can't answer immediately but want to pursue
- During research when open questions accumulate alongside answers
- Setting up a knowledge system and deciding what types of atoms to support
- Reviewing your knowledge base and noticing that questions are scattered or missing
Common Failure Mode
Storing questions as unstructured text in journal entries or meeting notes. The question is written once, never linked to anything, never found again, and eventually forgotten. It had no identifier, so nothing could reference it. It had no links, so related evidence never attached to it. The question existed for one session and then died.
The Protocol
When a well-formed question arises: (1) Create a new atom with the question as its content. (2) Assign a unique identifier (same scheme as your other notes). (3) Link it to related notes — topics it touches, partial answers you already have, other questions in the same domain. (4) Add metadata: date opened, domain, priority, current status (open/partially-answered/resolved). (5) Review open questions periodically. The questions that persist across multiple reviews are the ones organizing your most important thinking.