Quarterly: scan notes for expired information — update, archive with context, or delete
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has exceeded its useful life, then either update with current data, archive with context, or delete entirely to prevent outdated information from corrupting current decisions.
Why This Is a Rule
Information depreciates. A market analysis from 2023 is misleading in 2026. A technology comparison between frameworks becomes obsolete when major versions ship. A process document describing "how we work" drifts from reality within months. But outdated information doesn't disappear — it sits in your knowledge base, indistinguishable from current information, ready to corrupt decisions when it's retrieved.
Quarterly depreciation reviews are the knowledge-management equivalent of financial depreciation schedules: scheduled assessments of whether stored information still has value. For each flagged item, three actions are available: Update (replace outdated data with current), Archive with context (mark as historical, add "as of [date]" context so it can't be mistaken for current), or Delete (remove entirely if no historical value).
The quarterly cadence balances thoroughness against overhead. Monthly reviews are too frequent for most knowledge bases. Annual reviews allow too much stale information to accumulate and corrupt 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 If outdated but historically valuable → archive with "as of [date]" context. If outdated and not historically valuable → delete.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.