The irreducible epistemic atoms underlying the curriculum. 4,828 atoms across 8 types and 2 molecules
Route actionable information to a task management system and reference information to a separate reference system, never mixing the two in the same storage location.
Capture every action item with a specific next physical action (not 'handle client project' but 'email Sarah the revised timeline') to eliminate re-processing friction at execution time.
Organize action items by context of execution (@computer, @phone, @errands) rather than by project, because you execute tasks based on where you are and what tools you have available.
Maintain a separate Waiting For list tracking items delegated to others with delegation date and expected completion date, reviewing it weekly to follow up on overdue items.
Perform information triage by spending no more than 3 minutes scanning the full landscape of waiting items before processing any single item, sorting into urgent-high-value, high-value-not-urgent, low-value, and discard categories.
During triage, scan subject lines and senders without opening items or reading full content, because reading during triage collapses sorting into reactive processing.
After reading any segment of approximately 500 words, close the source and write 1-3 sentences capturing the core idea in your own words before continuing.
Every new permanent note must link to at least one existing note in your system, forcing you to identify relationships at the moment of creation rather than deferring connection to future review.
Write each permanent note to be comprehensible to your future self six months from now without access to the source, eliminating context-dependent shorthand and 'see above' references.
Create spaced repetition cards testing exactly one atomic fact per card with answers under one sentence, because cards testing multiple components produce vague retrieval that the algorithm cannot accurately schedule.
Add 5-10 new spaced repetition cards per day when maintaining a mature system, as this moderate pace produces a daily review load of 50-100 cards taking 10-15 minutes.
Create spaced repetition cards only for information you have already understood through processing, not for definitions you cannot explain, because memorization without comprehension produces brittle unusable memory.
Assign explicit expiration dates to time-sensitive information at the moment of capture using the format 'expires:YYYY-MM-DD' or equivalent, rather than attempting to remember which items are time-bound.
Err toward shorter expiration windows when uncertain about information lifespan, setting expiration at 3 months if unsure rather than 1 year, because expired items can be renewed while accumulated stale information cannot be easily detected.
Conduct monthly expiration sweeps reviewing all items whose expiration dates have passed and either archive/delete if expired or renew with new expiration date if still relevant.
Mark genuinely timeless material (principles, frameworks, mental models valid for decades) as 'evergreen' or 'no-expiry' rather than assigning artificial expiration dates that create unnecessary maintenance.
Classify information into four expiration categories at capture time: expires within 1 week, 1-6 months, 1-5 years, or evergreen, to standardize expiration decisions and reduce cognitive load.
When search returns results from your information system, evaluate each candidate by reading only the bolded or highlighted passages from progressive summarization rather than scanning full text.
Write note titles using the natural-language words you would type when searching for that information, not abstract labels or jargon, to maximize searchability.
Flatten folder hierarchies by moving contents of folders containing fewer than 5 items up one level, as such folders are structural overhead with minimal retrieval benefit.
Bold 10-20% of a note's text on first revisit by selecting only passages that capture core ideas, making subsequent scans 5-10x faster than reading full text.
From bolded passages, highlight 10-20% that are most relevant to your current purpose on subsequent revisits, creating a second layer of compression targeted to your active needs.
Write an executive summary of 3-5 sentences at the top of a note only after it has been revisited 3-4 times, as this frequency indicates the note has proven its importance through actual use.
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.