Concepts
The irreducible epistemic atoms underlying the curriculum. 4,828 atoms across 8 types
Create a ready-to-resume plan before any task switch…
Create a ready-to-resume plan before any task switch by externalizing current cognitive state, unresolved elements, and next concrete action to close the mental loop and free working memory.
Distinguish between thoughts that confirm existing beliefs…
Distinguish between thoughts that confirm existing beliefs and thoughts that contradict current models, capturing only the latter as genuine learning signals.
Make commitments active (written/spoken), public (visible…
Make commitments active (written/spoken), public (visible to others), and voluntary (not coerced) to maximize binding force through consistency pressure.
Create precommitment devices that impose costs…
Create precommitment devices that impose costs on your future self for deviating from chosen actions, because your future self operates under different constraints than your current self.
Force complete articulation in writing to detect the gap…
Force complete articulation in writing to detect the gap between felt understanding and actual understanding, because the act of generation reveals what passive recognition conceals.
Converge multiple capture channels into a single review…
Converge multiple capture channels into a single review inbox during scheduled consolidation sessions, because distributed capture without convergence creates unreviewed graveyards rather than usable knowledge.
Engage in retrieval practice rather than passive re-reading…
Engage in retrieval practice rather than passive re-reading during review, because effortful reconstruction strengthens memory while recognition produces only false familiarity.
Build higher-order cognitive systems only after establishing
Build higher-order cognitive systems only after establishing reliable perception infrastructure, because all downstream processing depends on the quality and completeness of captured input.
Break complex information into separate containers of 3-5…
Break complex information into separate containers of 3-5 independently meaningful units to match working memory architecture.
Design note containers to be self-contained enough…
Design note containers to be self-contained enough that updating one idea does not force changes to unrelated ideas stored in the same container.
Structure each note as a self-contained claim…
Structure each note as a self-contained claim that can be understood without its original context rather than as a topic requiring surrounding material for comprehension.
Assign each distinct idea a permanent, unchanging identifier
Assign each distinct idea a permanent, unchanging identifier before writing content to enable unambiguous reference across time and contexts.
Decompose complex ideas into component parts until…
Decompose complex ideas into component parts until you encounter specific points where your understanding fails, as these uncertainty points reveal epistemic gaps that global assessments conceal.
Structure complex work into hierarchical subsystems…
Structure complex work into hierarchical subsystems of stable intermediate components to enable parallel development and minimize cascade failures from interruptions.
Structure notes as vertical slices that include claim, key…
Structure notes as vertical slices that include claim, key evidence, and implication rather than horizontal slices that capture only one layer of reasoning.
When a challenge to one component of your position triggers…
When a challenge to one component of your position triggers defense of the entire position, treat this as a diagnostic signal that you are still treating compound assumptions as a monolith requiring decomposition.
Before committing resources to a strategic plan, extract…
Before committing resources to a strategic plan, extract every assumption the plan depends on, rank them by importance and uncertainty, and design checkpoints that test critical assumptions first.
When faced with a difficult evaluative question, explicitly…
When faced with a difficult evaluative question, explicitly identify whether you are answering the target question or a substituted easier proxy before committing to the judgment.
Design knowledge systems with standardized interfaces…
Design knowledge systems with standardized interfaces between atomic units to enable recombination without requiring knowledge of internal implementation.
When a concept resists precise naming, treat that resistance
When a concept resists precise naming, treat that resistance as a diagnostic signal revealing incomplete understanding rather than a labeling problem.
Name concepts using complete declarative statements…
Name concepts using complete declarative statements that make falsifiable claims rather than topic labels to enable direct composition and evaluation.
Design note titles to anticipate retrieval queries…
Design note titles to anticipate retrieval queries by matching the natural language your future self would use when searching for that concept.
Establish domain-specific ubiquitous language where each…
Establish domain-specific ubiquitous language where each concept maps to exactly one term and each term maps to exactly one concept to eliminate translation overhead.
Store claims and their supporting evidence as separate…
Store claims and their supporting evidence as separate addressable nodes linked explicitly rather than fused into single annotated statements.