Why does override inheritance fail?

The most common reason override inheritance fails: You notice exceptions but leave them implicit, trusting your memory to handle the special cases. Over time, the exceptions multiply. You stop trusting the parent category because too many children violate its assumptions, but you never articulate which assumptions break or why. The hierarchy becomes decoration — technically present but functionally ignored.

The fix: Open your knowledge system and find a category, tag, or folder where at least one item doesn't fully belong — it inherited assumptions from its parent that don't hold. Write a one-sentence override statement on that item: 'Unlike [parent category], this item [specific difference].' Notice how the override makes the exception legible instead of silently confusing your future self.

The underlying principle is straightforward: Sometimes a child needs to differ from its parent — explicit override is cleaner than implicit exception.