A knowledge management method where each note captures exactly one idea, enabling composable thinking and emergent connections across a personal knowledge graph.
Prerequisites
Thoughts are objects, not identity
Capture and Defuse a Thought in Obsidian
One idea per container
Split Compound Notes into Atomic Units
Unique identifiers prevent confusion
Add Unique Identifiers to Your Notes
The smallest useful unit
Calibrate Your Granularity Threshold
Atomicity enables recombination
Recombine Atomic Notes into a New Insight
Name things precisely
Rename Vague Notes into Precise Declarative Titles
Context belongs with the atom
Add Source-Spark-Connection Metadata to Existing Notes
Atomic does not mean isolated
Connect Isolated Notes into a Knowledge Network
Tags are lightweight relationships
Tag Ten Notes by Instinct Then Review the Emergent Patterns
Refactoring ideas improves thinking
Refactor a Tangled Note into Clean Atomic Units
Capture context not just content
Retrofit Five Notes with Source-Spark-Connection Context
Patterns exist at every scale
Map a Personal Pattern Across Three Scales in Obsidian
Look for patterns across domains
Map a Cross-Domain Pattern Using Atomic Notes in Obsidian
Seek disconfirming evidence
Document Disconfirming Evidence Using Atomic Notes in Obsidian
Other people are calibration instruments
Document Blind Spot Feedback in Obsidian Using Atomic Notes
Cultural context is invisible until crossed
Map Your Communication Norm Across Cultures in Obsidian
The same words mean different things to different people
Document Semantic Divergence Using Atomic Notes in Obsidian
Loss of context is loss of meaning
Reconstruct Context for a Decontextualized Claim in Obsidian
Externalize decisions not just information
Create a Decision Record in Notion
Externalize your reasoning chain
Map Your Decision Logic in Obsidian
Externalize your goals in writing
Externalize a Goal Using Implementation Intentions in Notion
Externalize your mental models
Diagram Your Career Mental Model in Obsidian