The Atomic note represents a fundamental unit of knowledge. One single idea, no more no less.
To keep to this, Atomic Notes should be concept-based. There is no need for duplicate notes on the same concept, even if we know it by many names.1
The clear boundary stops the idea from spreading thin or mixing with others, we don’t want notes to be dependent (on other notes) or too complex. We want the connecting of ideas to be simple and uncluttered.
To play to the strengths of the Zettelkasten, atomic notes will Prefer associative links > indexed files. This keeps them free to intermingle regardless of subject or some other arbitrary border we box ideas into.
Because notes could theoretically be connected in any infinite number of ways, I choose to prefer High-fidelity association over loose tags. Though tags are much easier.
With these systems in place, qe can freely build from the ground up and allow our knowledge to accumulate (Knowledge systems should accrete).
Reference
How to Write a Mini-Essay and Atomic Notes Andy’s Working Notes
Footnotes
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(This can have some small problems but they’re more interesting than troublesome. See Same pattern; different name) ↩