Boundaries for a working slip-box system

Keeping the slip-box system effective requires being selective with note-taking and keeping clear boundaries of 3 types of notes.

Fleeting notes are just reminders of ideas we came across during the day.

• They are to be processed into permanent notes (if materialisable) or/and then discarded.
• Through the process of turning fleeting notes into permanent notes, we unlock the information/understanding from the source context.

Project notes are project-specific, bound to the lifetime of a project, and can be archived/deleted after its end.

• The have lock-in effect. Notes are solely locked to the context to which they apply.

Permanent notes are the elaborated ideas per se. They are to be relevant to us–our learning/research at all times.

• They may not be directly pointing to a particular topic (project), but can fill us with thoughts, arguments, discussion or insights; now or later.
• They are linked with other permanent notes and literature notes. This lets us stumble upon them again later, and refer back to sources (for citation purpose).

Literature notes are digest of source reference materials. They gives understanding of the source excerpts and help us cite the references when writing.

• They should be turned into permanent notes if possible so as to become the ‘inspiring sources’ which enriches our own understanding, learning, etc., in an intentionalised manner (e.g. learning/research in the long run).
• Literature notes are stored just for being referenced later. Ideas, arguments/grists, discussions, which these notes should feed or lead to, should be put in permanent notes and interlinked with other existing permanent notes (and project notes, if applicable).

A lean slip-box system is durable and timeless. Maintaining these hygiene factors and boundaries helps attain the critical mass of notes and keeps our working & thinking environment of learning/research functional as the system grows over time.

Recap / takeaway

• Permanent notes are evergreen by themselves as they are the ideas by themselves, not only reminders thereof (fleeting notes) or applied contextual instances (project notes).
• Permanent notes are appropriated ideas (to our own learning/research interest). They are freed from the source context from which they arrive to us. They are reusable, re-discoverable and re-factorable.
  ==> [Atomic research helps consolidate locked up knowledge in an organisation]
• Permanent notes can be revised and rewritten as their content and our thoughts become stimulated by other findings later.
• Ongoing discussions/corroboration/challenges to and with our permanent notes interweave and enrich our knowledge.

Last update: 2021-02-21

References

Ahrens, Sönke. [How To Take Smart Notes]: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking – for Students, Academics and Nonfiction Book Writers. Sönke Ahrens, 2017, ch. 6.