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name: evergreen description: Principles for creating evergreen notes - atomic, lasting insights that compound over time. Use when discussing note quality, what makes a good evergreen note, or the "only what was explored" principle. Tool-agnostic concepts that apply regardless of note-taking app.

Evergreen Notes

Atomic insights that remain true and useful over time.

Atomicity

One claim per note. The title states the claim. If you can't write a complete statement title, decompose.

• Good: "Spaced repetition works because forgetting is desirable difficulty"
• Bad: "Spaced repetition"

Quality Bar

Include: Genuinely grasped, non-obvious, atomic, lasting value

Reject: Surface observations, vague generalizations, obvious statements, current-event descriptions

Core Principles

Only what was explored - The note reads "here's what you discovered, explained expertly."

• If something would illuminate understanding → stop and discuss first
• Deepen, don't expand

Self-contained - Makes sense when you've forgotten the original context.

Notes evolve - Not final artifacts. Revise as understanding deepens.

Concept-oriented - "How spaced repetition works" not "Notes from Make It Stick"

Links over folders - Connections create value; associative beats hierarchical.

Multiple Notes

Write in dependency order. If re-explaining → link instead. If concept repeats → extract.