Evergreen notes compound understanding over time

andy-matuschak developed this concept: notes written to evolve, contribute, and accumulate across projects.

Core properties:

• Atomic. One idea per note. Completeable in under 30 minutes.
• Concept-oriented. Factor by idea, not by source or project.
• Densely linked. bi-directional-links create the compounding effect.
• Titled as claims. "X is Y" not just "X". The title carries the insight.

The practice transforms note-taking from storage into thinking. Knowledge accretes because each note is a usable unit.

This contrasts with traditional notes that decay. Meeting notes, reading highlights, project docs—all become opaque with time. Evergreen notes remain useful because they capture refined understanding, not raw material.

writing-for-yourself-reduces-friction is essential to the practice.