Note Status Guide
This guide explains the note maturity system used in this digital garden to track the development and refinement of ideas.
Status Levels
Seed
Description: Raw, unprocessed ideas captured quickly.
- Characteristics:
- Brief, often just a few sentences
- May contain questions or incomplete thoughts
- Links not yet established
- Minimal formatting
- Purpose: Capture ideas before they're lost
- Next Steps: Add context, expand, create connections
Seedling
Description: Ideas that have been revisited and developed.
- Characteristics:
- Core concept clearly articulated
- Basic structure in place
- Some connections to other notes
- May still have open questions
- Purpose: Develop understanding, explore implications
- Next Steps: Add evidence, refine structure, strengthen connections
Evergreen
Description: Mature, well-developed ideas that stand on their own.
- Characteristics:
- Self-contained and comprehensive
- Well-connected to other notes
- Clear structure and arguments
- Regularly maintained and updated
- Can be shared confidently
- Purpose: Serve as reliable knowledge building blocks
- Next Steps: Maintain currency, update with new insights
How to Use Status Tags
In Frontmatter
---
status: seed # or seedling, evergreen
---
Visual Indicators
Consider using these emoji prefixes in note titles:
- for seeds
- for seedlings
- for evergreen notes
Status Progression Workflow
From Seed → Seedling
- Clarify the core idea
- Add relevant context
- Create at least 2 connections to other notes
- Structure with headings
- Add examples or evidence
From Seedling → Evergreen
- Ensure idea is atomic and focused
- Verify all claims with sources
- Create bidirectional links
- Polish writing for clarity
- Test: Could this stand alone as valuable?
Maintenance Guidelines
Weekly Review
- Review all seeds older than 1 week
- Develop 2-3 seeds into seedlings
- Update 1-2 seedlings toward evergreen
Monthly Review
- Audit evergreen notes for accuracy
- Archive or merge redundant notes
- Celebrate progression metrics
Status Search Queries
Use these to find notes by status:
status:seed- Find all seed notesstatus:seedling- Find developing notesstatus:evergreen- Find mature notes-status- Find notes without status
Remember: Not every note needs to become evergreen. Some ideas serve their purpose as seeds or seedlings.
All notes