Note linking process

Maintaining a digital garden or a note vault shouldn't be an exercise in bureaucracy; it should be an act of discovery. My process for interconnecting ideas doesn't stem from rigid organizational rules, but from a genuine need for reuse and clarity. You can see here, on this website, the reuse of contents from one note into another note.

The Writing Flow

I follow a simple rule: write first, structure later. When a new idea emerges, it begins within the note I am already working on. I don't interrupt my train of thought to create a new file if I’m not yet sure if that idea has the “legs” to stand on its own.

The decision point happens through a quick search — usually via OmniSearch or Quick Switch++. If the topic already exists in my repository, I don’t duplicate it; I refactor. I use the Note Refactor plugin to extract the snippet, merging the new information with the old. If it’s entirely new, the text stays put until the need for separation becomes undeniable.

flowchart LR
    %% Styles
    classDef startend fill:#f5f5f5,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px,color:#000
    classDef action fill:#e8f0ff,stroke:#3366cc,stroke-width:1px,color:#000
    classDef decision fill:#fff2cc,stroke:#cc9900,stroke-width:1px,color:#000
    classDef result fill:#d5f5e3,stroke:#27ae60,stroke-width:1px,color:#000

    Start(Start Writing):::startend
    Idea[Capture idea inline]:::action
    Search{Topic exists?}:::decision
    Refactor[Refactor into existing note]:::result
    Keep[Keep inline for now]:::result
    Placeholder[Use Placeholder Link to keep flow]:::action
    Expand(Expand later):::startend

    Start --> Idea
    Idea --> Search
    Search -- Yes --> Refactor
    Search -- No --> Keep
    Keep --> Placeholder
    Placeholder --> Expand

Links as Placeholders

To protect my flow state, I use placeholder links. I create a link to a file that doesn’t exist yet and keep writing. I only return to expand these “ghost notes” once the main line of reasoning is finished. This prevents a simple quote from leading me down a rabbit hole of research in the middle of a technical analysis.

The Rule of Reuse

The modularity of my system is dictated by utility. I follow a practical guideline: if a piece of information is needed in more than two places — whether linked or embedded, it doesn’t matter as long as it is more than two — it earns its autonomy and becomes its own note.

Aggregation by Source

My organization varies based on what I’m consuming:

• Literature & Authors: I separate book highlights from my personal synthesis. Quotes are linked to the author’s note, ensuring I have the context of the person behind the words.
• Technical Knowledge: I prefer notes that cover complete topics rather than over-fragmenting from the start. Atomic decomposition happens naturally as themes begin to overlap.

See also the original version of this post: Note linking process