Permanent Note or Project Note? Which Note Type Carries Your System

Most collections do not die from collecting — they die from never being
reused. Notes get created, filed away, and never opened again. The reason
is almost always the same: it was never clear what the note was supposed to be.
Two note types solve that for almost everything that comes up in daily work: the
permanent note and the project note.

The permanent note is an idea. Exactly one idea, in your own
words, with at least one link to what you already know. It has no end — it stays
reusable: an insight from a book, an observation, a principle you will need again.
The Zettelkasten rule: if you can read it aloud in six months and still understand
it, it is good enough. The template in the Mini-Vault even has a checklist for
that: one idea (otherwise split it), your own words, at least one link, a title
that says what it is about.

The project note is an undertaking. It has a beginning and an
end — and exactly three required fields: a goal in one sentence, a success
criterion (how you objectively know it is done), and the smallest next step.
Everything else — decisions, notes, resources — gets appended chronologically,
and when the project is done, you close it with a learning note: what did I
learn, what would I do differently. That closing step is what turns experience
into a reusable permanent note.

The decision rule in three questions:

• Does it have a beginning and an end? → Project note
  (goal, success criterion, next step).

• Is it an idea you want to reuse? → Permanent note
  (one idea, own words, at least 1 link).

• Is it just an event or an appointment? → Daily note.
  And when in doubt: Inbox — decide in the evening.

How the three work together: The daily note steers (what is
on today), the project note aligns (where it is going), the permanent note
carries (what you already know). Project notes link permanent notes, daily
notes link project notes — that is how single files become a network you can
actually find again. That is exactly the difference between a filing system
and a second brain.

Want to try it right away? The free
Mini-Vault contains
both templates ready to use — daily note, project note and permanent note
with checklist. It is up and running in about ten minutes.

Question, feedback or an idea? Write to
[e-mail] — every
mail is read.

Download the free Mini-Vault (ZIP)

See it in action: Live preview

Question, feedback or an idea? Write to [e-mail] — every mail is read.