Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1210IR // #c1210Synthesis

"Write exactly one note for each idea and write as if you were writing for someone else: Use full sentences, disclose your sources, make references and try to be as precise, clear and brief as possible."

— In our words · Source: How to Take Smart Notes (Sönke Ahrens)

[Use when]

You're capturing anything you expect to use in writing, a pitch or a decision months from now.

[Why it matters]

The stranger is your future self, who will have forgotten the context within weeks. Notes written in full sentences can be dropped straight into a draft. Keyword scraps have to be rethought from scratch.

Filed under situations:When you’re building the thing, not just planning itWhen you need a yes and they’re not there yet

More from How to Take Smart Notes

#c1208"The trick is that he did not organise his notes by topic, but in the rather abstract way of giving them fixed numbers. The numbers bore no…Your files or notes are sorted into categories that no longer match how you actually think about the work. #c1209"By restricting ourselves to one format, we also restrict ourselves to just one idea per note and force ourselves to be as precise and…You're building a library of ideas, research or reusable material and want the pieces to combine later. #c1211"If you use other tools, make sure everything ends up in one place, a central inbox or something like that, where you can process it soon,…Your ideas are scattered across apps, notebooks and voice memos and you can't find any of them.

Same situation, different book

#c1381Dress for the sixtieth rowYour work will be seen from far away and someone wants it toned down for close inspection.From Matriarch #c1368Belonging is the secret of brandingYour customers come back and are treated like strangers each time.From Matriarch #c1354Match the expectation the video setYour marketing has set an expectation and the actual product hasn't caught up.From Cancel Me If You Can #c1561The Canon: Sensory Infallibility, Preconceptions, and "Waiting"Use when diagnosing why a high-stakes analysis, intelligence assessment, or debugging effort went wrong…From Lives of Eminent Philosophers