Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1224IR // #c1224Synthesis

"But the main reason is the slip-box, which compares to Trollope’s technique as investing with compounded interest compares to a piggy-bank."

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

[Use when]

You're choosing between a daily output quota and a system where past work feeds future work.

[Why it matters]

Trollope wrote 250 words every 15 minutes before work, and the pages added up linearly. Luhmann's notes linked to each other, so each new note made the old ones more useful. He published 58 books and hundreds of articles.

Filed under situations:When you’re building the thing, not just planning it

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