Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1229IR // #c1229Synthesis

"For every document I write, I have another called “xy-rest.doc,” and every single time I cut something, I copy it into the other document, convincing myself that I will later look through it and add it back where it might fit. Of course, it never happens – but it still works."

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

[Use when]

A draft, deck or product is bloated with pieces you can't bring yourself to cut.

[Why it matters]

Deleting a good passage feels like a loss, so people keep material that has no job in the argument. Moving it to a holding file removes the loss and the passage disappears from the draft. Ahrens notes Richard Thaler does the same.

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

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Same situation, different book

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