Notes as Cattle, Not Pets
Treat notes as part of a dynamic, evolving system rather than precious individual artifacts.
Also known as: Treat ideas like cattle not pets, Consider notes as cattle rather than pets, Cattle approach to notes
Category: Principles
Tags: pkm, note-taking, mindsets, principles, evergreen-notes
Explanation
The 'Notes as Cattle, Not Pets' principle encourages a fluid approach to knowledge management. Rather than treating each note as a precious, individual artifact that must be perfectly crafted and preserved forever, this approach views notes as part of a larger, dynamic system.
This system is characterized by:
- **Growth**: Ideas naturally develop and expand over time
- **Cross-pollination**: Notes connect and influence each other
- **Natural lifecycle**: Some concepts mature into valuable insights while others naturally fall away as understanding deepens or new theories emerge
This mirrors how our brains actually work. Mental models are created based on current understanding, then refined or replaced through experience and observation. Old ideas get replaced by new ones constantly, mostly unconsciously during sleep.
Adopting this cattle-like approach means being willing to merge, split, refactor, and even delete notes without emotional attachment. It promotes continuous improvement over perfectionism and encourages treating the knowledge base as a living, breathing system rather than a static archive.
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