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.
Download the free Mini-Vault (ZIP)Question, feedback or an idea? Write to geld.hamster@gmx.net — every mail is read.