OSK v3 Dots System (WIP)

New "Dot" Note Type

I've been a long fan of having everything centralized in my knowledge base. And now my vision of this is getting crystal clear:

Literature notes are for inputs: inspiration, with different stages:

You curate information (mindfully choose what to consume, then you prioritize & consume based on goals/projects/tasks/curiosity) (curated note type)
You capture highlights (highlights note type)
You take notes (literature note note type)

Permanent notes are for outputs: your own ideas, creations, outputs, creations, with different stages:

You capture ideas, thoughts, insights, (atomic) notes, ...
You develop ideas through (evergreen) notes
Finally, by leveraging/combining/remixing literature and permanent notes, you get to build more advanced/complex creations

Previously, the Obsidian Starter Kit lacked spaces for content curation and highlights. That is now fixed with the new 32.07 Highlights and 32.08 Curated structures. It also lacked a single source of truth for creations. That is now also fixed with the new 33.04 Creations structure.

And I realized that it also lacked a dedicated space a single source of truth for the "dots"; the little insights, the sparks, the aha moments, the wins, the failures, the achievements, ... Those could be stored as Permanent notes within 33.02 Content, but I felt like those actually deserve their own space.

In Obsidian Starter Kit v3, I'm introducing the concept of "Dots", and a dedicated structure for those: 33.01 Dots. Dots are small, atomic, fundamental. They represent atomic building blocks of knowledge work, capturing the small insights that connect into larger understanding and achievements. Those are intentionally VERY small/brief: A single line (or just a little longer :p). They're like atomic notes pushed to the extreme.

Those notes can be thought of as sparks, starting points, traces of the past or even knowledge that has matured into its purest form: wisdom.

When reused & connected, those create insights and eventually substantial creations. They enable... connecting the dots! Hence their name ;-)

Conceptually, you can imagine Dots evolving like this: Dots → Content → Creations (i.e., Embryonic → Crystallized → Documented/Shared). And for pure wisdom, you could also imaging going a step further: Content → Creations → New Dots.

The introduction of this new note type is meaningful. The intent is to clearly acknowledge these as permanent artifacts worth keeping and maturing, as seeds or long-term wisdom that you have acquired.

Dots thus represent the entry point of your permanent knowledge system; raw materials that feed into developed content, maintaining proper information flow from atomic to elaborate. And they can also represent the most elaborated version of your knowledge: pure wisdom you've acquired and expressed in the form of statements, lessons, principles, rules, ...

Types of Dots

Seeds (Embryonic/Potential)

Purpose: Raw material and future possibilities

type/dot/connection: links discovered between disparate concepts
type/dot/hypothesis: untested theories or suppositions
type/dot/idea: potential concepts to develop
type/dot/insight: sudden realizations, breakthrough moments
type/dot/observation: noticed patterns, phenomena, or behaviors
type/dot/question: open inquiries you're pondering
type/dot/test: experiments or trials you want to conduct
type/dot/thought: raw mental material, fleeting observations

General (Crystallized Knowledge)

Purpose: Refined wisdom and operational frameworks

type/dot/belief: core convictions (distinct from principles)
type/dot/definition: how you define key concepts
type/dot/framework: mental models you've developed
type/dot/lesson: knowledge distilled from experience
type/dot/principle: fundamental beliefs guiding your decisions
type/dot/rule: operational guidelines you follow
type/dot/statement: positions or assertions you hold

Breadcrumbs (Historical Markers)

Purpose: Documentation of your experiential journey

type/dot/achievement: milestones and accomplishments reached
type/dot/anecdote: memorable stories worth preserving
type/dot/challenge: specific difficulties faced
type/dot/decision: significant choices made and their rationale
type/dot/effort: significant attempts or endeavors undertaken
type/dot/experiment: things you actually tried (regardless of outcome)
type/dot/fail: failures and setbacks (outcome-focused)
type/dot/feedback: important input received from others
type/dot/memo: time-stamped observations or notes-to-self
type/dot/milestone: significant moments or transitions
type/dot/mistake: errors in judgment or execution (process-focused)
type/dot/problem: obstacles or challenges encountered
type/dot/reflection: deeper thoughts on past experiences
type/dot/win: successes and victories

Organization

Rename old 30 Areas/33 Permanent notes/33.01 Knowledge Inbox to 30 Areas/33 Permanent notes/33.05 Dots

30 Areas/33 Permanent notes/33.01 Dots/
  ├── 2025/
  │   ├── 01/
  │   ├── 02/
  │   ├── 03/
  │   └── ...
  ├── 2024/
  │   ├── 01/
  │   ├── 02/
  │   └── ...
  └── ...

This structure expands the initial vision of the Knowledge Inbox that was all about "ideas awaiting development" to include all micro-captures. Some of the content will evolve into 33.02 Content. Others will remain and serve as historical markers or reference points. And yet some others will remain and help inform your most important decisions.

In addition, it enables:

Clear categorization
Temporal organization (year/month)
Development tracking
Integration with your existing PKM workflow

Tags (WIP)

TODO ORGANIZE (shared vs specific) + COMPLETE

Type tags: type/dot type/dot/<sub-type> (selected via Templater)
Zone tags: zone/areas, zone/areas/permanent_notes
Temporal tags: temporal/past, temporal/present, temporal/timeless (vs properties?)
Maturity tags: maturity/... (vs properties?)

Properties (WIP)