Ahrens argues that the value of note-taking lies not in isolated records, but in a living system of interconnected thoughts. Writing itself is thinking, and by writing iteratively in small, reusable units (atomic notes), we create a network that both preserves understanding and generates new insights.
Key Components
Writing as Thinking
Iteration and Refinement
Atomic Notes
Insight Through Connection
Flow of Ahrens’s Reasoning
- Writing itself is thinking.
- Thinking matures through iteration.
- To support this process, we capture single, self-contained ideas (atomic notes).
- Notes remain modular so they can be recombined into many arguments.
- Arguments emerge from recombining notes
- Linking these notes produces unexpected insights.
- The network, not the isolated note, is where real knowledge resides.