Outliner — block structure as the atom of every note
Why the outliner comes first
If you use just one tool in mium, make it the outliner. Block references, tags, backlinks, queries, templates — they all assume a claim is addressable. And a claim is only addressable once it is a block of its own.
The rules
Atomicity is the only discipline that counts. If a block carries two claims, you can reference only one of them — the other is lost in the backlink noise.
Tab and Shift-Tab are the only tools for parent–child relationships. Bullet lists out of Word are not outlines — they are a flat list at one depth.
A claim's path in the outline is a view — the block's UUID is the truth. Move it whenever you like; the backlink follows.
A collapsed outline is a table of contents. You edit only what you need right now. Depth 4 is the reading limit — anything deeper needs a sub-page.
Unlike the final Word doc, an outline is a living document. Claims move into concept pages, come back as a backlink, get restructured. That is the point — not the bug.
Before and after
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| q2-competitor-analysis.docx··12 pages of running text··the turn of the quarter = a refactoring project | page q2-competitors··an outline of 38 blocks··every claim ((blockref)) citable in Q3, Q4, … |
When one block should become two
- When the block contains an “and” that joins two separate claims.
- When the block carries a citation in brackets — the citation belongs in a child block.
- When the block carries a “but” — the counter-position needs its own block, or it is lost.
- When you already reference the block from three other places — it is a concept and belongs on its own page.
- When the block runs over two screen lines without being a list.
- Atomicity
- A note is atomic when it holds exactly one self-contained claim. Atomicity is the precondition for reuse — only an atomic claim can stand in another place without losing its context.
The human side
Outliner discipline is a writing technique, not a feature of the tool. At first the extra Tab keystroke feels like bureaucracy. After four weeks you realise that linear, sentence-by-sentence writing only seemed faster because the cost in the following quarter was invisible.
Atomic notes are not an end in themselves. They are the basis for every reuse — and so for every hour you do not work twice.
Done in three weeks
- Week 1: learn outliner discipline — keep one note a day deliberately atomic.
- Week 2: migrate three existing Word documents — deliberately “one claim = one block”.
- Week 3: set your first block refs — reference a claim from doc A in doc B rather than copying it.
Discussion
Atom by atom, not page by page.
Write once, use everywhere. Your second brain keeps every claim addressable — a partner that thinks alongside you, not a filing cabinet.
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