Outliner — block structure as the atom of every note
Why you should not think in sentences but in blocks — and how that carries every link you make later.
- You can tell when a block is atomic and when it is not. ·· Success criterion: You classify 10 existing blocks as “atomic” / “split” with at least an 80% hit rate.
- You use Tab and Shift-Tab as the hierarchy tool, not the mouse. ·· Success criterion: You build a 4-level outline of 12 blocks in under 5 minutes without reaching for the mouse.
- You migrate a Word document into an outline without losing content. ·· Success criterion: You deliver an outline page from an existing doc; every claim present, none duplicated.
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.
- Take your last longer Word document and migrate one page of it into an outline. Make a block per paragraph and check each for an “and”, a “but” and a citation in brackets — wherever one of these turns up, split the block until every block carries exactly one claim.⏱ 5 min
💡 Start with the sub-headings as top-level blocks and pull the paragraphs under them with Tab — the structure then almost builds itself, and you see at once which paragraphs hide two claims.
Model answer: A paragraph “The price is competitive and the lead time is short” becomes two blocks — one on price, one on lead time. Citations such as “(per the Q1 review)” move as a child block to depth 3 under their claim. What you end up with is an outline of at most depth four in which every block is referenceable on its own — and no claim is hidden in the running text of another.
When should a block be split into two?
What is the truth about a block's position in an outline?
At what outline depth does a sub-page make sense?
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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