Maturity Model for my Obsidian Notes
Based on the great input from Nitin Pai
Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik
Epistemic status
“how much I think I know” about something.
- First, we know things with different levels of certainty.
- Second, what we think we are certain about itself varies in accuracy.
- Third, facts change over time.
my notes fall into these levels: nut 🌰 → seedling 🌱 → potted plant 🪴 → tree 🌳 → ancient tree 🍁 → fallen leaf 🍂
Current maturity model
I recently found a better visualisation that is also more suiting with the idea of a digital garden. And I can also better visualize it.
Order is:
- Nut 🌰
- Seedling 🌱
- Potted plant🪴
- Tree 🌳
- Ancient 🍁
- Fallen leaf 🍂
Nut 🌰
#epstatus/0-🌰 Initial question, thought, idea. Should be a fleeting note or early stage literature note, like a just captured book note.
Something that came to mind but has not been developed.
Seedling 🌱
#epstatus/1-🌱 A note is “seedling” 🌱 when I have started working on it, but do not think it is ready for sampling. Likely this is a fleeting note. It can also be a permanent note that I just extracted from a literature note.
Or a literature note where I did a first stage processing.
It could be factually wrong, inaccurate, misleading, a dead end, a red herring, a wild-goose or worse, the germ of a brilliant idea that will change the Universe forever. Who knows?
Potted plant 🪴
#epstatus/2-🪴 A note is a “potted plant” 🪴 when I have worked on it for a while and think it is already in a mature state so that building on top of that is valuable. So you can consume it with greater confidence.
Tree 🌳
#epstatus/3-🌳 A note is a “tree” 🌳 when I think it has reached a high maturity state. So you can consume it with high confidence.
Ancient Tree 🍁
#epstatus/4-🍁 A note is an “ancient tree “ 🍁 when knowledge becomes outdated and I might need to rethink original thought.
Fallen leaf 🍂
#epstatus/5-🍂 An note is a “fallen leaf” 🍂 when it is not longer valid or not useful. I will not likely not put further love to it. At the same time I’m not yet fully convinced to remove it entirely. It can still be linked.
Previous maturity system
I replaced that system because it was not connecting well with my digital garden analogy and I also did not find proper icons that I can easily used in my Second Brain to visualise a status for a note. I keep it still in this note as reference for other who might like that alternative verions
my notes falls into five non-linear levels: Bean → Brewing → Brewed → Overbrewed → In-the-Sink
Bean
Bean is the primary raw material for a cup of coffee. It may be fresh or roasted. And there are different kinds of roast: light, medium and dark.
In these notes, a note with the status of “bean” implies that it is a new, undeveloped idea. Something that came to mind but has not been developed.
It could be factually wrong, inaccurate, misleading, a dead end, a red herring, a wild-goose or worse, the germ of a brilliant idea that will change the Universe forever. Who knows?
Brewing
The process of brewing is complex, has several variables that can be tweaked, several untweakable and involves time and effort
A note is “brewing” when I have started working on it, but do not think it is ready for sampling. You might smell the coffee at this stage, but it is premature to consume.
Brewed
Coffee is brewed when its maker had decided that the brewing is complete. It is filtered in one way or the other and poured into a cup. You can smell the coffee and taste it too. While it is ready for consumption, the aroma and flavour will change with time.
A note is brewed when I think it has finished brewing. So you can consume it with greater confidence. That said, metaphors take us only so far, and I might decide that it needs some more brewing.
Overbrewed
A note is overbrewed when I revise and modify what I had previously considered brewed. I do it because I think it will improve, but I might have made things worse.
In-the-sink
A note is in-the-sink when I have discarded it – either because it is ruined, past the expiry date, is a royal mess or stinks.
