Atomic Thinking

The atomic thought is the smallest unit of an idea that can stand alone and still hold meaning. It is specially helpful when you need to refer to one note or idea for different contexts and meanings. It is the core principle of zettelkasten where each individual note is atomic and link together with others to form an intricate web of knowledge.

Atomic doesn't mean short. It means self-contained. The test: could this note stand alone if you linked to it from somewhere else?

This principle directly enables compounding-knowledge atomic notes are the units that compound.

In contrast to this we have mini-essays which explore one idea in detail while connecting related thoughts and opinions