Atomic notes are something you work towards, not an entry requirement (2025)

Sascha Fast separates the principle of atomicity from the usual way it's applied. He argues that "every note must be atomic before it goes in" creates anxiety and thin, one-claim notes, and that atomicity is better treated as an outcome you reach inside the system, splitting notes as your understanding grows. He then tries to say what an "atom" actually is: six types of knowledge building block, with an argument (premises, logical form, conclusion) as the clearest example.

Where I'm less sure: he's open that the six-type inventory is his own claim, and he's dismissive of writer-style systems as "prompt machines", which undersells how much thinking happens when you draft. Worth reading next to Bob Doto's post on turning a Zettelkasten into a book, since Sascha uses Bob's workflow as his counter-example.

Question: Do your notes start atomic, or do they get there through use? And has insisting on atomicity ever made a note worse?