An atomic note is one that holds a single self-contained thought (or "unit of knowledge", more broadly). This helps keep notes unambiguous and allows you to reference individual ideas that can be combined through [[{5.1a} idea sex]]. Many of us are taught to take running notes on broad themes and subjects: ``` # Outline on TOPIC ## Main Idea - bullet point - bullet point ## Second Main Idea - bullet point - bullet point ``` Atomic notes split each of these ideas, points, facts, thoughts, etc. into their own individual pages. These can be brought together in a [Map of Content](https://notes.linkingyourthinking.com/Cards/MOCs+Overview), referenced in other notes, or used to build a more specific output, like an article. ``` # MOC on TOPIC - [[main idea]] - [[second main idea]] - [[bullet points as necessary]] ``` In the above example, each main idea or bullet point can be opened as a page and expanded upon individually, keeping each self-contained thought separate and reusable. I've [talked](https://articles.victoriakay.co/personal-knowledge-management-is-the-path-to-innovation/) before about how useful these types of notes are in thinking, but they're also useful for writing. My notes are the building blocks for longer output. Instead of trying to write an entire article or essay, I'm writing individual sections that can be pulled in to *any* piece of writing over and over again. They also let me see my thought process expand over time. I'm not sure which came first -- whether Niklas Luhmann considered his notes "atomic", or whether it's something people have defined *around* his system -- but the term seems to have originated with Luhmann's [Zettelkasten method](https://zettelkasten.de/introduction/). On that note: [[digital gardens vs note-taking methodologies]]... [[pkm and rethinking note lengths]]…