Process notes just in time, not just in case

Refine a note only when you are about to use it for something real — not on a maintenance schedule.

Why it works

Proactively processing all notes consumes time that could be spent creating output, and much of that work will never be recalled because the notes are never returned to. Just-in-time processing ensures that refinement effort is invested precisely when and only when the return is clear and immediate — which makes each processing act economically rational and motivates genuine engagement with the material.

How to do it

1. When you open a note to use it for a current project, apply whatever progressive summarization layer it has not yet received.
2. When you browse your notes without a specific project, do not process them — just browse.
3. Resist the urge to "catch up" on a backlog of unprocessed notes; let the project pull create the processing occasions.
4. Trust that notes that are never returned to did not justify more processing time.

Evidence

Consistent with the principle that motivation and context both improve the quality of effortful processing: notes refined for an active purpose are refined more carefully and retained more durably than notes processed on an arbitrary schedule. (mechanistic)

Just-in-time processing means notes that are never used are never processed — which is correct for those notes, but means that important material accessed only once stays raw. A light periodic scan can catch exceptions.

Common mistake

Scheduling weekly "note processing sessions" where you methodically layer every recent capture, creating a note-maintenance obligation that comes to feel like a chore and reduces the system’s sustainability.