Personal Zettelkasten powering notes.krisyotam.com.
Ideas go from raw thoughts to polished, linked knowledge. Written in Markdown with YAML frontmatter and LaTeX math.
notes/
├── slipbox/ Atomic permanent notes. One idea per note.
├── marginalia/ Source-bound notes. Literature notes, close readings.
├── index/ Maps of Content. Curated entry points into topic clusters.
├── jottings/ Fleeting inbox. Raw thoughts, 48hr shelf life.
├── cards/ Flashcard decks (CSV) for spaced repetition.
├── bibliography.bib Central source registry (BibTeX).
├── process.md Note-taking workflows by source type.
└── .claude/ System docs and working instructions.
Five directories. No more. If a new need arises, an existing directory absorbs it.
Jottings → Marginalia → Slipbox
| Stage | Sources | Atomic | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jottings | No | No | Raw capture. Process within 48hrs or delete. |
| Marginalia | Yes | No | Source-bound notes. Bibliographic metadata + engagement. |
| Slipbox | Yes | Yes | One idea per note. Linked. The permanent record. |
Every .md note uses YAML frontmatter:
---
id: kebab-case-slug
start: 2026-04-03
finish:
certainty: likely
status: growing
importance: 8
preview: One-line description for listings
tags: [tag1, tag2]
---
# Note TitleMarginalia notes add a source field referencing a citekey in bibliography.bib.
certain, highly likely, likely, possible, unlikely, highly unlikely, remote, impossible
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| seed | Newly created, minimal content |
| growing | Actively being developed |
| evergreen | Mature, stable, well-linked |
| wilted | Outdated, needs revision |
Integer 1-10. 1 is trivial, 10 is essential.
[Display Title](relative/path/to/note-id.md)Same directory: [Title](note-id.md). Cross-directory: [Title](../slipbox/note-id.md).
The id field matches the filename (minus .md).
Inline: \(x^2\). Display: \[\int f(x)\, dx\].
No $ delimiters. Use \(...\) and \[...\] exclusively.
bibliography.bib is the central source registry. Every source gets a BibTeX entry. Marginalia notes reference entries via the source frontmatter field.
Citekey convention: authorYEARkeyword (e.g., vaswani2017attention, dickinson1891poems).
Personal notes. You are welcome to read and learn from them. Do not republish wholesale. A link back is appreciated.