Prefer positive note titles to promote systematic theory

When writing Evergreen notes, it’s tempting to write notes like “X is bad” or “Y doesn’t work.” Prefer instead to write note titles which express the property or requirement in a positive sense.

If you’ve thought them through, negatively-oriented notes usually contain a descriptive theory of why the missing/flawed property is important. By bringing that theory to the foreground, you make it easier to see the claims in a systematic context, which, in turn, makes it easier to build on.

For example:

• Metacognitive supports require dynamic, participatory environments, not “Passive environments can’t offer good metacognitive support”
• Use phones to collect and triage, not (usually) to read, not “Don’t read on your phone”