Organise Your Thinking

Standard and Journal Notes

MinkNote supports two distinct styles of content. The difference: is time central to this note, or not?

You can think of these as:

• Standard notes — Evolving content that develops over time
• Journal notes — Ephemeral content anchored to a specific moment

Understanding this distinction helps you structure your work from the start.

Standard Notes

Standard notes are ideas, documents, or reference material that evolve gradually. They represent ongoing thinking rather than a single point in time.

They are:

• Updated periodically
• Organised within folders and hierarchies
• Not tied to a specific date
• Meant to grow, refine, and stabilise

Examples include:

• Personal knowledge pages
• Technical documentation

For Standard notes, the title is the main identifier. The filename reflects that title, and the content may change repeatedly.

Journal Notes

Journal notes capture moments. They are snapshots of thinking, anchored to when they were created.

They are:

• Naturally ordered chronologically
• Related to specific dates
• Often short and reflective
• Sometimes later brought into Standard content

Examples include:

• Daily logs, meeting notes
• Journal entries

When you create a Journal note, the filename is based on the current date and time. This guarantees uniqueness and preserves when it was created. You can still give the note a meaningful heading.

Choosing the Right Type

Ask yourself:

Will this note evolve, or is it a snapshot of now?

Using Both Together

A common workflow is to capture quickly in a Journal note, then move durable ideas into a Standard note.

Journal notes capture experience; Standard notes refine understanding.