At Conoted, we've already implemented eight levels of instant structure, including tags, cross-note links, color coding, and more. Now, we're excited to introduce a ninth level, the Idea Compass, which, while overlapping with color coding, can be used as a standalone tool to further understand and organize your notes.

We've written about the Idea Compass for a while now - and we'd like to reiterate this way of structuring your notes.

What is the Idea Compass?

The Idea Compass is a method of organizing notes that links each entry to others in four directions:

  • North: Big ideas, sources, reasons. These are the concepts or theories that your note stems from.
  • West: Similar Topic. This is where you link your note to ideas that are similar in topic or content.
  • South: Subtopics, idea detailing. These are more detailed aspects of your main idea.
  • East: Antonyms, opposites, flaws. These are ideas that are in opposition to your main note.


How does the Idea Compass intersect with color coding?

- Conoted uses color coding to instantly categorize and prioritize notes. For example, red might indicate urgent tasks, green indicates completed tasks, and yellow indicates drafts.

- The Idea Compass, on the other hand, offers to structure notes by semantic directions, which can intersect with color coding, but you can also do this with tags.

- The Idea Compass focuses on the semantic connections between ideas, while colors serve as a visual organization and prioritization.

How do I use the Idea Compass on its own?

1. Identify the Compass Directions: For each note, identify which ideas belong to each of the four directions – North, West, South, and East.

2. Create connections between notes: Use the links feature in Conoted to link notes according to the Compass directions.

3. Analyze relationships: Using the Idea Compass, you can gain a deeper understanding of how different ideas interact, identify gaps in your knowledge, and find new directions to take.


Benefits of Using the Idea Compass 

  • Get a deeper understanding of context: The Idea Compass helps you see how individual notes fit into the overall picture of your knowledge.
  • Better organization of information: By structuring your notes according to the Compass directions, you create a more organized and logical system for storing information.


Conclusion

Incorporating the Ideas Compass into your note-taking practice in Conoted will allow you to more consciously approach the organization of information, find deep semantic connections and develop creative thinking. The Ideas Compass provides a unique approach to structuring that can be used as a complement or alternative to existing methods.