Brain Operating System
Navigation guide for jonmagic's second-brain workspace covering directory intents, naming conventions, and operational norms.
Directory Map
| Directory |
Purpose |
Notes |
Daily Projects/YYYY-MM-DD/ |
Day-level focus logs, scratch pads, context files |
Start new execution work here. Append to existing date folders rather than creating duplicates. |
Weekly Notes/YYYY-MM-DD/ |
Planning, goals, schedules, backlinks to meeting notes |
Anchor for weekly rituals. New headings at top (newest first). |
Snippets/YYYY-MM-DD-to-YYYY-MM-DD.md |
Weekly accomplishment summaries (Ships, Collabs, Risks, etc.) |
Primary feed for retros and exec updates. Maintain existing section headers. |
Executive Summaries/YYYY-MM-DD/ |
Distilled updates for leadership |
Keep concise (1–2 pages). Reference snippets and priorities. |
Meeting Notes/<team-or-person>.md |
Rolling notes with ## YYYY-MM-DD sections |
Link to transcripts/summaries via wikilinks. New dates append at top. |
Projects/<slug>/ |
Multi-week initiatives |
Use README-like overviews, milestone logs, resource links. |
Archive/YYYY-MM-DD/ |
Cold-storage for inactive artifacts |
Only move files once captured elsewhere. |
Other directories (Feedback/, Transcripts/, Templates/, etc.) follow similar patterns—check existing files before adding content.
Naming Conventions
- Filenames: lowercase with hyphens (
my-file-name.md)
- Date folders:
YYYY-MM-DD format
- Sequential files: When creating multiple related files in same date folder, use numeric prefixes (
01-new-angle.md, 02-follow-up.md)
- Prefer appending: Always try to append to existing date folders rather than creating duplicates
Operational Norms
Append-Only Discipline
- Daily Projects, Weekly Notes, Meeting Notes: Always append new entries at top (reverse-chronological)
- Context files (e.g.,
snippets-context-*.txt, retro-context-*.txt): Always append to end, never edit middle sections
- Snippets, Executive Summaries: Create new files for new time periods
Wikilink Patterns
Use [[...]] wikilinks liberally to connect documents:
[[Snippets/2025-11-24-to-2025-11-30]][[Projects/spiral-funnel-architecture/README]][[Meeting Notes/alice]]
Thread Awareness
Before editing any document:
- Scan the last few entries to understand current state
- Check for linked documents that provide context
- Maintain chronological or thematic continuity
Minimal Duplication
- If concept exists elsewhere, link to it rather than restating
- Use wikilinks to connect related content
- Consolidate learnings into appropriate long-term documents (Weekly Notes, Projects, etc.)
Workflow Expectations
- Start in Daily Projects: Kick off new work in
Daily Projects/YYYY-MM-DD/
- Propagate learnings: Copy distilled notes into relevant Weekly Note, Snippet, or Project file
- Follow breadcrumbs: Use wikilinks to trace decision history
- Version-friendly: Use Markdown headings, tables, bullet lists; avoid inline HTML
File Creation Decision Tree
Creating a new file?
- Is it daily execution work? →
Daily Projects/YYYY-MM-DD/
- Is it weekly planning? →
Weekly Notes/YYYY-MM-DD/
- Is it accomplishment tracking? →
Snippets/YYYY-MM-DD-to-YYYY-MM-DD.md
- Is it a meeting record? →
Meeting Notes/<person-or-team>.md (append new ## YYYY-MM-DD section)
- Is it multi-week scope? →
Projects/<slug>/
- Is it feedback? →
Feedback/
- Is it a transcript? →
Transcripts/
When in doubt: Start in Daily Projects/YYYY-MM-DD/ and migrate later if it becomes evergreen.
1---2name: brain-operating-system3description: Quick reference for operating within jonmagic's second-brain workspace. Use when working with files in the brain repository—provides directory structure, naming conventions, append-only norms, wikilink patterns, and file organization rules. Essential for understanding where to create files, how to name them, and how to maintain continuity with existing structures.4---5
6# Brain Operating System
7
8Navigation guide for jonmagic's second-brain workspace covering directory intents, naming conventions, and operational norms.
9
10## Directory Map
11
12| Directory | Purpose | Notes |
13|-----------|---------|-------|
14| `Daily Projects/YYYY-MM-DD/` | Day-level focus logs, scratch pads, context files | Start new execution work here. Append to existing date folders rather than creating duplicates. |
15| `Weekly Notes/YYYY-MM-DD/` | Planning, goals, schedules, backlinks to meeting notes | Anchor for weekly rituals. New headings at top (newest first). |
16| `Snippets/YYYY-MM-DD-to-YYYY-MM-DD.md` | Weekly accomplishment summaries (Ships, Collabs, Risks, etc.) | Primary feed for retros and exec updates. Maintain existing section headers. |
17| `Executive Summaries/YYYY-MM-DD/` | Distilled updates for leadership | Keep concise (1–2 pages). Reference snippets and priorities. |
18| `Meeting Notes/<team-or-person>.md` | Rolling notes with `## YYYY-MM-DD` sections | Link to transcripts/summaries via wikilinks. New dates append at top. |
19| `Projects/<slug>/` | Multi-week initiatives | Use README-like overviews, milestone logs, resource links. |
20| `Archive/YYYY-MM-DD/` | Cold-storage for inactive artifacts | Only move files once captured elsewhere. |
21
22Other directories (`Feedback/`, `Transcripts/`, `Templates/`, etc.) follow similar patterns—check existing files before adding content.
23
24## Naming Conventions
25
26- **Filenames**: lowercase with hyphens (`my-file-name.md`)
27- **Date folders**: `YYYY-MM-DD` format
28- **Sequential files**: When creating multiple related files in same date folder, use numeric prefixes (`01-new-angle.md`, `02-follow-up.md`)
29- **Prefer appending**: Always try to append to existing date folders rather than creating duplicates
30
31## Operational Norms
32
33### Append-Only Discipline
34
35- **Daily Projects, Weekly Notes, Meeting Notes**: Always append new entries at top (reverse-chronological)
36- **Context files** (e.g., `snippets-context-*.txt`, `retro-context-*.txt`): Always append to end, never edit middle sections
37- **Snippets, Executive Summaries**: Create new files for new time periods
38
39### Wikilink Patterns
40
41Use `[[...]]` wikilinks liberally to connect documents:
42- `[[Snippets/2025-11-24-to-2025-11-30]]`
43- `[[Projects/spiral-funnel-architecture/README]]`
44- `[[Meeting Notes/alice]]`
45
46### Thread Awareness
47
48Before editing any document:
491. Scan the last few entries to understand current state
502. Check for linked documents that provide context
513. Maintain chronological or thematic continuity
52
53### Minimal Duplication
54
55- If concept exists elsewhere, link to it rather than restating
56- Use wikilinks to connect related content
57- Consolidate learnings into appropriate long-term documents (Weekly Notes, Projects, etc.)
58
59## Workflow Expectations
60
611. **Start in Daily Projects**: Kick off new work in `Daily Projects/YYYY-MM-DD/`
622. **Propagate learnings**: Copy distilled notes into relevant Weekly Note, Snippet, or Project file
633. **Follow breadcrumbs**: Use wikilinks to trace decision history
644. **Version-friendly**: Use Markdown headings, tables, bullet lists; avoid inline HTML
65
66## File Creation Decision Tree
67
68**Creating a new file?**
691. Is it daily execution work? → `Daily Projects/YYYY-MM-DD/`
702. Is it weekly planning? → `Weekly Notes/YYYY-MM-DD/`
713. Is it accomplishment tracking? → `Snippets/YYYY-MM-DD-to-YYYY-MM-DD.md`
724. Is it a meeting record? → `Meeting Notes/<person-or-team>.md` (append new `## YYYY-MM-DD` section)
735. Is it multi-week scope? → `Projects/<slug>/`
746. Is it feedback? → `Feedback/`
757. Is it a transcript? → `Transcripts/`
76
77**When in doubt**: Start in `Daily Projects/YYYY-MM-DD/` and migrate later if it becomes evergreen.
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