An introduction to the principles and philosophy behind Flow Atoms.
Basics
Following the Straight Line Flow Model, there are three components:
○ Atom
The smallest unit of a task. Like one point on a checklist, atoms are the individual steps that lead to a goal. They are actions done within a few minutes.
◼︎ Stuff
Physical or digital things related to an atom. Materials required, files created, or supporting documents.
▲ Knowledge
Required or additional information or skills to understand and perform a task.
Combining them in a logical sequence with a start and a goal leads to a ◎ Flow. While there’s only one Atom for each action, they can be used in multiple Flows, and Flows can be nested within other Flows.
Additional Elements
Besides the classical elements of a Straight Line Flow, we use ⊡ Posts and ⧆ Stories, both variations of a Stuff element. Through posts, we share personal opinions on Atoms and reasons why making specific choices. In Stories, we curate Flows in topics.
Principles of Usage
Loving the idea of a Zettelkasten, the underlying rules and philosophy of Flow Atoms and the Straight Line Flow Model follow its core principles. In short:
Atoms, the smallest possible units, only exist once and appear in multiple stories. Atoms can have multiple connections to other atoms and form a big picture out of little fragments.
Other principles we follow:
Time
Time is linear, and we can’t really change that. So every flow goes in one direction towards the end, though parallel strings are possible.
The Office
Flow Atoms are meant to be used by humans in the real world. They are no abstract concepts but a representation of the real world.
Atomic Units
All elements should be as small as possible. A large topic will be separated into its components.
A Net
Components will form a net of information, not a hierarchy.
One Truth
There is only one Element on each topic which can appear in multiple flows and stories. Users know they have everything necessary at one point.
And, maybe most important, we always try to KISS. The internet is a beautiful source of knowledge that suffers from a focus of quantity over quality. Flow Atoms will not publish the same keyword-stuffed Atom multiple times, but aims to create one simple source anybody can understand and rely on. Our mission is to distill all avilable information into one simple drop of wisdome.
Making things complicated isn’t hard, keeping them simple is.