Build an Index of What You Know
Added 2026-11-04
Do not organise the knowledge; organise where to find it.
I want a lightweight personal index of what I know. Design it: 1) what each entry records — topic, one-line conclusion, where the source lives; 2) how to keep it small — a cap and a cleanup interval; 3) what deserves an entry and what does not; 4) a retrieval method that needs no software; 5) why such indexes most often turn into a second reading list. Do not recommend note apps.
Site original
Chinese original
How to use
索引的价值是「找得到」，不是「存得全」。
Try tweaking it
- Ask for one diagnostic question first to locate where you are stuck.
- Replace "explain it" with "give three progressive exercises; correct me after I answer".
What you should get
- A diagnosis of exactly where you are stuck
- A small set of self-checkable exercises
Common mistakes
- Asking it to explain from scratch, and still not knowing where you went wrong.
- Memorising the explanation as the answer, then failing on any variant.
How to check the output
- It names exactly where you are stuck instead of re-explaining everything.
- Exercises are graded and self-checkable.
Where it works
- Good for: diagnosing where you are stuck, then giving the smallest exercise instead of a lecture.
- Watch out: ask it to flag uncertainty rather than memorising a confident but wrong explanation.