> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pensiv.so/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# 3.5.4 Note card structure · 3.5.5 When to use notes

> Note card layout, tags and color, expanding, when notes help most

## 3.5.4 Understanding note card structure

Navigation notes\
are shown as **cards**.

Each note is one card,\
and each card is one unit of thought.

Notes are not one long document;\
they’re **blocks of thought**.

***

### What’s on a note card

#### 1. Title or first line

At the top of the card\
you see a line that stands for the note.\
It’s a short version of the main idea.

***

#### 2. Body

Inside the note you can type freely.

* Short questions
* Hypotheses
* Revision memos
* Big-picture memos

No fixed format.\
Incomplete sentences are fine.

***

#### 3. Tags

You can add tags to notes.

Examples:

* Idea
* Edit
* Plot
* Deadline

Tags aren’t for building structure;\
they’re for **quickly distinguishing kind of thought**.

***

### Color and tags

Color and tags on note cards\
help you tell types of thought apart.

Examples:

* Idea-style notes
* Edit-focused notes
* Plot-related notes

Color and tags\
don’t create structure;\
they **separate thought**.

***

### Expanding a note to document or plot

Notes don’t have to stay notes.\
Some become documents;\
some become part of the plotboard.\
When you’re ready, you can expand a note\
into a document or plot\
and turn that thought into something structured.

***

### Summary

Note cards\
don’t hold finished results.

They’re **flexible blocks of thought**\
for separating,\
labeling,\
and expanding when you need to.

***

## 3.5.5 When to use notes

Notes aren’t something you use all the time.\
They’re most useful at **certain moments**.

Notes are\
not for finishing thought;\
they’re for **pausing it**.

***

### When do notes help?

#### When writing is stuck

When sentences won’t come,\
instead of forcing more text,\
move the thought into a note.\
You can separate the idea\
without breaking the document’s flow.

***

#### When you’re not ready to change structure

You might want to change the plot or setting\
but aren’t sure yet.\
Rather than editing structure directly,\
write the possibility in a note.\
Safer.

***

#### When something feels "important but not now"

An idea that appears while you work\
might not fit the current context.\
You don’t have to deal with it now.\
Put it in a note.

***

### What notes do

In Pensiv you don’t have to\
finish every thought right away.\
Notes are\
not for delaying decisions;\
they’re for **keeping thought safe**.

> Notes\
> **store thought you’re not handling yet**\
> without losing it.

***

In Pensiv, notes are\
not where you stop;\
they’re a **buffer before the next step**.