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Metabolic states

2bd organizes notes by metabolic state—how active and volatile they are—rather than by topic.
StatePurposeLocation
CaptiveWorking notes — high-velocity, volatile intake00_Brain/Captive/
SyntheticActive drafts — projects in progress00_Brain/Synthetic/
PeriodicArchives — the permanent timeline00_Brain/Periodic/
SemanticReference — crystallized knowledge00_Brain/Semantic/
SystemicStructure — templates, workflows00_Brain/Systemic/

Why not organize by topic?

Traditional systems fail because:
  • Topics are subjective — Where does a work project that affects your personal life go?
  • Topics multiply — You end up with hundreds of folders
  • Topics hide stale notes — Old notes never get reviewed
Metabolic states solve this by organizing around information lifecycle. Fresh notes go to Captive. Active work lives in Synthetic. Completed work archives to Periodic. The system moves information naturally without you deciding where things go.

Rituals

Scheduled operations that drive the productivity loop. Planning rituals — Forward-looking. Prepare Captive notes from templates. Review rituals — Reflective. Archive Captive notes to Periodic. See How it works for the full ritual cycle.

Actions

One-shot helpers you invoke on demand (unlike rituals which follow a schedule).
ActionPurpose
initBootstrap or configure vault
create-projectInitialize new project file
archive-projectArchive completed project
onboard-personCreate person dossier

Hubs

Central navigation notes marked with prefix:
HubPurpose
✱ HomeCentral navigation
✱ ProjectsActive work overview
✱ PeopleRelationship notes
✱ InsightsThematic learnings

Engine + Vault

2bd separates system (engine) from content (vault):
  • Engine = Skills, docs — git-tracked, lives in ~/Code/2bd-engine/
  • Vault = Your notes, templates, archives — cloud-synced, lives wherever you want
Always run Claude from the engine directory. Your vault syncs independently.