Proximity
Core principle
Data and tools should live near the thinking, but not in the thinking.
This is a design law for attention, not a storage rule.
Meaning
Near enables:
- low friction
- fast iteration
- tight feedback loops
Not in protects:
- clarity
- intention
- meaning
- cognitive quiet
The goal is proximity without pollution.
Proper application
Most systems apply proximity naively:
“Put related things close together.”
This principle applies it precisely:
Put things as close as they need to be — and no closer.
- Too far → forgotten, stale, unused
- Too close → distracting, noisy, cognitively expensive
Well-placed things sit at the edge of attention: accessible, but not demanding.
Implications
This principle explains:
- why ephemeral data lives alongside the vault, but is ignored by Git
- why raw exports are not archived prematurely
- why workbenches are separate from canonical surfaces
- why tools should support thinking, not compete with it
Violating this principle creates either:
- entropy (everything everywhere), or
- sterility (nothing close enough to use)
Pattern analogies
This distinction appears across well-designed systems:
- a workbench vs a showroom
- a scratch buffer vs a final draft
- a REPL vs a compiled binary
- a sketchbook vs a gallery wall
The same logic applies to cognitive systems.
Guiding question
When deciding where something belongs, ask:
Does this need to be close enough to shape thinking,
but distant enough to not consume it?
If yes → near the thinking.
If no → elsewhere.
Summary
Proximity is not about convenience.
It is about protecting attention while preserving flow.
Well-applied proximity allows systems to serve the human —
not the other way around.