trees vs. networks

your brain is a network.

ideas don't march in straight lines. they crash together, splinter off, circle back in unexpected loops. one spark ignites five more, weaving a web of connections that defies tidy organization. it's chaos, but the good kind—the kind that births breakthroughs. yet for decades, we've crammed our thoughts into software designed like old filing cabinets: folders nested in folders, one rigid path per idea. that's not thinking; that's mere storage, a graveyard for creativity.

software shapes you more than you realize. it's not neutral—it's a teacher, subtly training your mind to mirror its structure. hierarchical tools breed hierarchical thinking: linear, compartmentalized, blind to the sideways leaps that define real insight. over time, you stop spotting connections because your digital environment never encouraged you to look. ideas sit isolated, potential untapped, innovation stifled. i've felt it: years lost forcing complex thoughts into boxes, wondering why my best ideas evaporated before they could connect.

then came roam research. no folders, no imposed hierarchies—just bidirectional links letting ideas converse freely. a note on bitcoin scarcity links back to one on network effects; a thought on ai ethics pings a memory from a book read years ago. it was disorienting at first, like stepping into a vast, unstructured space without walls. that discomfort? it was the old habits breaking, the mind stretching to its natural form.

five years on, roam is open on my screen most of the day. it didn't magically make me smarter—it just stopped dumbing me down. no more wrestling thoughts into trees when they're meant to sprawl like webs. connections emerge organically: a casual note on morning routines links to productivity hacks, which ties into long-term health strategies. suddenly, patterns reveal themselves, ideas compound, and work flows with less friction.

think about your own setup. are you still shoving your brain's network into a tree-like prison? folders might feel safe, familiar, but they're limiting your potential. tools like roam—or obsidian, logseq, even notion with links—unlock the web. start small: pick one idea, link it to three others, watch the network grow. discomfort fades; clarity surges.

your mind thrives on connections, not constraints. why force it otherwise? make the switch, and watch your thinking evolve—not linearly, but exponentially.