# The Useful Margin

> The Useful Margin is an independent guide to personal decision logs, note review, and lightweight knowledge habits. It is not a software company, productivity service, coaching practice, records custodian, or continuation of any former organization associated with this domain.

The Useful Margin publishes original, long-form guides about unassigned brandable. Every article opens with a concise direct answer, is structured with clear headings and FAQs, and reflects mainstream expert consensus.

## Weekly Review

- [How to Organize a Backlog of Notes Without Losing Context](https://wyllis.com/clear-notes-backlog/): Organize an older notes backlog by defining a small collection, recording its original locations and reviewing one bounded batch at a time.
- [File Naming Conventions for Notes: A Practical Guide](https://wyllis.com/file-naming-conventions-for-notes/): A useful naming convention for notes puts a meaningful subject, a clearly defined date and any necessary version in a consistent order.
- [A 30-Minute Weekly Notes Review](https://wyllis.com/weekly-notes-review/): A useful weekly note turns the past seven days into decisions for the next seven.

## Decision Records

- [How to Keep a Decision Log You Will Reuse](https://wyllis.com/keep-useful-decision-log/): Keep a useful decision log by recording the decision date, context, alternatives, choice, reasons, assumptions, expected result, owner, and a review date.
- [How to Write a Project Closeout Note](https://wyllis.com/project-closeout-note/): A project closeout note should record the intended result, actual result, important variance, reusable lessons, final artifact locations and any open work…
- [How to Update a Decision Log Without Losing History](https://wyllis.com/update-decision-log/): Update a decision log by distinguishing a factual correction, an outcome note, and a changed decision. Date the addition and explain what changed.
- [Weighted Decision Matrix Example: Show Your Tradeoffs](https://wyllis.com/weighted-decision-matrix-example/): A weighted decision matrix compares options against defined preferences: give each criterion an importance weight, rate each eligible option, multiply…

## Full text for LLMs

- [llms-full.txt](https://wyllis.com/llms-full.txt): every article as plain markdown in one file
- Each article is also available as markdown at https://wyllis.com/<slug>.md

## Site

- [About](https://wyllis.com/about/): editorial approach and standards
- [All articles](https://wyllis.com/all/)
- [Contact](https://wyllis.com/contact/)