Introducing Quark | Lorbic

A Minimal Note-Taking System for Thoughts, Ideas, Questions, and Actions

Quark: A Minimal Note-Taking System

A few months ago, I was in a meeting where the conversation was moving at lightning speed. Updates, critical decisions, all flying around the room. I opened my laptop, ready to take notes in Notion, but within minutes I was lost. Too many clicks, too much formatting, and many annoying boxes. By the time I found the right template. I had already missed half of the discussion.

That was the moment I realized: most note-taking systems are built for after the fact for polishing, arranging, and linking. But when you’re in the middle of the storm of thoughts. You don’t need polish; you need to write.

Why I Like Quark

I’ve tried the big tools like Notion, Obsidian, Roam. They’re powerful, no doubt. For people who enjoy configuring, linking, and fiddling with templates, they can be great. But I don’t like them that much. For me, they get in the way. Instead of writing, I spend a lot of time formatting, arranging, and configuring the tools. Instead of writing.

What I wanted was something simpler: a method that lets me write immediately. Whether I’m in a meeting, reading a book, or listening to a lecture, I need to capture what’s happening now. Refinement can be done later.

With Quark, I don’t lose important points. I don’t pad my notes with fluff. I just write what matters, in plain text. That’s the beauty: Quark works in a terminal, in Sublime, or on a piece of paper.

That’s also how I write all my blogs and notes. With pen and paper first, then simple markdown files. No databases, no custom dashboards, no unnecessary friction. Just thinking, written down.

What is Quark?

Quark is a minimal, universal note-taking system based on three atomic symbols:

• - → Idea / Statement
• ! → Action / Task
• ? → Question / Doubt

That’s it. Three prefixes, plus a bit of indentation, and you have a system that works across meetings, research notes, books, and even journaling.

Why the name? In physics, quarks are the fundamental particles that make up matter. Small, essential and universal. Quark notes are the same: tiny, fast to write, and the building blocks of larger understanding.

The Core Syntax

Here’s all you need to remember:

Indentation creates hierarchy. Nothing else required.

Lists and Structure

Quark supports both unordered and ordered notes.

Unordered (default):

- Item one  
- Item two  
  - Sub-item A  
  - Sub-item B  

Ordered (when sequence matters):

1. Step one  
2. Step two  
   1. Sub-step  

Quick flow (sequence without numbering):

Modifiers (Optional Power-ups)

You don’t need these to use Quark. But they add expressive punch without complexity.

Real-World Examples

Meeting Notes

- Marketing update  
  - Campaign CTR up 15%  
  ? Why drop in conversions despite CTR?  
  ! Check landing page load speed  

Reading Notes

- Plato: Allegory of the Cave  
  - Prisoners see shadows = illusion  
  - Sun = truth  
  * Core idea: reality ≠ appearances  
  ? Compare with Advaita concept of maya  

Learning (Programming)

- Goroutines are lightweight threads in Go  
  - Managed by Go scheduler  
  - Not 1:1 with OS threads  
  ? What is max concurrency limit?  
  ! Write demo with 1000 goroutines  

Why Quark Works

1. Speed You’re never stuck choosing a format. Just - ! ?. Everything else is optional.

2. Universality Works on paper, in a terminal, or in your favorite editor. No special software needed.

3. Scalability Hierarchy comes from indentation. Tags and symbols keep meaning intact even across hundreds of notes.

4. Searchability In text editors, you can instantly jump to all actions (/^!) or all questions (/^?). In a notebook, the symbols stand out visually.

The Philosophy of Quark

Quark is deliberately kept small. It resists the temptation of sprawling frameworks.

The Quark philosophy is simple:

• Notes are atoms of thought.
• Keep them fast to capture and easy to scan.
• Don’t let the medium (software, notebook, template) become the bottleneck.

You can always refine Quark notes later into essays, reports, or flashcards. But the raw capture stays lightweight and universal.

Quick Workflow Summary

1. Capture fast: - ! ? with optional * → # % >
2. Stream by context: Reading, meetings, learning
3. Tag and link lightly: Only when meaningful
4. Review regularly: Refine, consolidate, prioritize
5. Act on ! and investigate ?: Close the loop on actions and knowledge

How Quark Compares to Other Note-Taking Systems

You might wonder: why not just use an existing method like Cornell, Zettelkasten, or Bullet Journal? Each has its strengths, but here’s why Quark stays leaner:

• Cornell Notes Great for structured lecture review, but the rigid split (cues, notes, summary) slows you down in real time. Quark keeps capture fast and lets you organize later.

• Zettelkasten Powerful for long-term knowledge building, but it requires discipline to use effectively. IDs, cross-links, atomic notes. Quark skips the overhead. You can always turn Quark notes into Zettels later if you want.

• Bullet Journal A creative, flexible paper system, but often drifts into over-customization and decoration. Quark removes the artistry by using just symbols and indentation.

In short: those systems are great for refinement. Quark is built for capture. The fastest way to not lose ideas in the moment.

Conclusion

Note-taking doesn’t need to be complicated. With Quark, you only need three prefixes and a bit of indentation. The rest is mental freedom.

Quark Rule: If you can type - ! ?, you can capture the world.

Download: The Quark Cheat Sheet