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created: 2024-02-20 19:52
updated: 2024-03-12 13:49
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# Intermediate Packages

> [...] there is a flaw in focusing only on the final results: all the intermediate work (the notes, the drafts, the outlines, the feedback) tends to be underappreciated and undervalued. The precious attention we invested in producing that in-between work gets thrown away, never to be used again.
> 
> Source: Tiago Forte, “[[Building a Second Brain]]”, p. 150

intermediate packages can receive different names depending on who you ask:

- “Modules” or “features” in software development
- “Betas” tested by start-ups
- “Sketches” in architecture
- “Pilots” for television series
- “Prototypes” made by engineers
- “Concept cars” in auto design
- “Demos” in music recording

Each of these terms is the equivalent of a “rough draft” you create as part of the process of making something new.

Some kinds of intermediate packages are:

- **Distilled notes:** Books or articles you’ve read and distilled so it’s easy to get the gist of what they contain.
- **Outtakes:** The material or ideas that didn’t make it into a past project but could be used in future ones.
- **Work-in-process:** The documents, graphics, agendas, or plans you produced during past projects.
- **Final deliverables:** Concrete pieces of work you’ve delivered as part of past projects, which could become components of something new.
- **Documents created by others:** Knowledge assets created by people on your team, contractors or consultants, or even clients or customers, that you can reference and incorporate into your work.

These IP can be used to create others IP's or create a final product for a project.

## Benefits of working in IP's:

- You’ll become **interruption-proof** because you are focusing only on one small packet at a time.
- You’ll be able to make **progress in any span of time**.
- Intermediate Packets **increase the quality** of your work by allowing you to collect feedback more often.
- Eventually you’ll have so many IP's at your disposal that you can execute entire projects just by **assembling [previously created](Reuse%20previous%20work.md) IP's**.

## IP's Examples:

- Favorites or bookmarks saved from the web or social media
- Journal or diary entries with your personal reflections
- Highlights or underlined passages in books or articles
- Messages, photos, or videos posted on social media
- Slides or charts included in presentations
- Diagrams, mind maps, or other visuals on paper or in apps
- Recordings of meetings, interviews, talks, or presentations
- Answers to common questions you receive via email
- Written works, such as blog posts or white papers
- Documented plans and processes such as agendas, checklists, templates, or project retrospectives
