What is a Map of Content (MoC)?

And why it still matters in the age of search

If you’ve ever gotten lost in your own notes or struggled to find that one key document buried in a sea of files, you already know the tension that Maps of Content (MoCs) are meant to resolve.

A Map of Content is exactly what it sounds like: a map — or index — of related notes, documents, or resources. Popularized in the Obsidian community and inspired by practices like Zettelkasten, MoCs offer a curated way to structure and navigate complex or growing bodies of knowledge.

🧠 Where MoCs Came From

Before the rise of Google search, the early web relied on directories — think Yahoo in the ’90s — where humans hand-curated websites into topic-based categories. You browsed to find things. That paradigm faded as algorithms got better… but something was lost.

Today, with the resurgence of personal knowledge management (PKM) tools like Obsidian, people are once again curating their own knowledge — not for the whole web, but for themselves and their communities. This has brought Maps of Content back into relevance.

Inspired by thinkers like Tiago Forte (Building a Second Brain) and Maggie Appleton (digital gardens), MoCs act like living tables of contents for your thoughts, notes, and documents.

🌱 MoCs in the Garden Metaphor

If you think of your notes as a garden — not a factory — then a Map of Content is the path that winds through the plants, letting you see what’s growing where. It doesn’t force structure; it gently suggests connections. It evolves as your thinking evolves.

🔁 Why MoCs Still Matter

Search is great — when you know what you’re looking for. But when you don’t? Or when your knowledge is messy, evolving, or niche?

That’s where MoCs shine:

• 🧭 They orient you in unfamiliar territory.
• 🧱 They reduce duplication by showing what already exists.
• 🤝 They surface community knowledge in shared spaces.
• 🗂️ They offer context that linear folders or flat lists just can’t.

Of course, like any map, they can go out of date. And in shared spaces, there’s always the risk of link rot or stale references. But when tended — individually or collaboratively — MoCs can become trusted gateways into living systems of knowledge.

✍️ Want to Try One?

Start small. Make a note titled Map of Content – Collaboration or My Personal Index. List the relevant files, links, or ideas you want to keep track of. Group them. Add headings. Link to other notes. Let it grow.

Because in a world that’s always adding more content, curation is clarity — and a good MoC is like a friend who remembers where you left your keys.