**Last Update**: 17.07.2024 *** > The best way to organize your notes is to organize for action, according to the active projects you’re working on. ~ Tiago Forte ### Organization methods There are two main methods I use to organize information. - The [[The PARA System | PARA system]] is the main structure of the vault, which helps to store information based on its actionability as well as [[Forwarding knowledge through time | forwarding knowledge through time]]. - [[Note Taking - Zettelkasten method | The Zettelkasten method]] is a form of note-taking that promotes the connection of notes to come up with new ideas. **Instead of keeping notes from a certain book all in the same note, you would separate it into different ones by concept and link them all together**. ### Folders Note attachments are located in a central folder named `assets/attachments`. Having all attachments in a central folder eliminates the maintenance cost when moving notes between different levels of actionability. > [!HINT]- Hiding the assets folder in Obsidian > Install and enabled [File Hider plugin](https://github.com/Oliver-Akins/file-hider) for hiding `assets` folder from the Obsidian's file explorer. > ![[file-hider.png]] I use a numeric system to sort categories by level of actionability. The higher the number, the lower its level of actionability. ``` second-brain-vault |-- 1.Projects | |-- Project 1 | |-- Project 2 | |__ ... |-- 2. Areas | |-- Topic 1 | |__ Topic 2 | |__ ... |__ 3. Resources |__ 4. Archives |__ 5. Journal | |__ 01-11-2022 | |__ 02-11-2022 | |__ ... |--assets/attachements |--inbox-note1 |--inbox-note2 ``` 1. **Projects** > Short-term efforts in your work or life that you’re working on now. > \~ Forte, Tiago Notes related to the projects I'm actively working on. Projects are a series of tasks linked to a goal with a deadline. 2. **Areas** > Long-term responsibilities you want to manage over time. > \~ Forte, Tiago Subjects and things I'm not actively working on. Areas are long-term personal things with no end date. Area notes will include more personal notes to self and thoughts important to you, as well as information that's generally universal to everyone. > Saving 3 months’ worth of expenses is a project, whereas Finances is an area. 3. **Resources** > Topics or interests that may be useful in the future. > \~ Forte, Tiago Where all my other notes will live. It could include any topic I'm interested in gathering information. 4. **Archives** Includes any item from the previous three categories that are no longer active. After certain notes are no longer in use, it's time to hide them in an archives section. 5. **Journal** Where my journaling notes will live. ### Inbox The root folder is used as an Inbox, where new notes I've [[Capture (keep what resonates) | captured]] are saved until I can revisit them and decide where they belong. A waiting area where new ideas live until I'm ready to [[Progressive summarization | digest]] them into my second brain. > Separating the **capturing** and **organizing** of ideas helps to stay present, notice what resonates, and leave the decision of what to do with them to a separate time. \~ Tiago Forte ### Tags ^58b76f I follow Tiago Forte's recommendations to use tags effectively for [[Unfolding the Concept of Personal Knowledge Management Systems| personal knowledge management]]: 1. Tag notes according to the actions taken or deliverables created with them. - Change the function of tags from trying to describe broad themes like "psychology" and "investing" to tracking the _use_ or _function_ of a piece of information. This could include tagging the note: - **By action:** What actions have you taken (or will you take) with this note? - **By deliverable:** What have you used (or will you use) this note to deliver? - **By stage of your [[What a Knowledge Lifecycle is| knowledge lifecycle]]:** Which stage is this note currently in (or does it best belong to)? 2. Add structure slowly, in stages and only as needed, using accumulated material to guide you in what structures are needed. - The lesson here is to not create structure before it’s needed. By adding just enough structure, at just the right moment, the work required to maintain it will always feel like a welcome relief, instead of a heavy burden. 3. Tag notes according to their internal, external, and social context, and status. - **Internal context** includes the thoughts, feelings, associations, concerns, and considerations you have about a note. - **External context** includes the other items that you’re dealing with while interacting with a note, such as other notes, documents, folders, or apps. - **Social context** refers to other people who’re related to the note, such as project collaborators, the person who recommended the source, or who it was shared with. - **Current status** refers to any actions taken with the note, or any deliverables it was used in. - They will enable you to more easily return to the state of mind you were in the last time you interacted with a note, using contextual clues that our minds are made to understand. ![[tag-notes-context.png]] 4. Develop customized, profession-specific taxonomies. - The history of organizing information is largely concerned with "taxonomies" – hierarchical systems for categorizing information in one all-encompassing model. - The goal has always been to create a single, completely comprehensive ordering of knowledge that any future idea can be placed into. - For _specific_ fields and professions, it is clear that taxonomies have tremendous value. > [!HINT] > Tags should answer the question "Is this relevant to my current need?" just enough to make the next action clear. Don’t let your ideas get bogged down in layers of categories and classifications. Speed them _through_ your creative process and out into the real world. > [!NOTE]- Examples of tags that’ve been applied according to the use or function of a chunk of knowledge. > - Tags for [reviewed] and [added], for tracking which notes have been reviewed for a deliverable, and which have been incorporated into it. > - Tags that designate the _kind_ of information a note contains, such as [content], [admin], and [meeting notes]. > - Tags that track the status of notes through a workflow, such as [inactive], [active], [next], and [completed] ### Journaling > Writing was the healing place where I could collect bits and pieces, where I could put them together again…written words change us all and make us more than we could ever be without them. \~ bell hooks The main goal of my journal is to know what comes next before calling the day ([The Hemingway Bridge](https://blog.42courses.com/home/creativity/the-hemingway-bridge)). My Journal must be the creative leap from one island to the next in my [archipelago of ideas](https://fortelabs.com/blog/riding-the-writing-wave-how-to-improve-your-writing-get-rid-of-writers-block-and-accelerate-your-output/). Journal notes should answer the following questions: 1. What did you do yesterday? 2. What will you do Today? 3. Are there any impediments in your way? Each daily note should include ideas for next steps, current work session status, as well as any tails I have in mind that are likely to be forgotten once I step away. Such as: - Current biggest challenge. - Important open questions. - Personal reflections. - Personal decisions. - Project Ideas. - Solutions to problems I've faced. - Memories I would like to preserve. > [!WARNING] > Journal mustn't include sensitive or [personally identifiable information](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/personally-identifiable-information-pii.asp). > [!HINT]- Journaling in Obsidian > Install and enable [Calendar plugin](https://github.com/liamcain/obsidian-calendar-plugin). Creates a simple Calendar view for visualizing and navigating between your daily notes. *** **References**: - [Building a Second Brain in Obsidian](https://robingeuens.com/blog/build-a-second-brain-obsidian/) - [How I Implement Tiago Forte's Building a Second Brain in Obsidian MD](https://www.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/wbjqji/how_i_implement_tiago_fortes_building_a_second/) - Forte, Tiago. _Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential_. Atria Books, 2022. - [Your Complete Guide to Getting Started with Journaling](https://iajw.org/how-to-journal-complete-guide/) - [A Complete Guide to Tagging for Personal Knowledge Management](https://fortelabs.com/blog/a-complete-guide-to-tagging-for-personal-knowledge-management/)