Hello Reader,

The top question I get asked is “Which app should I use for my note-taking system"?”

The second one is the one we will be talking about in today’s Playbook.

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First, a disclaimer. On 29th April 2022, I chose to go folderless for the first time and I never looked back.

Bianca Pereira @BiaResearcher After yesterday's chat, trying to go folderless with @obsdmd. Choosing between a side bar menu or using my Home/Barrack notes for that. 7:28 AM • Apr 29, 2022 0 Retweets 29 Likes Read 4 replies

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When I moved from Obsidian to Scrintal later in 2022, my folderless move intensified as Scrintal had no folders at all.

So instead of talking about folders and tags, I will talk about “containers”.

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There are two types of containers:

• X containers* don’t let items within the container exist anywhere else (e.g. folders). It is like a drawer or a refrigerator. You can’t have an item inside the cupboard drawer and the refrigerator at the same time, unless the refrigerator is inside the cupboard drawer or vice-versa.
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• Y containers* let items exist in multiple containers simultaneously (e.g. tags). It is just like tagging a physical item. You put a piece of paper as a label on it and you can put as many pieces of paper as you want (or can). All items with the same “label” become a part of the same group, regardless of where they are physically stored.

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Traditional applications created folders mimicking physical folders and tags mimicking the use of paper tags. But as applications evolve, there is no reason to limit ourselves to physical analogies.

• Notes can be Y containers as you can add a series of links into a single note in order to create a group for those links (e.g. Indices, Tag Notes, “Maps of Content”).
• Boards can be X or Y containers depending on the application. In some cases, information exists only within a single board. In other cases, you can place the same item on multiple boards (change it in one place and it will change everywhere else).
• Workspaces are X containers as they limit access to the information inside the workspace.

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So now the question is:

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The answer is not that simple as it will depend on your specific context, but here are a few thoughts:

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1. Separate notes of different value

Some notes increase their value over time, whereas others lose value over time. For example, the more you work on a note representing your knowledge the more valuable that note becomes over time. On the other hand, notes with reminders and tasks will lose their value when the reminder is not needed anymore or the project is long finished.

So make sure you separate these notes from each other, either with X or Y containers.

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2. Separate notes and sources based on a frame of mind

Some notes will only be used with a given frame of mind (or a set of “frames of mind”), so it is important to know:

• what notes are available when you are in a specific frame of mind
• which frames of mind you could use when you are working on a specific note

For instance, if you want to read, you may want to look for notes (or sources) that are not yet read. If you want to reflect, you may want to check recent notes or notes you believe you should “reflect upon”. If you want to write, you may want to look for the notes you have been meaning to write about.

This type of separation is based on personal workflows, so it is best to use Y containers for those. You don’t want to be forced to move notes and sources around as your personal workflow evolves and your containers change.

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3. Separate notes and sources based on purpose

When you want to achieve something, you have a “purpose”. It can be a formal project or only a direction you want to move. In this case, you can use containers as your “backpack”. They contain everything you need to walk towards your purpose.

An example would be containers for when you are developing a Conceptual Framework, deeply understanding a topic, or working on a report. The container represents the project you are working on.

For this type of separation, I suggest using Y containers as the same item could be used for multiple purposes.

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4. Separate notes and sources based on access permission

If we are talking about the development of Intellectual Property you may want to keep a few notes with access restricted to yourself or a small group of people.

Also, you may want to separate your personal notes from your work notes.

In this case, X containers are the best as you can ensure there won't be any unintended cross-over between notes in different spaces. In some apps, you can still access both contexts at once by using a meta-container (i.e. linking your personal note to an item in your work container) without breaking the permissions within each container.

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People create containers for many other reasons, but I find these 4 to be enough for a robust system of containers without the overhead of maintaining it all.

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There are too many decisions in choosing a system of containers, so if you want to borrow my system of containers (tags, boards, and notes) let me know by replying to this email 😊 If there is enough interest I will write a bit more about it.

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Talk to you soon.

Until then, take care.

Bianca

*I believe X and Y containers could have a better name, but I haven't settled on a name I am happy about. Here are some options I have been considering:

• X containers: separation, isolation, lockdown, restrictive, rigid, drawer, box.
• Y containers: flexible (Niky Dix suggested this one), perspectival, abstract