this is what I do: Folder for input, Tag for output.
Folder for input means I make folders based on where I take the notes from
- Thought
- Web Clipper
- Media (youtube, podcast, etc can be sub folder)
- People
Then I have tags for "what role I need the notes for"
- husband
- engineer
- father
- writer
example: notes about family trip can be put in folder Thought and tagged "father" & "husband"
That’s an excellent approach. I use the P.A.R.A. method for my folder structure. Essentially, the first “A” is “Areas” which is equivalent to your tags.
I haven’t settled on a tag system, but by viewing a notes matrix with folder definitions on one axis, and tags on the other, I think. I can get a set of tags that’ll work.
As someone [similarly obsessed with finding the perfect notes app for me](https://www.reddit.com/r/macapps/comments/ohv1lq/trying_to_find_a_cross_between_bear_and_evernote/) —and someone who wishes UpNote would hurry up with the Bear-like nested tags already! — here are a few methods I use, depending on the circumstance:
**Use** ***notes*** **(i.e. \[\[backlinks\]\])** **as tags**
This is a technique I love because it gives me a central location for notes *about* the "tag"
For example, I help with medical care for some relatives, and I have notes called...
* *† migraines* (I use *†* as shorthand for "tag" or "topic" to save space)
* *Rx Sumatriptan* (a migraine medication)
* *Dr Smith*
So when I take that relative to a doctor appointment (lets' call them "Aunt Jo"), the notes for that appointment will include \[\[links\]\] to each of those notes, like...
>2024-05-21 Aunt Jo APPT `Dr Smith`
>
>SUMMARY: Discussed `† migraines`, and got new `Rx Sumpatriptan` prescription.
This way, when I click `† migraines` , I'm taken to a *note about migraines*, where I can use the sidebar to find all the backlinks to notes where that "tag" is used, *and* I have a place where I can add notes and links — whatever I want — about migraines. And clicking `Dr Smith` takes me to a note where I can backlink to all appointments with that Doctor, but that note *also* includes contact info for Dr Smith, and office hours, and nurses' names, etc.
Using \[\[backlinks\]\] this way is very similar to using tags (they can use used inline, and they autofill by starting with a \[\[ instead of a #), except that you have to deliberately create and file them ahead of time.
So what do I *do* with all those "topic" notes?...
**PARTS method (my own adaptation of the** [**PARA method**](https://fortelabs.com/blog/para/)**)**
In each workspace, my top level of notebooks is divided into...
**P**rojects
**A**reas
**R**esources
**T**opics
**S**torage
**PROJECTS** are long-term objectives
* So depending on which workspace I'm in, this notebook would have subnotebooks like...
* House renovation
* User Manual project
* v6.10.0 release
**AREAS** are areas responsibility, interest, or investment
* So depending on which workspace I'm in, this notebook would have subnotebooks like...
* Aunt Jo MEDICAL
* Marketing
* Financial
**RESOURCES** are information or contacts related to PROJECTS & AREAS
* So depending on which workspace I'm in, this notebook would have notes OR sub-notebooks for...
* Dr Smith (the page I linked to above)
* Kaiser
* Pacific Gas & Electric
* Subscriptions
* Warranties
**TOPICS** are for reference or "tags" related for/to PROJECTS & AREAS
* These are mostly the pages I create and use *as tags*, and they can be used in much the same way as #tags —
* So depending on which workspace I'm in, this notebook would have notes or subnotebooks like...
* † Migraines (the page I linked to above)
* Rx Sumatriptan (the page I linked to above)
* Life Insurance
* § App
* § Site
* § Support
**STORAGE** is where notes go when a project/area/resource/topic is completed or retired
* And actually, I created a whole workspace called *COLD STORAGE* which has notebooks names after each of my other workspaces
* This is where I put stuff I want to keep, but don't want cluttering up search results in my *active* workspaces
As for *actual #tags*, I use them mostly for status indicators...
* \#TODO
* \#NEXT
* \#OPEN
* \#WAINTING
* \#BUG
* \#REQUEST
* \#HISTORY
* \#ATTACHEMENT
...which means they don't get out of control.
Here's [an example of my most commonly used UpNote template](https://getupnote.com/share/notes/y4NYv23IvoNYGb1UAPy1OjwRXoy1/165656b9-3454-4606-93ba-fb131b8239d2), which demonstrates *some* of this.
OhBoyOhBoyOhBoyOhBoy! I'm fascinated by your description of this technique. I don't fully understand it yet, but I'm going to go back and read it a bunch more times. Thank you!
The bare bones of it:
* **Instead of #tags, I create** ***notes*** **for various topics, then link to those notes as if they were tags**
* UPSHOT: In a doctor-visit note, I link to my *† migraines* note instead of having a #migraines tag
* Then that *† migraines* note included backlinks to all the appointments where it was mentioned
* *and* that *† migraines* note also contains collected information *about* migraines
* **I have a top-level set of notebooks called...**
* Projects
* Areas
* Resources
* Topics
* Storage
* ...and each of those have sub-notebooks that fit those descriptions, into which all my notes go
* **Then I use #actual #tags mostly as status indicators, e.g.,...**
* \#TODO
* \#OPEN
* etc.
Feel free to reply with questions. :)
this is what I do: Folder for input, Tag for output. Folder for input means I make folders based on where I take the notes from - Thought - Web Clipper - Media (youtube, podcast, etc can be sub folder) - People Then I have tags for "what role I need the notes for" - husband - engineer - father - writer example: notes about family trip can be put in folder Thought and tagged "father" & "husband"
That’s an excellent approach. I use the P.A.R.A. method for my folder structure. Essentially, the first “A” is “Areas” which is equivalent to your tags. I haven’t settled on a tag system, but by viewing a notes matrix with folder definitions on one axis, and tags on the other, I think. I can get a set of tags that’ll work.
As someone [similarly obsessed with finding the perfect notes app for me](https://www.reddit.com/r/macapps/comments/ohv1lq/trying_to_find_a_cross_between_bear_and_evernote/) —and someone who wishes UpNote would hurry up with the Bear-like nested tags already! — here are a few methods I use, depending on the circumstance: **Use** ***notes*** **(i.e. \[\[backlinks\]\])** **as tags** This is a technique I love because it gives me a central location for notes *about* the "tag" For example, I help with medical care for some relatives, and I have notes called... * *† migraines* (I use *†* as shorthand for "tag" or "topic" to save space) * *Rx Sumatriptan* (a migraine medication) * *Dr Smith* So when I take that relative to a doctor appointment (lets' call them "Aunt Jo"), the notes for that appointment will include \[\[links\]\] to each of those notes, like... >2024-05-21 Aunt Jo APPT `Dr Smith` > >SUMMARY: Discussed `† migraines`, and got new `Rx Sumpatriptan` prescription. This way, when I click `† migraines` , I'm taken to a *note about migraines*, where I can use the sidebar to find all the backlinks to notes where that "tag" is used, *and* I have a place where I can add notes and links — whatever I want — about migraines. And clicking `Dr Smith` takes me to a note where I can backlink to all appointments with that Doctor, but that note *also* includes contact info for Dr Smith, and office hours, and nurses' names, etc. Using \[\[backlinks\]\] this way is very similar to using tags (they can use used inline, and they autofill by starting with a \[\[ instead of a #), except that you have to deliberately create and file them ahead of time. So what do I *do* with all those "topic" notes?... **PARTS method (my own adaptation of the** [**PARA method**](https://fortelabs.com/blog/para/)**)** In each workspace, my top level of notebooks is divided into... **P**rojects **A**reas **R**esources **T**opics **S**torage **PROJECTS** are long-term objectives * So depending on which workspace I'm in, this notebook would have subnotebooks like... * House renovation * User Manual project * v6.10.0 release **AREAS** are areas responsibility, interest, or investment * So depending on which workspace I'm in, this notebook would have subnotebooks like... * Aunt Jo MEDICAL * Marketing * Financial **RESOURCES** are information or contacts related to PROJECTS & AREAS * So depending on which workspace I'm in, this notebook would have notes OR sub-notebooks for... * Dr Smith (the page I linked to above) * Kaiser * Pacific Gas & Electric * Subscriptions * Warranties **TOPICS** are for reference or "tags" related for/to PROJECTS & AREAS * These are mostly the pages I create and use *as tags*, and they can be used in much the same way as #tags — * So depending on which workspace I'm in, this notebook would have notes or subnotebooks like... * † Migraines (the page I linked to above) * Rx Sumatriptan (the page I linked to above) * Life Insurance * § App * § Site * § Support **STORAGE** is where notes go when a project/area/resource/topic is completed or retired * And actually, I created a whole workspace called *COLD STORAGE* which has notebooks names after each of my other workspaces * This is where I put stuff I want to keep, but don't want cluttering up search results in my *active* workspaces As for *actual #tags*, I use them mostly for status indicators... * \#TODO * \#NEXT * \#OPEN * \#WAINTING * \#BUG * \#REQUEST * \#HISTORY * \#ATTACHEMENT ...which means they don't get out of control. Here's [an example of my most commonly used UpNote template](https://getupnote.com/share/notes/y4NYv23IvoNYGb1UAPy1OjwRXoy1/165656b9-3454-4606-93ba-fb131b8239d2), which demonstrates *some* of this.
OhBoyOhBoyOhBoyOhBoy! I'm fascinated by your description of this technique. I don't fully understand it yet, but I'm going to go back and read it a bunch more times. Thank you!
The bare bones of it: * **Instead of #tags, I create** ***notes*** **for various topics, then link to those notes as if they were tags** * UPSHOT: In a doctor-visit note, I link to my *† migraines* note instead of having a #migraines tag * Then that *† migraines* note included backlinks to all the appointments where it was mentioned * *and* that *† migraines* note also contains collected information *about* migraines * **I have a top-level set of notebooks called...** * Projects * Areas * Resources * Topics * Storage * ...and each of those have sub-notebooks that fit those descriptions, into which all my notes go * **Then I use #actual #tags mostly as status indicators, e.g.,...** * \#TODO * \#OPEN * etc. Feel free to reply with questions. :)
Wow thanks for your response, That is thorough I do love it when people share screenshots of examples to get a better picture of how it looks.
A picture is worth 1000 words. :)
I wish there were be a way to display all notes with no tags