How does one locate information previously found, curated, and stored? How does one keep up as years pass and the numbers of files, filing methods, and applications go up?
There is a tension between doing what will get you direct access to a piece of information versus the complexity of entering and maintaining the access method.
At one end of the spectrum, one clicks around on a folder hierarchy with attendant false starts, backups, and head scratches. At the other end is the Platonic perfect coding system, in which you type in some magical combination that brings you directly and without fail to the right piece of information. As with most things, Aristotle trumps Plato, and the best solution is in the middle.
For me, that sweet spot allows for some folder-clicking to get to a topic, but also requires a method to go directly to information with minimal hunting and pecking. For those in the first 1/4 of their career, this might not seem very relevant. However it will be later!
For those who can remember everything and jump directly to it with a few keystrokes–move along, nothing to see here. But if you spend more than a few minutes a day fumbling around for a piece of data (particularly if you look for information in real-time, on a call or in a meeting) then the methodology described below might help.
A good system for knowledge management is one that grows and evolves as your needs change, and does not evolve into a straight-jacket!
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