Member-only story
Think playlists, not filing cabinets. A simple way to organise your notes so they actually spark new ideas & insights ⚡️
Why Topics Are A Terrible Way To Organise Your Notes (& What To Do Instead)
Let’s be honest — we’ve all been guilty of creating those perfectly labeled topic folders that turn into digital graveyards for our notes.
The problem with topics is that they are inherently passive. They don’t actually mean anything to us unless we are actively pursuing something specific. And let’s be real — how often do you wake up thinking “I must explore my productivity folder today!”
Instead of topics, I organise my knowledge into what I call collections.
Think of collections like Spotify playlists (or if you’re old enough to remember curating mix tapes/cd’s for your friends/crush).
I am one of those people who takes great joy in lovingly curating a perfect playlist for different events. Just last week I created one for Christmas dinner with friends. But I also curate playlists for any type of mood or moment:
- Songs for sitting in a dark room with a glass of red wine 🍷
- Songs for the 3pm pick-me-up ⚡️
- Songs for lazy Sunday mornings
- Songs that make me smile
Each playlist has a vibe, a purpose. And that’s exactly how I think about organising my knowledge too.
Rather than a generic “Productivity” topic, I have collections like “Productivity for Human Beings Not Robots” or “The Mindsets of a ‘Pro’ Creator”. Some are questions I’m exploring like “Is technology making us numb?”
See the difference? One is just a filing cabinet. The other primes your brain to collect & connect knowledge in service of an opinion or idea.
(It’s like that scene in the movie Focus where Will Smith primes the billionaire to pick jersey number 55 by showing him the number everywhere. Your collections prime your brain to spot relevant insights everywhere).
