HN Explorer

Ask HN: How do you organise and find notes and files?

2 points by bythckr ↗ HN
I store text in Markdown format, media (clipping from webpages & forums, images & video) & code snippets in dropbox. Searching and finding is the issue.

The matter/type of data ranges from rent in a neighbourhood that someone mentioned is paying that I want to store, food recipes I find, some interesting tips, quotes & facts. Digital copy of all important documents (passport, degree, receipts). Just every info I come across, I record it incase I forget it (I am rather forgetful). But now the issue is search my data.

Tried Evernote & Onenote, but it reduces the quality of files and I am not fully happy with the organisation method. Plus my data is stuck in the application.

I like the tag/label approach of Gmail. I think tags will be a better way to explore & find things needed.

I would love to know your method and hoping to learn an efficient method for organising my data. I am looking for an open standard. Org mode is interesting, but lack for media support is why I avoid it.

3 comments

[ 2.4 ms ] story [ 18.2 ms ] thread
Hackbraten
What exactly is the issue with finding things stored on your local filesystem?

Does your OS not index file names and content, allowing you to search for a text fragment and get meaningful results?

bythckr
Its not the techs fallacy, its more of the user fallacy. Its just that it takes long to find, I forget the keyword I used to save it under. Sometimes I use a keyword to save it, but then I forget and only when I find the info, I realise that I didn't use the right term. I am think it will better instead searching, it will be better if I can browse around.

Basically, I feel that there is a better way of doing it and I am just checking around. My current system is something I just put together.

Centrino
I'm using https://www.TagSpaces.org and I like it. It supports markdown and a bunch of other formats. You have the choice of storing the tags in the filenames or in sidecar files. I use the latter as I don't want my original filenames to be modified.