1/ In the spirit of sharing, here is my folder structure.
I keep things shallow for "active" documents. I only keep active notes and projects on the root. That way, they are super easy to get to. I archive them once done to prevent the structure from becoming overwhelming. #TfT
2/ in 00-Folders, I maintain my "Archive" with some logical structure (not too much, not too little).
Using the move file command makes it super easy to stick a file into an archive folder.
I collect files in the root of the vault during the week, then once a week archive them.
3/ My Archive is not a black hole of FILE DEATH.
I actually frequently review my archived notes via search or through linking and "Strange New Worlds" resurfacing linked ideas.
I also delete notes of no value. Deleting is a healthy part of managing your archive.
4/ Frankly: I'm not too fond of file management. This is one of the disadvantages of Obsidian. However, if I keep my "Active" day-to-day file structure simple (fits on one screen), it's manageable.
GTD weekly review and cleanup keep the sanity in check.
5/ You'll notice that I use emojis to dress up some folders. Adding a splash of color and visuals helps me not feel that my vault is so boring.
I don't add the emojis to the file name, rather use a CSS snippet to append the emoji.
6/ In fact, you might notice that 00-Folders is a smaller font. I don't want this archive folder to be so prominent, but I also want to remember it's there (archiving is healthy file management).
Again, a small CSS Snippet gets the job done.
7/ Finally, I also dress up the file names with an icon.
By the way, these decorative elements can be done with plugins, but I prefer to keep my folder names without emojis to make them easier to work with from the file system.
8/ To be a good guy, here is the source for easy copy and paste.
The key to making this work is to replace your folder names with mine in this part of the CSS:
2/ I have built plugins for many Tools for Thought. Obsidian, Craft, Roam, Readwise & Office (Excel, Word, SharePoint -- if you consider them to be TfT).
This opens doors to meeting many wonderful users and developers of Tools for Thought. I learn so much from each conversation.
3/ Many of us use plugins for our tools and don't think much about the effort that goes into them. We know there is a lot of effort, but we know we don't really know.
Man, I hate that expression. While this term has its place, somehow, in the #TfT space, it has become a way to throw mud at others. (competitors, jealousy, etc).
Tana is not a shiny object. Their Slack is proof something good is cooking.
2/ I did not record any official numbers, but before their early access announcement, I am sure slack was sitting around 200-300 users. As of today, it is 3000+.
That is a significant and overwhelming increase in just a matter of a few weeks.
3/ In the introduce-yourself channel on their Slack, numerous new people introduce themselves daily.
These are amazing, smart, sincere & exciting people.
They want to be a part of something special. I applaud them for investing time and energy in Tana's early development.
2/ Obsidian and Tana are not easy to compare. They are in the same competitive space: Tools for Thought, but they solve different problems. So there is overlap, but they are fairly different.
Obsidian is the best choice for Markdown, TNO, and long-form writing. Single-user work.
3/ Tana will be best for outliner database-like functionality: (everything is a database record). So stronger for more structured content and querying against that. Multi-user collaboration.
Tana solves many problems within the product that other TfT tools need plugins for.
A lot of buzz about @tana_inc & people patiently (impatiently) waiting for their invite for early access.
Many compare Tana to Notion and Roam, but Tana is its own thing and in its own class. #TfT
2/ Recently @SantiYounger did this great 9-minute video on what Tana is. Well worth watching. He also calls it a tool that brings in all the features he wants from tools like @todoist, @NotionHQ, @RoamResearch & @logseq.
3/ Also, @jcfischer, the other day, compared Tana to Lotus notes, which is also a great comparison.
Tana is the first tool I have seen that uses an outliner metaphor for collecting data with little structure to as much structure as you want, all built on a real database.
/1 A rant, sponsored by the good folks at the #TfT Hacking foundation
I sadly notice increasing criticism toward content creators, with sarcastic expressions like "Shiney new objects" or of creators generating content about news tools.
Like they have selfish or evil intentions.
/2 I don't consider myself a content creator, but let me apologize on behalf of all those content creators who FORCE you to read their content on Twitter, medium, etc, or FORCE you to watch their videos on YouTube.
Please take note of the sarcasm in this last statement.
/3 People, we are the masters of our own domain (browser, inbox, etc). If you feel overwhelmed, use the "unfollow" button & don't open videos on YouTube.
Please, don't make these people feel bad for the self-sacrificing effort they put into providing us with educational content.