How to handle many files for a single ID?

Johnny.Decimal University Workbook/Workshop
1

Hello,

I’ve been working my way through the workbook and as I’ve been trying to get a grasp on my areas and categories I’m running into issues. Hoping someone will have some insight on how to deal with this.

My scope is basically my current file system. In the basis I’m very organized, but in a manner of folders into folders into folders. Often sub-folders happen because a folder gets too many files into it and I lose overview.

And that’s where my problem comes in. Best to illustrate with an example.
So I have autism, and in my file system currently I have a structure like this:

1. Collections
  Health
    Autism
      Archive
        Women with autism article from a magazine
          <picture files of the article>
        Assistance request
          <bunch of files related to that>
        <bunch of files here as well>
      Coaching
        <all files related to that>
      Dutch Autism Register
        <files related to my participation>
      References
        <more files of related references, some articles, some for using tools related to coaching apparently>
      Workbook Burnout
        <files of this specific workbook>
      Diagnosis report.pdf
      <a picture file>

It’s an organized mess I would say :smiley: Building my system, I explicitly didn’t look into my file system too much, to prevent some pitfalls. So here’s where I got to with areas and categories based on what sticky notes I defined.

Personal and administration
  Health and related activities
    Autism
    Coaching
    <some other not relevant things>

I don’t know how I’m going to squeeze 80 files into these two ID’s.
The only option I see is more ID’s, but I fear having all information related to my Autism all over the “Health and related activities” category. I don’t know how I feel about that.

This is just one example, but many of my structures are like this. I have a topic with many related files under it. And I would run out of areas/categories if I make those topics into categories for example.

For anything I have that is “dated”, as in useful for a set period of time, I can see myself making sub-folders with a date as expressed elsewhere. Like so:

Personal and administration
  Out of the home
    Vacations and excursions
      2026-01 Disneyland Paris

Hoping for some neat ideas, so I don’t get lost in the jungle of sub-folders anymore :smiley:
(but also not have an enormous list of files in a single folder)

2

Hi. And welcome.

The thing to realise – the only thing that’s really important – is that the goal of this system is not to be neat for the sake of it. Which is why many of us find it appealing, for sure: but that’s not the primary thing.

The primary thing is retrievability of information. That’s what you need to be designing for. So, then, very broadly you have a decision/split choice:

  1. 80 files in one ID is actually fine. Because while it might not ‘feel right’, you can easily find whichever one it is you’re looking for on any given day.
  2. That isn’t fine, and you need to figure out how to break them up. Can 80 become 4 × 20? 8 × 10? But now be careful! It might not be better that way: because now you just have to know which of those 8 folders any given file might be in.

‘Headers’, a not-official-though-they-probably-should-be-by-now feature, might help you here. See this blog post, and let me know if you need more help. But basically think sub-category.

3

A good reminder that you can know something, without really understanding all the implications.

This made me think more in terms of what I have in my head when I go look for something, instead of in terms of how to neatly organize something.

So, Health > Autism > Dutch Autism Register might make sense in terms of organization. However when I go look for information, that’s not how I’m thinking.
I’m looking for something related to Dutch Autism Register. So Health > Dutch Autism Register would work just as well.

Going through the files, a good chunk is related to treatments. A treatments ID could cover all of my health related treatments as those are set in time.

My diagnosis report could go under Health > Diagnosis together with other similar reports.

What’s left, and the only thing an Autism ID would make sense for is reference materials. If I want information on Autism I don’t immediately know which reference material I have or need.
But at that point the set of files is already much smaller and therefore easy to manage.

Thank you for this shift in mindset! This makes me think so differently about the system.
A question of “Can this deeply nested subfolder be it’s own ID?” And “What information do I have in my head when I go to look for something?”

4

Glad to help!