My category grows too fast. How to split?

J.D Concepts 15 Patterns & templates
1

:open_file_folder: Split or Not Split — That Is the Question

Hi all,

Over the past 6 months since beginning my journey with Johnny.Decimal, my 11 Workspace category has grown to 50 items — and I expect it to continue expanding as I build, explore, and iterate I’m now at the point where I’m wondering whether to split it, and if so, how.

I’ve considered separating:

• Thinking (e.g. PKM, Research, Learning)

vs

• Doing (e.g. building, configuring, scripting)

…but in practice, these go hand-in-hand for me. Learning is part of doing — especially since most of my work is highly tech-heavy (e.g. Linux, automation, backups, scripting, task systems).

So I’m left wondering:

Should I split now? Or let it keep growing and refactor later?

I’d love to hear how others have approached similar growth points in their JD systems — and if there are any durable split strategies that worked well for you.

Here’s my current list for reference:

11.00–11.19

  • 11.00_Index
  • 11.10_Scripts
  • 11.11_Logs
  • 11.12_IO-Files
  • 11.13_Bugs-Problems
  • 11.14_Configs
  • 11.15_Icons
  • 11.16_Resources
  • 11.17_Snippets
  • 11.18_Instructions
  • 11.19_Installations

11.20–11.29

  • 11.20_Ideas
  • 11.21_Coding
  • 11.22_Tech-Tips
  • 11.23_Extensions
  • 11.24_MacOS
  • 11.25_Backup-Strategies
  • 11.26_Customization
  • 11.27_Work
  • 11.28_Design
  • 11.29_Macros

11.30–11.39

  • 11.30_Terminal
  • 11.31_Tools
  • 11.32_Utilities
  • 11.33_PKM
  • 11.34_Doc-Mgmt
  • 11.34-DT_DEVONthink
  • 11.34-OBS_Obsidian
  • 11.34-JD_Johnny-Decimal
  • 11.34-TAG_Tagging
  • 11.35_NAS
  • 11.36_Task-Mgmt
  • 11.36-OF_OmniFocus
  • 11.37_Automation
  • 11.38_Hardware
  • 11.39_Productivity

11.40–11.50

  • 11.40_Research
  • 11.41_Academic
  • 11.42_Gen-AI
  • 11.43_Tips-and-Tricks
  • 11.44_Linux
  • 11.45_WordPress
  • 11.46_Coding+Design*
  • 11.47_Productivity+Utility*
  • 11.48_Security_Privacy
  • 11.49_Learning
  • 11.50_SDL-Work

* Email-only placeholders — combined topics (e.g., Coding + Design) that made sense in that system.

Thanks!

2

My initial reaction is that instead of making a big radical split, see if you can consolidate some of the existing categories.

Some examples that strike me:

  • 11.33---11.34 sound like they would all fit under 11.33_PKM.
  • I see MacOS, Linux, NAS, and a bunch of IDs that look like they might have to do with sysadmin, software tools, and the like – maybe that could be consolidated?

More generally, I’m reminded of a recent piece of good advice:

you’ve got some parent thing – using PowerBI, being a CPA – and that this should be recognised as the parent. It is the thing with an ID.
And then learning about the thing is a child of this thing.
Rather than learning about stuff being a parent, and PowerBI being a child.
(Areas and categories advice needed - #5 by johnnydecimal)

If separating learning and doing from each other feels artificial – I would feel the same – then maybe that principle helps. Maybe a (re)run of the Discovery exercise would help to identify which things feel most important to you and your work, and you can consolidate under those.

Curious, do you have titles for the groups of ten IDs? Because if not, maybe those divisions are obscuring patterns for you?

1 Like
3

Thanks for the advice. I don’t usually title groups of ten unless there are definitely fewer than ten items and grouping aids focus—then I’ll add a group folder. I like the idea of consolidation, but since I often use subfolders in those ID folders, merging would add depth I try to avoid. Still, I might be able to combine a few.

Afterthought: maybe I should stop worrying about future growth. If it turns out I’m an excessive collector, I can always add a new category like ‘1X Workspace.’