Break Free from Folders: A New Way to Organize Your Information with Logseq

As a multi-faceted individual juggling various roles—entrepreneur, developer, manager, blogger, and more—I've often found myself overwhelmed by the influx of diverse information that needs to be efficiently captured, organized, and retrieved. Recently, I started thinking more broadly about my organization system from the perspective of data engineering, which introduces the classic "Three V's" of big data:

• Volume: The sheer amount of information ranges from single-line quick notes to multi-paragraph documents, code snippets, and extensive reports.
• Velocity: Data is generated and changes rapidly—ideas emerge spontaneously, tasks evolve, and lessons are learned in real-time.
• Variety: Information comes in multiple formats—text, Markdown, code, HTML, images, PDFs, and more.

What is LogSeq

Logseq is a powerful, open-source note-taking and knowledge management tool that leverages the principles of Zettelkasten. Zettelkasten is a German word meaning "slip-box," referring to a system of organizing information into individual notes. By connecting these notes through a network of links, you can build a personal knowledge base that evolves over time. Both Logseq and Zettelkasten encourage a bottom-up, non-hierarchical approach to knowledge organization, allowing you to capture ideas, research, and insights in a flexible and efficient manner.

Traditional vertical organizational methods—such as segregating information strictly by roles or projects—became cumbersome and inefficient for me. Instead, I adopted a horizontal approach that categorizes information across types and formats, offering greater flexibility and efficiency. Logseq, a powerful networked thinking tool, excels in managing complex and varied information horizontally.

In this blog post, I'll share the strategies I've used to enhance my information management in Logseq, including leveraging tags, extensions, efficient organization methods, and real-life examples to illustrate these concepts.

# 1. Using Pages and Tags for Dynamic Organization

With Logseq you can capture information by either adding a Block to a dedicated page for a topic (e.g. readings) OR you can stay in your Logseq and simply reference the same page using hashtags.

Instead of adding entries directly to dedicated pages, I use tags (e.g. #blog, #idea, #reading) when entering information into my journal. There are several advantages to this method:

• Automatic Linking: By tagging an entry, it automatically appears in both the daily journal and the corresponding tag page.
• Flexible Categorization: Tags allow for multiple categorizations of a single entry, enhancing cross-referencing and retrieval.
• Simplified Workflow: There's no need to decide on a specific page to place an entry; I simply tag it appropriately.

Real-Life Example:

While journaling, I might write:

- Explored the concept of neural networks in AI today. Fascinating stuff! #idea

This entry remains in my daily journal but also appears on the pages for #idea, #AI, and #learning, making it easy to find later under multiple contexts.

On my mobile, the hashtag # is a bit awkward to type, so I just add a block on the page itself, and both work fine.

2. Keeping Certain Items in the Journal

Certain types of information are best kept within the journal for chronological tracking and context:

• Tryouts: Experiments or things I'm trying out.
• Readings and Links: Articles, books, or web resources I plan to read.
• Quick Notes: Brief memos or reminders.
• Ideas: Spontaneous thoughts or concepts.
• Lessons Learned: Insights or knowledge gained from experiences.

By keeping these items in the journal and tagging them appropriately, I maintain a chronological record while also organizing them by type.

Real-Life Example:

Capturing a lesson learned:

• Realized the importance of validating user input to prevent security vulnerabilities. Need to implement stricter checks in the login module. #lesson #security

3. Leveraging Extensions and Shortcuts

Logseq is incredibly powerful on its own, but with some extensions, it becomes even more powerful. Here are a few extensions I use often:

• Visual Tag List: Displays all tags, making it easier to navigate and select.
• Tag Management: Allows seeing the frequency of tags and managing them effectively.
• Quick Capture Extensions: I use extensions like the logseq-quicktodo-plugin, customized to capture different types of information quickly with tags.
• Additional Tags: Including more tags to further categorize entries, such as #work, #personal, #urgent, enhances organization.

Real-Life Example:

Quickly capturing a to-do item:

• [ ] Prepare the slides for the upcoming AI workshop. #todo #workshop #AI #urgent

There are plenty of shortcuts to speed up working with Logseq. Here are the daily shortcuts I use:

1. Navigation: Cmd + Shift + Ctrl + Arrow (←/→)
2. Switching Todos: Shift + Enter (repeats to move through states like "Doing" and "Done")
3. Search: Cmd + K

Conclusion

Juggling multiple roles and a constant flow of information can be overwhelming. But with the right tools and strategies, you can tame the chaos. Logseq, with its flexible tagging system and powerful extensions, has been a game changer for me.

The key to effective information management is consistency. Once you find a system that works for you, stick to it. This reduces the mental overhead of constantly deciding how to organize information, freeing your mind to focus on more important tasks.

For a deeper dive into my thoughts and methods, feel free to check out my full blog post at Break Free From Folders: A New Way to Organize Your Information with Logseq.