[tsthename]

Separating functions helps us use the right tool for the job. Taxonomies are for semantics, and the file system is for retrievability. The comfort of hierarchies makes it easy to try and do both simultaneously.

- From computer science, we know graphs give us expressive modeling capabilities. I sometimes use mermaid ER diagrams as a concept map to capture complex relationships between files and concepts.

- From library science, faceted classification works well for extensive collections because inserting a new entry does not require thinking about existing entries. I maintain entries in a spreadsheet for extensive collections that matter to me. Note: Facets are meant for unchanging or infrequently changing properties. Creating a concept map and maintaining a faceted classification system take work, so I only use them for things that are very important to me.

90% of files I only care about for a short amount of time. I use the file system to co-locate the files I'm currently working on (so a project) but then archive all of it when I move on to something else.

The trade-off is that I give up on sharing files between projects. I don't want to deal with references. I copy from the archive when I need to. On the rare occasion when I need to reconcile the same file between projects, I do it manually. What helps is working on only a few projects at the same time.

TL;DR: Archive more. Use high-investment techniques only for the small percentage of files that really matter.