Do not search
In the PoIC, a key is how to search. The search become more difficult with system grows because of it’s analog nature. Also, we adopt simple chronological order. Only search criteria here is our own time axis, that is history and memory.
However, in my experience, the search is not frequent at all because,
1) I concentrate to extract new ideas.
2) If I completely forget about a topic in past, I don’t need search at all. In other words, no way to search what I completely forget.
3) If I remember some part of a topic in past, I write it on a new card, rather than search the card in past. This is much faster.
4) Search area is quite limited, say 3 days to a week past, because of my memory. So (2) works for older than a week.
Anyway, I must say only few time I need to scan all card in a dock since I use the PoIC.
At certain point, a time when cards about a project enough accumulate, we pick up all cards to organize Task Force for the Project. This time we search all topics about the project. That is, the “search” process comes very last point of the project. Same is true for a “classification”.
At the (3), we will have some similar cards resemble each other. But they have slightly different contents. It is good to express one topic in different ways. It is a measure of how we understand well about the topic.
In addition, it is frequently happen for me, but while searching a card, I already forget what I’ve thinking. When I find the card, I already lost the idea. It seems searching card is most of time harmful, especially for capturing idea.
February 16th, 2007 at 11:54 am
This is an interesting thought, to say goodbye to search. I think (full-text) search-ability is the single biggest advantage to computer based filing systems. It becomes very valuable to be able to instantly find everything you’ve ever written {thought/recorded} related to a specific keyword/tag because it can help to give you full overview of what you know/do with that tag. I don’t think it would be impossible to create, perhaps as a part of your weekly review, an ‘index’ card with the titles/tags-per-time, this could make searching much easier and it could also be culminated into a bigger review/index, perhaps per tag rather than per time.
Granted it’s worth noting that this would, over time, likely grow to become a very large database especially considering the size/usage of your system.
It is interesting to consider the possibility of a tagging system in this paper world, perhaps having specially marked (easily accessible) index cards for each tag you could more easily sort through all of your cards in an efficient manner.
I don’t think it’s okay to say no to search-ability, I think having time as your only axis can be a little dangerous because not all context is temporal. Interestingly, in some ways, this coincides (perhaps opposingly) with my argument for the Noguchi system in that I want to revamp the dependence on time in exchange for a fuller appreciation of the context of the card’s content. I do recognize that time is a part of the context but I think, oftentimes, it is not the most significant.
cheers
jeevs
February 18th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
>>jeevs
Thanks jeevs.
About ‘index’ card : it sounds me like numbering all stones used in the pyramid. What is important for us is not to manage stones, but to construct the pyramid. Is the ‘index’ing really worth to do as preparation of the construction?
I think a chronological order (time axis) is the best way to accumulate information, especially for personal file system. This is only way to achieve this in sterss-free state. But when organizing Task Force, we don’t need mind the time stamp. This time, only content is important. The time stamp become secondary or thirdary importance.
February 19th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
>>jeevs
Several additional questions.
1) please show the source for this,
>my argument
It sounds me like you are going to return ‘before’ Noguchi filing system.
Anyway, if it works well for you, please report. ;)
2) You always give me useful comments about card system.
If possible, I would like to see your card system and file system by my eyes.
I really appreciate your pictures on flickr.
I’m interested in how people actually organize their life. :)
February 21st, 2007 at 11:26 am
If searching is not encouraged, index cards should be discarded once they have been written. It’s like purging an inbox of all your emails once you have read them. Perhaps there is a value in searching the past. If only to remind yourself of certain details that have been forgotten.
February 21st, 2007 at 3:57 pm
>>Danny
As I wrote, my opinion is that a search process comes very last stage of a project. Until this time, ‘do not search’.
February 21st, 2007 at 11:26 pm
>>jeebs, Danny
I still have many questions for you :)
What are you going to do with your ‘index cards’ exactly?
What for?
How do you use them?
February 22nd, 2007 at 12:28 am
For me, Hawk’s system gives the ability to let go of myr ideas, knowing that they are still there (in the cards).
Deleting an index card would intere with my ability to let go of my ideas because then it would be gone forever.
Once I have “let go”, turning my attention to being able to search for those cards means I really haven’t let go.
I am wasting RAM on old content rather than letting it create new content.
I appreciate being able to let go and sepating it from projects/search which may or may not come later.
This is my understanding (as a beginner).
Just my opinion.
February 23rd, 2007 at 12:44 am
>>Jossy92
Thanks for your opinion. And that is what I want to tell through the PoIC. :)
We should enjoy discovery and connect it to a personal productivity.