# Building a Second Brain - Tags

![rw-book-cover](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71jhK9zsKEL.jpg)

## Metadata
- Author: [[Tiago Forte]]
- Full Title: Building a Second Brain - Tags
- Category: #articles
- Document Tags: [[notetaking]] [[productivity]] 
- URL: https://readwise.io/reader/document_raw_content/2217137
- Archive: https://web-archive.alecodes.page/bookmarks?bf=1&search=&title=Building%20a%20Second%20Brain%20-%20Tags
> [!tldr]
> Creating a universal tagging system for notes is impractical and can lead to frustration. Instead, tags should be used to track the progress and purpose of notes, focusing on actionable use cases. Start small with simple organization methods and apply tags retroactively as needed to maintain clarity and motivation.

## Highlights
The goal of all these endeavors was to create a system of classification – known as a “taxonomy” – that every piece of knowledge could be placed into. [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j6hh4c8747s1xrb59f93826q))

Like Pandora’s Box, once we begin to apply tags it can be incredibly tempting to start labeling each and every note ... Building a Second Brain: Chapter 11 | buildingasecondbrain.com understand what we are trying to use our notes to accomplish to avoid the trap of “tagging for the sake of tagging.”

There are three practical approaches to tagging you can use as your Second Brain grows and matures. Each one follows the principle of actionability and answers an important question about the purpose of a given note: 1. Create personalized tags for your use cases. (How will my notes be used?) 2. Use tags to track the progress of notes. (How are my notes currently being used?) 3. Tag notes retroactively and only as needed. (How have my notes been used?) [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j6hhjytn42dbdcgskyjrr74q))

if you already know how your notes are likely to be used – such as for citations in a paper [Source], as evidence in a trial [Evidence], or as slides in a presentation [Slides] – it can be helpful to tag your notes according to those use cases. [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j6hhp4pghcnk2r4z4r95n287))

Ask yourself, “What are the most common use cases for the content I capture?” Here are a couple common examples: • Tagging according to the final product a note will be used in: [Presentation], [Essay], [Report], [Website], [Project plan], [Meeting agenda], or [Budget]
• Tagging according to the kind of information a note contains: [Arguments], [Theories], [Frameworks], [Evidence], [Claim], [Counterpoint], or [Question] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j6hhwgwga3a4t0bm9p3t12y6))

tags to track the progress of their notes: • Tagging according to its role in a project: [Meeting notes], [Timeline], [Budget], [Decision], [Action], [Idea], or [Objective]
• Tagging according to the current stage of their workflow: [Planned], [In process], [Waiting for approval], [Reviewed], [Approved], [On hold], or [Finished] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j6hj21kk7kmc7c4f40hg3004))

These kinds of tags aren’t about the contents of a note. They are about its context – specifically, the context in which it is being used. Since [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j6hj2t79v8mg6rey564bm350))

We didn’t want to move her existing notes from their respective PARA folders, but we did want to be able to see all the notes related to “writing job descriptions” or “reviewing applications” in one place with a quick search. This is the perfect situation for tags: when you want a different way of “viewing” your notes, without having to [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j6hj859j9vyq735n7t634791))

Building a Second Brain: Chapter 11 | buildingasecondbrain.com undertake a massive reorganization of your entire system. [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j6hj84vq0hfy5rtaxw7nk0wa))

Instead of applying tags when you first capture content, I recommend applying them when it’s time to use it. Often, the ideal moment is when you are getting ready to start a new project. When you apply tags with a specific use case in mind, the tags you come up with will be far more concrete and actionable. And you will have the motivation to do the work of adding them because of the immediate needs of the project you are taking on. [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01j6hjb00pwcgt92e9ek7ad2p7))

using tags in this way means it’s perfectly fine to skip adding tags altogether if you don’t feel like it. ... This eliminates the frustrating experience of trying to force yourself to think of a tag for a note, even when nothing comes to mind, because you fear that otherwise it will be lost forever. Even if no tags are applied, the note will always be right in the folder where you left it.

