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created: 2024-02-21 19:01
updated: 2024-03-12 13:49
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Tagging is an advance technique from ancient times where the search capabilities of modern notes app didn't exist. Because of this (and other reasons) is nearly imposible to create an universal taxonomy to catalogue all of our notes.

For this reasons we can use tags as an extensions of our mine organization and relations systems ([PARA method](PARA%20method.md) and linking).

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?)

You can use as few or as many of these techniques as you find helpful, or use them only for specific projects or areas that demand a higher level of rigor. Each tag you create should answer a question about the past, present, or future status of a note so you always know where it’s been and where it’s going.

## Create personalized tags for your use cases

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 uses cases**.

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_
## Use tags to track the progress of notes

As your collection of knowledge expands, at some point you may feel the need to **track their progress towards the outcomes you’re trying to create** in your life. You don’t need to remember the status of every note.

- 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_

## Tag notes retroactively and only as needed

Digital information is incredibly malleable, and it is often easier to organize your notes retroactively than to try and guess upfront all the projects, areas, and resources you might eventually need.

Tags are useful when you want a **different way of “viewing” your notes**, without having to undertake a massive reorganization of your entire system

When you apply tags with a specific use case in mind, the tags you come up with will be far more concrete and actionable.