When notes only pile up

One Line guide · Tidying

Most people who use a note app for a while end up in the same place. You write things down, you cannot find them again, you scroll for a bit and give up, and then you write the same thing over. It is not that people refuse to tidy. Tidying costs too much.

Don't start a new folder

A folder asks a question every time you write: which one does this go in? To avoid the question, everything ends up in one pile anyway. A tag is different — put a # in the sentence as you write it and you are done, and one line can carry several.

Tags you already use are suggested as you type, so you don't end up with two spellings of the same thing.
The most-used tags sit in the left menu with their counts. Click one to filter.
Untagged things are still findable: ⌘K (Ctrl+K on Windows) searches everything.

Archive what is finished

Last month's packing list is done with, but not worth deleting. Archive it. It leaves the list and stays in search and in the archive. It is the cheapest way to shorten a list, and undoing it takes five seconds.

Deleted things come back for 14 days

If deleting feels dangerous you stop deleting, and then the list only grows. So deleting is not instant here.

Deleting asks first — “Move to the trash?”
For five seconds after that you can undo it on the spot — that covers a slipped finger.
Then it sits in the trash for 14 days. Restore it from Menu → Trash. Needing yesterday's note today does not happen within five seconds.
After 14 days it clears itself. You can also empty it yourself.

On the phone, deleting is immediate. Restoring happens on the web.

You hear about space before you run out

Attachments are free up to 5 GB per account. Cross 80% and you are told once, there and then, and Settings can find files nothing points at any more. Running out usually happens mid-upload, and finding out at that moment is too late.