My PKM System

Personal Knowledge Management

This note describes my complete system for capturing, organizing, and retrieving knowledge. It builds on the principles from How I Take Notes.

System Overview

graph TB
    subgraph Capture
        A[Inbox] --> B[Quick Notes]
    end
    
    subgraph Process
        B --> C[Refine]
        C --> D[Link]
    end
    
    subgraph Organize
        D --> E[Projects]
        D --> F[Areas]
        D --> G[Resources]
        D --> G[Archive]
    end
    
    subgraph Retrieve
        E --> H[Search]
        F --> H
        G --> H
        H --> I[Output]
    end

PARA Method

I use Tiago Forte’s PARA method:

• Projects — Short-term efforts with deadlines
• Areas — Long-term responsibilities
• Resources — Topics of ongoing interest
• Archive — Inactive items from above

Folder Structure

My Organization

📁 Vault
├── 📁 Inbox (unprocessed captures)
├── 📁 Projects
│   ├── 📁 Quartz Blog Setup
│   ├── 📁 Smart Home Automation
│   └── 📁 Photography Portfolio
├── 📁 Areas
│   ├── 📁 Health & Fitness
│   ├── 📁 Finance
│   └── 📁 Career
├── 📁 Resources
│   ├── 📁 Web Development
│   ├── 📁 Machine Learning
│   └── 📁 Psychology
└── 📁 Archive

Tags System

Tagging Strategy

Use tags for status and categories, not for linking.

Status Tags

Tag	Meaning
#status/seed	New, unprocessed
#status/budding	Partially developed
#status/evergreen	Fully refined
#status/archived	No longer maintained

Content Tags

Tag	Use For
#type/concept	Definitions and explanations
#type/process	How-to guides
#type/reference	Factual information
#type/insight	Personal observations

Example

This note is tagged: #type/reference #status/evergreen

Linking Strategy

Links > Tags

Tags are useful, but links create real knowledge connections.

Link Types

# 1. Direct reference
See [[Web Development Basics]] for more.
 
# 2. With alias
The [[Book Notes - Thinking Fast and Slow|Kahneman book]] changed my perspective.
 
# 3. Section link
Check [[Healthy Habits#Sleep Hygiene]] for sleep tips.
 
# 4. Block reference (advanced)
> [!quote] "Important quote" ^quote1
> 
> Referencing [[Note#^quote1]] here.

Search Strategies

Finding Things

1. Omnisearch — Full-text search across all notes
2. Graph view — Visual exploration of connections
3. Backlinks — See what references a note
4. Tags — Filter by category or status
5. Folders — Browse by area or project

Integration with Tools

My Tech Stack

• Quartz Blog Setup — Publishing to web
• Git Version Control — Version control
• Docker Containerization — Consistent environment
• Web Development Basics — Building tools

Automation

# Example: Auto-tag new notes
triggers:
  - path: "inbox/"
    action: add_tag
    tag: "status/seed"
    
# Example: Link suggestions
features:
  - link_suggestions:
      enabled: true
      min_connections: 2

Review Process

Weekly Review

• Process inbox (15 min)
• Review new connections (10 min)
• Update project notes (20 min)
• Clean up tags (5 min)

Monthly Review

• Review all “seed” notes
• Promote developed notes to “evergreen”
• Archive completed projects
• Update note-taking process

Metrics

System Health

I track these metrics monthly:

Metric	Target	Current
Notes created	20/month	25
Notes linked	>80%	85%
Evergreen notes	10/month	12
Graph density	>2.0	2.3
Search success	>90%	92%

Warning Signs

• Many unlinked notes
• Lots of “seed” status notes
• Low graph connectivity
• Can’t find notes you know exist

Lessons Learned

Key Insights

1. Start simple — Complexity emerges naturally
2. Link aggressively — More links = more value
3. Review regularly — Maintenance is essential
4. Output matters — Use notes to create things
5. Be patient — PKM compounds over time

Common Failures

1. Over-engineering the system
2. Spending more time organizing than using
3. Not linking notes
4. Abandoning the system after a few weeks

Related Systems

Inspiration

• Zettelkasten method — How I Take Notes > The Zettelkasten Method
• PARA method — Tiago Forte’s organizational framework
• Building a Second Brain — Comprehensive PKM course
• Evergreen notes — Andy Matuschak’s concept

See Also

• How I Take Notes — Note-taking techniques
• Book Notes - Thinking Fast and Slow — Example of a literature note
• Healthy Habits — Applying PKM to personal development
• Machine Learning Intro — Using PKM for learning

---

*Tags: pkm knowledge-management obsidian productivity