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PLAIN TEXT. PAPER, LESS · 145

Folders or Tags or Index Pages? They’re Tools, Not a Debate

But if you only pick one, make it the index page

Ellane W
3 min readFeb 24, 2025

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A page with stylised lines (representing text) sits at an angle on the left of the image, with text overlaying it that reads Plain text. Paper, less
PTPL image by the Author

The question of folders versus tags doesn’t need to be a debate.

Rather than writing a spiel about it, I’ll simply say that each is a tool, and a good craftsperson picks the right tool for the job at hand. Note that I’m working on the assumption that linking between notes is a given.

Never organise your files again? (Kinda but not really)

Trystan tells us we never need to organise our files again. He advocates for wikilinks, tags, and search in iA Writer.

My thoughts while reading this article:

  • The app doesn’t matter; these principles apply to any wikilink-enabled app. (Obsidian, Tangent Notes, Notenik, Logseq, Joplin, Silver Bullet, iA Writer; the list of options is growing and that’s a very good thing)
  • Descriptive file names are important
  • The no-organising method of working with files requires a good sense of of how you want them structured so that tags don’t get messy
  • Every file needs a lifeline before being released into the wilderness. A tag, a…

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Ellane W
Ellane W

Written by Ellane W

Designer and educational publisher for 30 years+. Plain-text advocate. Still using paper, but less of it. https://linktr.ee/miscellaneplans

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