How do you organize files on your computer as well as your personal knowledge base?

Question

Windows

Guys, please share your experience.
1) How do you organize files in the file system on your computer .. Well, there, workers, photos, movies? Folder hierarchy structure and names
a) To make it convenient to search b) It is convenient to make backups c) Maybe you have some kind of system so that everything is not cluttered up.
2) In what way do you maintain your personal knowledge base, reference information ... What is the structure of folders, notepads ... I decided to keep it in One Note .. Today I did it.
3) Where do you store browser bookmarks and articles?
4) How do you get new up-to-date information (well, I don’t know, blogs, podcasts, rss, telegram channels) and how do you process it later if the info turned out to be useful and needs to be saved?

Answer 1

It is important to divide by type of areas of activity and then use it in different tools.
The general structure of information separation:

1. Life - life matters that come first
   
   1. Documents on rent, purchases, services for which I pay
      
   2. Active projects
      
   3. Finance
      
   4. Health
      
   5. Archive folder - everything that is no longer relevant goes here
      
      1. Services I no longer pay
         
      2. Completed projects
         
      3. Canceled projects
      
      
   6. …
   
   
2. Leisure - hobbies, hobbies
   
   1. Hobby1
      
   2. Hobby2
      
   3. Archive folder - everything that is no longer relevant goes here
      
   4. abandoned hobby 1
      
   5. abandoned hobby 2
      
   6. …
   
   
3. Knowledge - knowledge
   
   1. Manuals
      
   2. Programming knowledge
      
   3. Archive folder - everything that is no longer relevant goes here
      
   4. …
   
   
4. Media - just files to store
   
   1. Various downloaded torrents - I try to change the path to the appropriate folders
      
   2. Movies
      
   3. Music
      
   4. Install files
      
   5. Pictures
      
   6. Git repositories
      
   7. Books
      
   8. audiobooks
      
   9. …
   
   

Important points:
• Try to ensure that the folder does not have more than 7 subfolders (the exception is data of the same type like movies, music, etc.)
• Try to ensure that the depth of attachments does not exceed 3-4 levels (there are studies that indicate that after a certain depth, users already find it difficult to find something quickly)
Tools:
• OneNote
• Obsidian
• Google Drive
• Root folder in D:/
In each tool I have the same scheme, but the parts complement themselves (not duplicated).
For example
• In OneNote I have more Life stuff to be available online, but if the documents are confidential, the same scheme is on the personal computer and they sit there.
• Leisure>hobby 2 I don't need to be online, so it will only be on the local computer
• Knowledge>programming knowledge is in obsidian in the same structure, because there I do a lot of cross-references between topics.
• Media - The folder is heavy, so many things are only on the local computer, but books, for example, are in the same structure on Google drive and so there is access to them online from the phone
. This is something like this:
OneNote
+ 1 - Life
+++ Transactions with services
+ 2 – Leisure
+++ Hobbies 1
+ 3 – KnowledgeФ
+++ How to guides
+++ Self-development
Obsidian
+ 3 – Knowledge
+++Programming
D:/
+ 1 – Life
+++ Documents rent, housing
+++ Banking
+++ Health
+ 2 – Leisure
+++ Hobbies 2
+ 3 – Knowledge
+++ Manuals
+ 4 – Media
+++ Movies
+++ Music
+++ AudioBooks
+ ++ Git Repositories
+++ ...
Google Drive Root
+ 1 - Life
+ 2 - Leisure
+ 3 - Knowledge
+ 4 - Media
+++ Books
Backup
There is a separate 2T hard drive connected via USB (a special box in which a regular internal hard drive - so cheaper)
There is FreeFileSync which I turn on from time to time, and it synchronizes the D root folder and the Google drive folder
It turns out that the Google drive folder is very reliable - it sits on the computer, on the hard drive and on the server.
Bookmarks
Bookmarks = evil. Previously, I collected everything interesting there, I realized that it turned out to be a dump and dismantled everything. Today, there are only links to resources and only by category - news, habr, calendar, etc.
When I see an interesting article, I create a note in One Note on the topic and throw various links there. I try to decide at the sight of the article if it's worth it. The note goes depending on the information.

Answer 2

Winda offers for this so-called. "Libraries" - I don't like this tool and don't use it, because it combines files that are actually in God knows where. And I'm used to knowing the exact location of the file.
Therefore, in every computer, in the old fashioned way (since Win95), I set up the "My Documents" folder, setting it to the location on the d: / (UserData) partition.
The rest - according to the circumstances, without a single approach.

Answer 3

1. Keep movies on your computer in 2017? Seriously? photo in Yandex disk
2. Folder "Useful" -> Books.txt, Things.txt, Films.txt they contain links to some materials.
3. Raindrop.io
4. I'm not particularly puzzled by this, but I subscribe to some publics in VK, all sorts of hubs and around it. I save everything interesting in raindrop

Answer 4

1) Normal. Either a disk or a projects (job) folder for workers, where each folder is the name of the site (site.ru), it contains another site.ru folder in which the site itself, at the root of any folders (docs, psd)
Music, films, everything in the same folders. Music can be by genre.
Backups? Projects in the git, documents on the local desktop server, everything is in the same hierarchy, synchronized with the mail disk and dropbox on 1tb
2) Google spreadsheets, evernot
3) Speeddial extension with tabs "Articles", "Forums on Technology N"

Answer 5

1) I use dropbox. In the home directory there is a folder with dropbox'om. Everything important is there, in a convenient hierarchy. I wrote the code on my laptop, saved it, left the house, got on the bus, opened it from the phone while I was driving, looking for where it can be optimized.
2) Directory with pdf's. Also, when I study something, I write it down in a notebook / notebook / notebook. Antediluvian technology, but it’s easier for me to remember, and flipping pages is more pleasant than turning a wheel.
One of my acquaintances uses Latex for such purposes.
Your decision, I think, will be convenient for you.

Answer 6

Evernote for articles, Keepass for passwords (Google Drive based), Chrome for bookmarks, it syncs with your phone. Google Keep for notes.