Frequently asked questions about thinking, epistemology, and cognitive tools. 1431 answers
Sometimes you need to classify the same items along multiple independent dimensions.
Sometimes you need to classify the same items along multiple independent dimensions.
Sometimes you need to classify the same items along multiple independent dimensions.
Sometimes you need to classify the same items along multiple independent dimensions.
Choose a collection of 15-20 items you currently organize in a single-dimension system — notes in folders, tasks in lists, bookmarks in categories, contacts in groups. Identify three additional dimensions along which those same items could be meaningfully classified. For each item, assign a value.
Two failure modes bracket the problem. The first is dimensional poverty: classifying items along only one dimension and treating it as sufficient. You file notes by topic and then cannot find the ones relevant to a project. You sort tasks by status and then cannot identify which ones belong to a.
Sometimes you need to classify the same items along multiple independent dimensions.
Categories reduce complexity by treating similar things as equivalent for a given purpose.
Categories reduce complexity by treating similar things as equivalent for a given purpose.
Categories reduce complexity by treating similar things as equivalent for a given purpose.
Categories reduce complexity by treating similar things as equivalent for a given purpose.
Pick one classification system you use daily — your email labels, your task priorities, your contact groups. Write down three things that system compresses away (details it ignores) and three things it preserves (distinctions it keeps). Then ask: is the compression ratio right? Are you losing.
Two failure modes in opposite directions. Over-compression: you reduce so aggressively that distinctions which matter for your decisions disappear — like triaging all customer feedback into 'positive' and 'negative' when the actionable signal lives in the subcategories. Under-compression: you keep.
Categories reduce complexity by treating similar things as equivalent for a given purpose.
The best category systems adapt as you learn more about what you are organizing.
The best category systems adapt as you learn more about what you are organizing.
The best category systems adapt as you learn more about what you are organizing.
Pick the classification system you've used longest — your file folder structure, your task management categories, your note-taking tags, your bookshelf organization. Now conduct an evolution audit. First, write down the original categories as you remember them. Then write down the current.
Treating your classification system as finished. You'll recognize this pattern when you keep forcing new items into categories that no longer fit, when your 'Miscellaneous' or 'Other' bucket grows faster than any named category, or when you find yourself working around your own system rather than.
The best category systems adapt as you learn more about what you are organizing.
The connections between things carry as much meaning as the things themselves.
The connections between things carry as much meaning as the things themselves.
The connections between things carry as much meaning as the things themselves.
Pick five concepts you've captured in your knowledge system. Write each one on a separate card or line. Now draw every connection you can identify between them — label each connection with a verb: 'causes,' 'enables,' 'contradicts,' 'supports,' 'requires.' Count the relationships. You should have.