pooriaarab Knowledge Organization
Set up a unified knowledge system across all platforms — local, iCloud, Google Drive, GitHub, Notes — with a single taxonomy and an optional connected-notes layer.
Step 1 — Ask These Questions First
1. What platforms do you use? (local/iCloud/Google Drive/GitHub/Notion/Apple Notes/Obsidian)
2. What's your primary pain?
a) Can't find things — no consistent structure
b) Ideas siloed — notes don't connect to files
c) Platforms out of sync — different folder names everywhere
3. What type of content dominates?
a) Documents/files (PDFs, decks, contracts)
b) Ideas/notes/writing (knowledge, research, journaling)
c) Code and projects (repos, scripts, configs)
d) Mix of all
4. Do you have a folder structure preference?
a) PARA (Projects / Areas / Resources / Archive — Tiago Forte)
b) Flat project folders (one folder per project/brand)
c) Johnny Decimal (numbered hierarchy: 10-19 Finance, 20-29 Health…)
d) No preference — recommend one
Method Comparison
| Method | Best for | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| PARA | Action-oriented people; lots of active projects | Archive gets messy; bad for pure ideas |
| Zettelkasten | Researchers, writers, idea people | No clear home for files/docs |
| Johnny Decimal | People who retrieve more than create; strict types | Rigid; numbering friction |
| Flat project folders | Developers; one folder per brand/product | Doesn't scale for personal life |
| LYT (Maps of Content) | Non-linear thinkers; Obsidian users | Requires Obsidian; upfront setup |
| BASB / CODE | Creatives capturing from everywhere | Heavy process; needs discipline |
Recommended hybrid for most people:
→ PARA-inspired folders for files/documents + Zettelkasten-inspired notes for ideas = best of both worlds.
The Unified Taxonomy
One structure, mirrored across every platform. Files live in ONE place; others link or reference.
Root/
├── 0 - Inbox/ ← capture everything first, process weekly
├── 1 - Projects/ ← active work with a specific outcome
│ ├── {project-name}/
│ └── ...
├── 2 - Areas/ ← ongoing responsibilities (no deadline)
│ ├── Finance/
│ ├── Health/
│ ├── Legal/
│ ├── House/
│ ├── Music/
│ └── Personal/
├── 3 - Resources/ ← reference material (no action needed)
│ ├── Learning/
│ ├── Design Assets/
│ └── Research/
└── 4 - Archive/ ← inactive projects, old docs
Projects naming: use the brand/product name (Mozilla/, Solo/, Beehouse/).
Platform Roles (Canon vs Mirror)
Don't put everything everywhere. Assign each platform a role:
| Platform | Canonical for | Syncs to |
|---|---|---|
Local ~/Documents/ |
Code repos, dev tools, active projects | GitHub (code), iCloud (docs) |
| iCloud | Personal documents, legal, finance, media | Backup only |
| Google Drive | Shared docs, decks, collaboration assets | Drive links in notes |
| GitHub | Code, scripts, skills, automation | Local via clone |
| Obsidian / Notes | Ideas, atomic notes, journal, MOCs | Obsidian sync or iCloud vault |
Rule: a file has ONE home. Other platforms reference it, not copy it.
The Context Graph (Connected Notes Layer)
On top of the folder taxonomy, add a notes layer in Obsidian (or Apple Notes) that links everything together.
Obsidian vault structure
Notes/ ← lives in iCloud/Areas/Personal/Notes/ or iCloud vault
├── _inbox/ ← quick captures (process weekly)
├── MOC - Projects.md ← Map of Content: links to all active projects
├── MOC - Areas.md ← links to area notes and key docs
├── MOC - Resources.md ← links to learning notes, books, research
├── atoms/ ← atomic notes: one idea per file, [[wiki-linked]]
│ ├── idea-name.md
│ └── ...
├── journal/ ← daily notes (YYYY-MM-DD.md)
└── templates/ ← note templates
Atomic note format (Karpathy-inspired)
# Idea Title
One clear statement of the idea.
## Connections
- [[related-idea-1]]
- [[related-idea-2]]
- Source: [[book-or-article-title]]
## Why it matters
...
## Questions it raises
- ...
Tags: #topic #domain
Maps of Content (MOC)
Hub notes that act as entry points to a topic:
# MOC - Solo Products
## Active
- [[beehouse-strategy]] | [[beeloud-roadmap]] | [[vibeads-notes]]
## Resources
- [[solopreneur-principles]] | [[pricing-strategies]]
## Archive
- [[artenal-notes]] | [[mobile-saloon-postmortem]]
Setup by Platform
iCloud
Use the icloud-organizer skill or script to classify files into the taxonomy.
Google Drive
Use the google-drive-organizer skill to restructure into the same taxonomy.
Local ~/Documents/
~/Documents/
├── {project}/ ← one dir per project (flat, no nesting)
│ ├── code/ ← git repos
│ ├── docs/ ← strategy, specs
│ ├── content/ ← marketing, social
│ └── assets/ ← logos, design files
└── pooriaarab/ ← personal "project" = you
├── finances/
├── health/
├── legal/
├── photos/
└── notes/ ← Obsidian vault symlink or clone
GitHub
Each code project gets its own repo. Personal scripts/tools → pooriaarab/tools.
Skills → pooriaarab/skills.
Apple Notes / Obsidian
Point Obsidian vault at iCloud/Areas/Personal/Notes/ so notes sync automatically.
Weekly Maintenance Ritual (5 min)
- Empty Inbox — classify everything in
0 - Inbox/to its PARA folder - Review Projects — is anything done? Move to Archive.
- Process atomic notes — link new notes to existing MOCs
- Sync check — anything on Desktop or Downloads? Move it.
Cross-Platform Search
Once taxonomy is unified, search works everywhere:
- Spotlight — finds local + iCloud files by name/content
- Obsidian search — full-text across all notes + backlinks
- Google Drive search — Drive files only
- GitHub search — code + READMEs
For a unified search layer, consider Raycast with Drive + Obsidian + GitHub plugins.
Related Skills
mac-organizer— disk cleanup + local Documents structureicloud-organizer— AI-powered iCloud → PARA reorganization (Apple Intelligence, 100% local)google-drive-organizer— restructure Drive into the same taxonomynotion-organizer— Notion workspace → clean hierarchy