01
Step one: choose containers by purpose
Start by deciding what your notes are for, then create only a few top-level containers. Example: a project manager sets up four notebooks called Meetings, Projects, References and Ideas. Each one answers a different question: what was said, what is underway, what must I look up, what might come next. Avoid creating a folder for every client or topic on day one, because deep trees slow capture and make filing a chore. A short list of containers also gives a new app a clear first-use screen and lets you learn from real habits before adding structure.
02
Step two: name and tag so search works
Next, adopt a title pattern and a tiny tag set. In the same example, meeting notes begin with the date, then the project, then the topic, such as 2025-03-12 Website refresh kickoff. Tags mark status only, for instance action, waiting and decided. Dates in a consistent order sort naturally, and status tags let the manager pull every open action across all meetings in a single search. Resist adding tags for themes you might never revisit. If a tag has not been used within a month, merge it into another or remove it, keeping the vocabulary short enough to remember.
03
Step three: schedule a short weekly review
Finally, set a ten-minute weekly review so capture does not turn into clutter. The project manager opens the action tag, completes or reschedules each item, moves finished meeting notes into a project page and deletes duplicates. Anything that reads as a lasting fact goes into References with a clear title. The review also shows which notebooks are silent and which are overloaded, guiding small adjustments instead of a painful reorganization later. Keep the ritual at the same time each week, and record one line about what changed. Over a few weeks the structure settles around how you actually work.