| I disagree with some of the ideas in this piece. > And yet I don’t use them. Why? Building them was fun, sure, but there must be utility to a personal database. There is utility in doing things that are fun. Even if that fun thing does not increase your productivity. There are deeper issues if enjoying how you spend your time is a problem. > Pointlessness of Organization: my Calibre and Zotero libraries are a mess. But is that bad? Is there any point to organizing them? I can always find what I need, either by searching or browsing If you know where to look and how to find your stuff, you're sufficiently organized. > migrating everything from my filesystem, from Calibre, from Zotero, from my browser bookmarks, etc. is a huge process This is a common claim, but the truth is that there's no need to move, say, files into a new system. The simplest thing to do is keep a note listing where you can find stuff outside the new system. Been doing that for years, and it's never failed. Finally, I don't like the conflation of tools for thought with spending large amounts of time on useless things. People use cars to get away after robbing banks. The question is whether the problem is car ownership or how criminals use their time. |