(Archived) Limiting waxy yellow build-up in EN

[salgud 12]

Recently, I had my entire EN database erased by my IT dept at work. And yes, I had it backed up to an external HD, but they erased that too!

In any case, I'm rebuilding my database, as much as I can. One thing I wanted to avoid this time was the build up of old notes that were no longer relevant. My old database had over a thousand notes, but many were outdated. Occasionally, I'd start to go through them, deleting the irrelevant ones, but I never came close to finding and removing them all, which always bothered me a bit. Not that it affected performance, just felt messy. And when I did a search, sometimes I found lots of notes that were no longer relevant.

When I started rebuilding, I thought about that issue and if there was a way to avoid some of that in my new db. I came up with a very simple solution for most of it. Most of the outdated notes were specific to an event in my life, like an actual event, or something like filing an insurance claim. Once it was paid, I didn't need the note anymore. Or my notes about a purchase I was making.

This time, I started a new simple system. I created a new tag, "Delete", and I tag any note that is time specific with the Delete tag when I create it. Now, all I have to do, is select Delete once in a while, and go through those notes and delete the ones I no longer need. It will make it much faster to clean up my db.

I also started adding a note in parenthesis in the title line saying "Delete Dec 1" for an event occurring in Nov. Then I don't even have to read the note, just delete it when I see it after Dec 1. Very simple, but I think it'll keep this new db much less cluttered and when I do a find, I won't have to peruse through dozens of irrelevant notes to find what I'm looking for.

HTH

[jbenson2 2,147]

Thanks for the tip. Very efficient and clean.

From the other side:

I tend to be a hoarder when it comes to data relating to my life. I have a difficult time deciding what is important and what is not. And with the remarkable storage capability in Evernote, I seldom delete a note.

A friend asked me what year I was last in Hong Kong. Probably irrelevant and if I did not have the answer - not a big issue. But I was able to look it up in Evernote and give her the information - not just the year, but the month and days. And it lead to a walk down memory lane with a discussion about how her mother was doing and some other family information that jogged my memory.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

I tend to be a hoarder when it comes to data relating to my life. I have a difficult time deciding what is important and what is not. And with the remarkable storage capability in Evernote, I seldom delete a note.

Me too. Even when doing shopping research, I'll keep the notes after I've bought something. That way, if someone else is researching the same or similar purchase, I can tell them what I'd found & why I made the decision I did. (Or sometimes, I'll even wonder myself, why I got the one I got & can look it up.) I'm not really a Gorden Bell, but I'm kind of getting there.

[nova47 60]

Limiting waxy yellow build-up in EN

Now that's funny! Good tip too, thanks.

Even when doing shopping research...

I'm so glad my wife doesn't read this forum!

[salgud 12]

Of course, what you keep and what you throw away is a very individual thing. I'm more into decluttering my life these days than the opposite. But as an Admin Assistant in the state government, part of my duties is to answer the phones. So I track every event I get notified of so I can relay the information if someone calls. When I get an email announcing a seminar or training, I copy it to EN. Then, if someone calls asking about it, I just search for it and give them the info. Of course, the day after the event, it's no longer relevant and needs to be deleted.

As for buying stuff, if I researched it enought to have EN notes on it, I'll remember why I bought it for a long time after. I can still tell you exactly why I bought my Canon digital camera over 4 years ago, so my notes are no longer useful - just more clutter in my database to work around when they pop up in a search.

As always, one man's ceiling is another man's floor!