# Old vs. new IDs

> How I used to create IDs; how I do it now.

I got myself a snazzy new keyboard this week. They were on sale and my previous, the [Microsoft Ergo Sculpt](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=microsoft+ergo+sculpt+keyboard&t=osx&iax=images&ia=images), feels like it's starting to fail.

<JDImage
  alt="A photo of the keyboard. Its key feature is that it's a split layout with each side's keys angled outwards; designed for touch-typists."
  folder="blog"
  src="0077A-Keychron_k15_pro-1280x653.jpeg"
  width={1280}
  height={653}
  caption="Figure 22.00.0077A. Keychron K15 Pro (Alice layout). Photo courtesy Keychron; not my desk (but nice pencil)."
/>

It comes with a manual which I'd like to save, and while I'm at it I thought I'd download the manual for [Lucy's keyboard](https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k8-tenkeyless-wireless-mechanical-keyboard) as well.

## There's a place for that

Life admin already has a place! I even remember discussing it with Lucy.

<JDBlock
  text={`
10-19 Life admin
   14 My online life
      14.15 My accessories`}
/>

And so I make a new note in my JDex and that's it, job done.

<JDImage
  alt="Screenshot of Bear showing my note telling myself that the manuals are in my file system."
  folder="blog"
  src="0077B-Jdex_bear--light-956x838.png"
  width={956}
  height={838}
  caption="Figure 0077B. JDex entry 14.15 in Bear."
/>

## How I did this previously

I'm really enjoying this shift to a less-granular ID. Designing 'life admin' in to a single area forced us to do it, and I'm thankful for it.

In my previous system this would have been:

<JDBlock
  text={`
10-19 Personal, daily life
   14 Technology
      14.64 Keychron keyboard manuals & receipt`}
/>

(It just happens that my previous `14` was also technology.)

That is a _much_ more specific ID, but more importantly **it would have required me to create it** first. This tiny, tiny friction is enough to stop you doing a thing.

Whereas this morning, when I thought to save these manuals, there was no friction. _Great idea_, I thought. _I already know where they go_.

## Why is the receipt in Bear?

In recording a little YouTube series for Bear (keep an eye on [the channel](https://youtube.com/@johnny.decimal)), I wondered to myself why I don't use its feature whereby it lets you [attach pretty much anything to a note](https://bear.app/faq/insert-attachments/).

_This is probably useful_, I thought. So I put my keyboard's receipt in there. I wondered whether it was Spotlight-searchable, which it is; the file is just in a folder buried in your iCloud drive.

In this particular case I think I'll move it back to my main file system folder. Because there's no situation I can envisage where I'll be on the move and need this file on my iPhone.

Contrast with, say, tickets to an art gallery. I think there's a case to be made there that having those available in the Bear note `15.34 The arts` is going to be way easier when you get to the gallery.

Both locations _are_ available from my iPhone: they're just files in iCloud. But finding a file in Bear is a nicer experience than doing it in the Files app. (Because what isn't?)