# Keeping notes

> Note-keeping is a great use of Johnny.Decimal. See how to do it more effectively with the JDex. Now they're all in one findable place.

## Why notes?

Note-taking is one of my favourite uses of Johnny.Decimal. And if we've used a notes app to keep our [index](/documentation/the-jdex/), we get notes 'for free'. There's already a note for each ID. Just type more words in it.

I need to tease you away from your filesystem. Files are heavy from a mental perspective. Consider the process of creating a note in Word. Actually, let's not. It's exhausting just thinking about it.

### Embracing your notes app

When you stop creating documents for everything and embrace your notes app, the flow goes like this:

- Click your notes app, which is already open.

- Find the index note you need. Everything has an ID, search is great, and you've learned the keyboard shortcut: so this is near-instantaneous.

- Type your note. Done.

## Become ludicrously efficient

Notes give you somewhere to put all the details about something in one findable place.

For example, your `house` category has the ID `12.11 Official documents`. A PDF of your rental lease is in that folder. But there's also related stuff that isn't a document.

Your real estate agent's phone number. The bank transaction reference for the deposit. Maybe a list of to-dos to finalise the agreement. Just add these to the index note.

"I already write notes", I hear you say. Of course you do. But can you easily find what you need? Are you using them effectively?

### Instantly filter your notes

As we saw in [the JDex](/documentation/the-jdex/#the-power-of-search), typing a `category number` and `.` into search will only show notes in that category. Add some keywords and you've found what you want instantly.

<JDImage
  alt="Screenshot of Bear. We're searching for '12. real estate agent', and note that '12.11 Official documents' has appeared because it contains those words."
  folder="documentation"
  src="62.17A-Bear_search_real_estate-803x516@2x.png"
  width={803}
  height={516}
  dropShadow
  caption="Figure 62.17A. Using search to find the note with our agent's details."
/>

## Adding metadata

The great power of notes is storing 'metadata' (information) about the item. Below are the 'metadata fields' that I often use. Invent your own to suit your needs.

I put this information directly below the title of the note, formatted as a blockquote. Just because I like how it looks.

### Description

Remind your future self what this thing is about. And remember, these words will appear in a search and help you find this entry later.

### Location

The location is where you will find the thing/s that the ID refers to. If it's a
document I enter 'filesystem'. If it's an email I enter 'email'.[^only-a-note]

[^only-a-note]: If there's only the note itself, no files, I won't enter a location.

Since there's so many places a thing can be in the digital world, this is extremely useful. And don't forget the physical world – your birth certificate might be a PDF and a piece of paper in your desk drawer.

### Relates to

Sometimes you want to link notes together. _This_ relates to _that_.[^bear-links]

[^bear-links]: In all good notes apps, this can be a link to another note.

### Keywords

To be sure that you'll find this note by using a specific word in the future, just add it to your list of keywords.

<JDImage
  alt="Screenshot of Bear. It shows a note with the metadata fields as described above."
  folder="documentation"
  src="62.17B-Bear_1431_My_blog-803x477@2x.png"
  width={803}
  height={477}
  dropShadow
  caption="Figure 62.17B. An example of adding metadata to a note."
/>