Instead of topics, I organise my knowledge into what I call collections.

Think of collections like Spotify playlists. Each playlist has a vibe, a purpose. And that's exactly how I think about organising my knowledge too.

Rather than a generic "Productivity" topic, I have collections like "Productivity for Human Beings Not Robots" or "The Mindsets of a 'Pro' Creator". Some are questions I'm exploring like "Is technology making us numb?"

So What Exactly Are Collections?

Collections are active containers for your knowledge.

With collections, everything you capture has a purpose. It's either helping you answer a question, shape a belief, build a concept or solve a real challenge you're facing right now.

Collections are alive & dynamic. They help you focus your attention (just like crafting the perfect playlist), and they grow & evolve with you.

Here are 6 types of collections I keep in my knowledge library that are better than filling by topic:

1. Concepts

Whether it's a concept you're trying to understand or one you're building - these make powerful collections.

Maybe you're trying to understand Bull & Bear Markets or the 12 principles of Permaculture. These make excellent collections while you're studying something specific.

2. Questions

Questions keep us curious - and isn't that the best way to build knowledge? The brilliant thing about using questions as collections is that our minds are wired to close loops.

Some of the current questions in my knowledge library are:

-- Is technology making us numb?

-- What does AI mean for us: Mentally, Morally, Practically?

-- Is handwriting really better than typing (or is it just what we've always known)?

3. Beliefs

I strongly believe (see what I did there?) that everyone should have strongly held beliefs. But you can't have strongly held beliefs without exploring & thinking deeply about what they are.

Whenever I have a new opinion brewing, I set it up as a collection & start exploring. Some of my strongly held beliefs that have been building over the last few years are:

-- Why Inbox Zero is a terrible way to live our lives in a world of information overload.

-- Human nature is a feature not a bug and why you should follow your natural inclinations

-- Paddle Rivers, Don't Climb Mountains or how to find the easy path through life.

I never held strong beliefs or didn't know how to articulate them until I started building knowledge collections around them. Now I could confidently argue any of these positions because I have explored them in so much depth.

4. Lists

Sometimes all you need is a good list. But I'm not talking about your average grocery list here - these are dynamic collections that grow & evolve as you learn.

I keep collections like:

-- Things I'm learning about myself (this is gold for personal growth - every time I have an insight about my working style or habits, it goes straight in)

-- The Mindsets of a 'Pro' Creator (a running collection of mindset shifts I've noticed in successful creators)

-- Helpful Mental Models (because let's be real, sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to look at it differently)

5. Projects

Projects are one of my favourite types of collections because they're current & actionable. But here's what makes them different from your average project folder - they're not just about tasks & deadlines. These collections become the thinking space behind your projects.

I use project collections for:

-- Actionable projects (like courses or workshops I'm building)

-- Knowledge projects (deep dives into things I want to master)

-- Personal projects (like building new habits or skills)

For example, right now I'm building a new course. The collection includes everything from student messages that inspired certain modules, to random ideas that hit me in the shower, to frameworks I've been testing.

It's messy, it's organic, but everything is where I need it to be.

6. Challenges/Bottlenecks

Whenever I hit a challenge in life or work, I create a collection to house all my thoughts on it. They give me a dedicated space to focus on the challenge, process my thoughts & experiment.

Right now, I'm exploring collections like:

-- How to scale a creative agency team (because growing pains are real)

-- Fixing blockages in my content creation workflow

-- Building systems that don't feel like systems

Now you have a collection setup for your biggest challenges guess what happens - suddenly you start to see information and knowledge about that challenge EVERYWHERE. It's literally a shortcut to problem solving.

The worst thing we can do with our knowledge is let it sit there gathering digital dust. That's what happens with topic folders - they become these passive storage containers that we rarely return to.

But collections? They're dynamic. They grow with us. They help us think better, create better & solve real problems.

So next time you're about to create a new topic folder, pause & ask yourself:

What am I trying to learn here?

What problem am I trying to solve?

What idea am I trying to build?

https://www.evchapman.com/blog/why-topics-are-a-terrible-way-to-organise-your-notes-what-to-do-instead

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