# Tagging Is Broken  ## Metadata - Author: [[Tiago Forte]] - Full Title: Tagging Is Broken - Category: #articles - Document Tags: [[second brain]] - Summary: Why the tagging concept in Evernote and everywhere else sucks By Tiago Forte of Forte Labs This post was republished on the Evernote blog There is an - URL: https://fortelabs.com/blog/tagging-is-broken/ ## Highlights - The reasons seem compelling at first glance: • Tagging allows the same files/notes/items to exist in more than one place at once, without duplication • It is faster to type (and autofill) tags than to click and drag something into a folder • Tags allow you to pull up unique, on-the-fly combinations (such as year + person, document type + topic, project + location, etc.) ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gnczmbkctst7qgr63w8a1ra6)) - Decision Fatigue First, relying primarily on a tagging system to organize notes necessarily requires you to make multiple decisions about *each and every* note that enters the system. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gnczkbs618pcc7fkftjyn1qr)) - tag *every* note as to What, When, Who, and decide whether it receives one (or multiple) of 64 separate Reference tags, and/or one of the handful of Miscellaneous tags. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gncy8a3rze3zdbfeg1688q6n)) - But I’ve memorized my tags!” you say. First of all, you’re relying on one of the few things your brain is worse than machines at — remembering stuff. Second, any change in your current projects, collaborators, priorities, interests, etc. breaks this system. This is the opposite of antifragile. It’s *superfragile* ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gncz3b741mb8kaagt4erb0sr)) - Memory Fatigue Your brain is great at *recognition*, pretty terrible at *recall*. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gnczjs3mk7xhatwtkzprvvbf))