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Personal information management: part 1

productivity
An exploration of different approaches to managing personal and work information with a focus on self-hosted solutions.

Introduction

We are dealing with ever more information streams. Like an ever-increasing waterfall of data, we risk getting swamped by it all unless we find ways to process it efficiently. This article explores approaches to personal information management with a focus on solutions that prioritise user control and data ownership.

Note

This is the first article in a two-part series on personal information management. [Part 2](/articles/productivity/personal-information-management-pt2) covers specific technical implementations.

The information management landscape

Information overload is a common problem in our digital age. Between work documents, personal projects, reference materials, and everyday utility information, most of us struggle to maintain organisation systems that remain useful over time.

After years of experimenting with various solutions, I've developed a preference for self-hosted options rather than cloud-based services. While cloud solutions often provide attractive features and convenience, I've found several compelling reasons to favour self-controlled alternatives:

  • Data portability: Many SaaS solutions make it challenging to export your data in useful formats
  • Privacy: Self-hosted solutions keep sensitive information under your control
  • Cost effectiveness: Quality open-source software often provides comparable functionality without ongoing subscription costs
  • Consistency: No unexpected interface changes or feature modifications from third-party providers

Categorising information streams

An effective information management strategy begins with understanding what types of information you handle regularly. I've found it useful to separate work and personal information domains.

Work-related information

Professional information typically includes:

  • Code snippets and development references
  • Technical documentation and manuals
  • Solutions to recurring technical problems
  • Project specifications and requirements
  • Administrative and compliance documentation

Tip

For technical documentation, consider using formats that support syntax highlighting and can be easily searched and version-controlled.

Personal information

Personal information might include:

  • Home maintenance and project notes
  • Medical information and health tracking
  • Interest-based research and reference materials
  • Recipes and food preparation notes
  • Administrative documents (insurance, warranties, etc.)

I've discovered that I tend to accumulate interesting resources—articles, reference materials, and links—more rapidly than I can process them. Over time, I've developed a filtering approach: if a resource isn't worth taking the time to summarise or contextualise, it's probably not worth saving.

Important

Both work and personal information systems need to support multiple ongoing projects with different states (active, planned, archived). Design your system with this flexibility in mind.

Core principles for effective information management

Based on my experience, I recommend prioritising these characteristics when selecting information management tools:

  1. Open data formats: Ensure your information is stored in widely supported, non-proprietary formats
  2. Proven reliability: Choose solutions with established track records and active development
  3. User control: Maintain ownership and control over both your data and the tools that manage it

For specific technical solutions that align with these principles, continue to Personal information management: part 2.