The same thing usually happens with quote tags: first there are none, then there are too many, and in the end the needed thought still can't be found. For quote tags to actually work, they need a simple role: help extract meaning on demand—"I need something about fear," "give me about boundaries," "I want something about hope." In this role, not "perfect classification" matters, but a stable set that your hand gets used to.
Why "#important" breaks search
When you put a universal label like "important," you don't narrow the results, you turn them into an endless feed. A working tag is a short word that answers at least one question: what is this about, what feeling, what does this lead to. That's why human labels almost always win: #fear, #choice, #boundaries, #time, #communication, #habits.
How to choose tags and not overcomplicate
For one quote, two or three tags are usually enough. One indicates the topic, second—the state, third—the application. The less you think when adding, the longer the system lives. If you want to clarify, it's better to do it with one phrase next to the quote, not with a new complex tag.
Two examples where tags really save
Imagine you save a phrase from a novel: "She held herself as if she had a quiet 'still possible' inside." Without tags this dissolves. But if you mark #hope #inspiration #loneliness, the quote becomes a support button. On a day when it's hard for you, you open #hope—and find exactly what you need, even if you don't remember the book.
Or another case—non-fiction you want to turn into behavior. Quote: "First clarify the success criteria, then argue about the method." Tags #communication #questions #responsibility make it a tool. Next time on a call you have a short response: "Do I understand correctly that success is...?"—because by tag #questions you extract not text, but action.
Another example: when tags help learn, not just collect
Say you save a thought about language: "Words stick when they have a scene." If you mark it as #important, it drowns. But if you put #language #memory #attention, the quote becomes a hint for a bad day: you open #memory and see not abstract wisdom, but direction—add a phrase, dialogue, situation instead of a bare list.
Mini-set that covers almost everything
When you don't want to think, it's convenient to have several "core" tags in your head and choose from them. For example, quotes most often revolve around #time, #choice, #boundaries, #fear, #fatigue, #inspiration, #communication, #habits. Other tags from the set just help clarify. This way you don't invent a new label every time and don't breed dozens of almost identical words.
How not to drown in nuances
The system falls apart when tags multiply to shades: #anxiety-at-night, #courage-at-work, #family-parents. Usually it's better to keep labels broad (#family, #time, #discipline), and write clarification nearby in one line: "about talking to mom," "about deadline," "about procrastination." Then search stays simple, and meaning stays precise.
If you need a ready foundation, take the universal set of forty tags by topics and states and don't invent new ones every time. And in Tomyo it's convenient to store quote, context and tags together—so the collection stops being a warehouse and starts working as quick search through your own meaning.