Recents, Favorites, and Tag Filters That Don’t Fight Your Brain

A calmer file view for LifeOS—PARA-ish structure, faster list/grid toggles, and Drive metadata that actually helps you decide.

Why this sketch (and promise)

My Second Brain is two things:

1. a part of an application I’m building (LifeOS), and
2. a simple system for organizing anything, anywhere.

Since my strokes, I make better decisions with fewer choices on screen. This view is designed to remove friction: Recents, Favorites, and straightforward tag filters—sitting on top of a PARA-ish structure—so I can pick a file and move.

You’ll get: a visual model you can copy today, and a peek at how it lands in LifeOS.

The model (PARA + overlays)

PARA tiers

• Projects — time-boxed outcomes (draft a post, ship a feature)
• Areas — ongoing responsibilities (Finances, Health, Client A)
• Resources — reference you reuse (Design patterns, Prompts, Research)
• Archives — past work, completed, cold storage

Global overlays

• Recents — last 30 touched. Fast path to “what I was doing.”
• Favorites — manually starred items for the week’s focus.
• Tags — compact chips (topic, status, app). Use 3–7 core tags; more is friction.

Why overlays? Because Recents and Favorites are how I think in motion, not locations. And tags cut across PARA without breaking it.

The view (don’t fight your brain)

List ↔ Grid toggle

• List for density (modified date, size, type inline).
• Grid for visual scan (thumbnails, shorter labels).
• Toggle persists per section (e.g., Projects default list; Resources default grid).

Metadata that matters

• Modified (primary), Type, Size (secondary).
• Progressive disclosure: show more on hover/tap or when the row is focused.

Quick filters

• One row of chips: #writing #design #needs-review #clientA #pdf
• One “More…” popover for the long tail—never force a sidebar jungle.

How it lands in LifeOS (v0 sketch)

• Sections: PARA panes in the left rail; Recents and Favorites above them.
• List/Grid: segmented control in the header; persists by section via UserDefaults.
• Drive metadata: size, modified, MIME type pulled via token-based REST (no GTLR).
• Thumbnails: lightweight preview for common types (images, PDFs, key docs).
• Tags: local + cloud; filter chips at top of content pane.

Tech note: LifeOS 0.1.0-dev (Swift 6, Xcode 16). Google Drive/Calendar v3 via REST + URLSession. Tokens in Keychain. No GTLR.

See also: /lifeos-scribraria-dev-log-1

A simple system you can use today (even without LifeOS)

1. Create four top folders: Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives.
2. Add a Recents smart view (or sort by modified desc).
3. Add a Favorites star/flag.
4. Pick 5 core tags (topic or status). Keep it small.
5. Decide your defaults: Projects=List, Resources=Grid.
6. Review weekly: unstar old items, archive done projects.

Accessibility & calm design choices

• Minimum 14–16pt labels; 44pt hit targets.
• One line of tags visible by default; scroll inside the chip row if needed.
• No color-only signals: use icons + text (★ Favorite, ● Modified).
• Keyboard first: / to search, g l list, g g grid, t to toggle tag focus.

What I’m testing next

• Thumbnail performance on large folders
• Tag suggestions from content (lightweight, on-device)
• “Session stacks”: an automatic bundle of files from the last 90 minutes

Call to action

What’s your must-have: thumbnails, tags, or modified dates?
Comment below (pick one), and I’ll tune the next build around it.

Internal & External Links

• Internal:
  • /lifeos-scribraria-dev-log-1
  • /memory-after-stroke-what-actually-helps
• External:
  • PARA method (overview): https://fortelabs.co/blog/para/
  • Google Drive MIME types: https://developers.google.com/drive/api/guides/mime-types

Update / Version Box (for version-sensitive posts)

LifeOS File View — v0.1 Sketch

• Build: 0.1.0-dev (Swift 6 / Xcode 16)
• Status: prototyping list/grid persistence, Drive metadata rows
• Next planned update: thumbnails performance sweep + tag UX polish

Signature

— randomblink
“Calm the screen, speed the decision.”