# Sort a pile of messy notes into organized topics with tags

Untangle notes written at different times into clean topic groups, with tags, a merged version, and an index you can search.

- Topic: Productivity & Planning
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Brainstorm, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/sort-a-pile-of-messy-notes-into-organized-topics-with-tags

## Prompt

```text
Help me organize my notes.

**Notes:** [PASTE NOTES - they may mix unrelated topics and dates]
**What I use them for:** [work projects / study / personal knowledge base / writing ideas]
**Tool they will live in:** [e.g. Notion, Obsidian, OneNote, Google Docs, plain folders]
**Topics I already use (optional):** [LIST]

Steps:
1. Split the notes into individual ideas, even when one note covers several unrelated things.
2. Group the ideas into 5-12 clear topics. Reuse my existing topics where they fit; propose new ones only when needed.
3. Within each topic, merge duplicates and near-duplicates, keep the most complete wording, and keep dates where they matter.
4. Suggest 3-6 tags per topic: lowercase, no spaces (use underscores), no repeats, including any people or projects named.
5. Flag open questions, to-dos, and anything that looks outdated or contradictory.

Rules:
- Do not rewrite my meaning or drop content. If something does not fit, put it under "Unsorted".
- If you spot passwords, API keys, account numbers, or other secrets, do not repeat them. Just tell me which note contains one so I can move it to a password manager.

Return:
1. A topic index: topic, one-line summary, tags, number of notes.
2. Each topic as a section with its cleaned, merged notes.
3. A to-do and open-questions list.
4. A suggested folder or page structure for my tool.
```

## What to fill in

- PASTE NOTES - they may mix unrelated topics and dates
- e.g. Notion, Obsidian, OneNote, Google Docs, plain folders
- LIST

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.