Every active computer users knows how challenging it is to keep their information organized and accessible. "Where did I put that?" - You probably asked yourself this question many times while trying to find a piece of important information in the depths of your "Documents" folder.

Well, there are good reasons why it is not easy to stay on top of all your stuff. The filesystem is the default method of storing information in your computer, and its subfolder hierarchy is great for ordering and accessing documents. But it has important limitations:

• Searching is not easy. If you happen to have a PDF file in a certain subfolder, you will not easily find it by keyword.

• One file per folder. If your file fits into more then two categories, you must choose one folder or the other. This will impact your structure sooner or later.

• The filesystem is not friendly to small things. Got a quick idea or a small note to store? Prepare to launch a massive word processing package and deal with the clunky "Save as" dialog.

• The filesystem is not extensible. Attaching additional attributes to files is not possible.

One way to overcome the limitation is a personal database tool like Smereka TreeProjects. A personal database stores all the important data in a single compact and portable file, where pieces of information - or information items - are organized by the user in creative and flexible ways.

Smereka TreeProjects defines several types of items for your personal databases. First of all, there is a "file" item which stores regular files in the database. You can easily import files from the hard drive. Then there are text items, which enable quick and simple single-click note-taking. "Web page" items allow to capture, store and instantly view web pages, whereas "reminder" items will prevent you from forgetting things.

The personal database tool keeps all the items in a tree structure, much like in the filesystem, so you are free to organize all your items in categories hierarchically. The tree view resembles the directory tree of Windows Explorer. However, there are a few important differences: firstly, any item can be the "parent" of any item, so the tree structure is truly freeform. Secondly, the order of items is defined by the user, although sorting can be applied. And thirdly, one item can appear in multiple locations of the tree by reference.

The hierarchical structure of the personal database would not be very useful without search. In the background, Smereka TreeProjects maintains a search index. This enables very quick search over all the items in a personal database, be it text notes, file attachments or reminder descriptions.

Yet another way to keep your data organized is tags. In the web, tags are ubiquitous: blogs, news sites and social networks use simple keywords to mark articles for future reference and access. Likewise, Smereka TreeProjects users can assign tags to any item in the database. It is very easy to view all items tagged by a particular phrase or a combination thereof.

The three approaches to organizing data give you control and freedom, which, combined with the friendly, straightforward user interface will make working with information fun.

Discover more about Smereka TreeProjects at the web site personaldatabase.org, where you can get an evaluation copy. The personal database tool costs $49.