Give discovery, comparison, and decisions separate homes.
Most sheets become difficult because an interesting link and a serious candidate look identical. Use three states instead. Discovery is a loose holding area. Candidate means the item belongs to a clear category and use case. Shortlist means it has survived a direct comparison and has a documented reason to stay.
Discovery
Keep the link, rough category, and one sentence about why it caught your attention. No detailed scoring yet.
Candidate
Add the exact item type, relevant photos, size or compatibility concern, and comparison target.
Shortlist
Record one advantage, one unresolved risk, and the next action. Remove near-duplicates.
Keep only fields that answer a decision question.
| Field | Question it answers | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| Category + use | What should this be compared with? | Daily low-profile sneaker |
| Source | Where can I recheck the live listing? | Original Weidian link saved |
| Visible evidence | What do the photos actually show? | Side profile and size label visible |
| Uncertainty | What could still change the decision? | Insole length not shown |
| Price context | Is the number comparable? | Similar item price; shipping excluded |
| Next action | What happens after this review? | Compare measurement, then keep or remove |
A field deserves space only when it prevents a repeated search or a repeated mistake. Avoid decorative columns such as “best,” “must buy,” or star ratings without a stated method.
Turn a vague row into a usable note.
Before: “Black shoes — looks good — maybe.”
After: “Daily black sneaker; cleaner side profile than option B; EU size label visible; insole length missing; compare packed weight and measurement before keeping.”
The rewritten note is not longer for the sake of detail. It names the use, comparison, evidence, uncertainty, and next action. A future review can understand the row without reopening every tab.
Run a fifteen-minute cleanup by category.
- 1
Group one use case.
Review daily sneakers separately from running shoes or winter boots.
- 2
Remove duplicate purpose.
If two rows solve the same problem and one has weaker evidence, remove it.
- 3
Rewrite vague notes.
Replace “nice” with the visible detail that mattered.
- 4
Close open loops.
Set the next action to compare, request a detail, wait, keep, or remove.
Stop rule
More rows are not progress.
Stop adding options when three to five comparable products already cover the same use case. New rows should enter only when they add a meaningful difference in fit, evidence, price context, function, or risk.
Next: Apply the method to one row with the seven-point checklist.
Open the checklistRead the QC photo guide →