CREATE YOUR FIRST NOTEBOOK
1 Create new notebook
Select Notebook>new to open a three-tabbed dialog. Start by giving your notebook a suitably descriptive name – say a project and set its Type to either outline or goal. You can also assign levels of importance and urgency from one to five. As with notes, attach tags to aid future navigation, and assign a progress level.
2 Set template
You’ll also see a Stencil drop-down – stencils are markdown template files, and five are provided by default: functional analysis, SWOT, grow, business plan and technical analysis. Selecting one creates a series of notes around the subject. Add your notebook’s description to the Preamble tab, review its location and filename via the Advanced tab, then click OK.
3 Your first note
Once created, double-click your new notebook to review its properties. A single blank note will appear in the Outline section. Select it and then click Edit. Give the note a suitable title in the Name: field, then use the main editor to record your thoughts, ideas or whatever you need to under that note. Use the Format menu to insert markdown elements such as images or links.
4 Assign properties to note
Click Properties to change the note type to one of 16 different options, including action, idea, question and task. You can measure the note’s progress, set a deadline if it’s timesensitive, and assign tags to make it easy to find. Going forward, you’ll be able to assign relationships between notes nested inside other notes. Click OK and then Remember, which saves your note.
5 Add further notes
Choose Note>new to create a new note. You’ll see slightly different view of the note’s properties with two new options: Position, and ‘Edit or View after creation’. The Position option lets you place it before or after your first note (or whichever note you’ve selected prior to creating a new note in future). You’ll also find a selection of stencils (templates) if you need them. Click OK.
6 Managing notes
Once you’ve created a few notes, you may wish to set up a hierarchy with section headers (which can be left blank after creation) and then have notes nested inside them. To do this, create your section note above the first note you wish to nest inside it, then select the child note and choose Note>demote. You can also rearrange notes from this menu.