[Post by mrthermister; Post subject: Re: Beta M6 is out! Please discuss it here; Posted: 28 Feb 2009 19:47]
Let me say that after using CintaNotes for a while, it is the END ALL and BE ALL of GTD capture systems...It is all of the following:...a ubiquitous thought & note capture system, a GTD capture trusted system, a knowledge base, and a to-do-list system. It IS bare bones, but that is the beauty of it...nothing to get in the way of your notes and your tags.
The tagging system is the secret to it's success. Everything that comes in to CintaNotes (either by you typing it in manually (which I have set up with a keyboard short cut of Win-A) or by Ctl-F12, with which you can copy anything on the screen, or web) should have the following tags, depending on if it's actionable (a la GTD) or not. Actionable: a status tag (! for immediate, .nextaction (or variation) for next action, s/action, s/waiting, s/someday), a project (i.e p/home/bathroomremodel), and a context (@computer, @call, @home, etc). NOT actionable...it becomes a reference, or archive (r/travelideas, etc.. where the r/ is for reference, or aRchive).
Once an actionable item is completed, you delete the context tag, set the s/ status tag to s/finished (or s/done), and change the project p/ to a aRchived project rp/ which immediately moves the item or task to your knowledge base.
Use CintaNotes as a to-do-list (again, it's always available with a keyboard shortcut) with the effective ! tag. When you need to see what you need to do, just type ! in the tag search bar, and voila! you have your to-do-list pop up! how convenient!. When you've completed a to-do-list, just delete the !, or delete the whole note, depending on if u want to keep a record of what you've accomplished. If you do want to keep the task, just add a completion date in the note some where (at the top is best): Out @ 02/28/09 10:55 AM , is what I use (accomplished with a text macro; I use RoboType, but Texter should work as well)
This system combination of GTD capture tool, knowledge base, and to-do-list can be used with many other applications, but it seems like CintaNotes' simplicity makes this so effective...
One request...allow multiple search criteria to select multiple independent tags... like give me everything I have to do immediately (!) for my bathroom remodel (p/home/bathroomremodel)... This could be accomplished by simply having 3 search boxes at the top... More than 3 tag searches seems unlikely.
Lastly, if you combine CintaNotes with DropBox, you have a capture system with the same notes on all of your computers, no matter where you are; plus, it's continually backed up. You can also use it as a portable app, but then you have to remember to take your USB stick with you. Using it with DropBox means never you have to remember.
Hope this helps you discover for yourself as I have how useful CintaNotes can be.
[Original thread:
http://cintanotes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25]
