A Tip for Org Mode N00bs

Wilfred Hughes serves up some useful advice for those just starting out with Org mode:

I’ve given this same advice before but it’s worth repeating. Org mode is a huge and complex package with many capabilities. If you try to learn everything at once, you’ll get discouraged and possibly even abandon Org.

That was certainly my experience. When I first started, I used Bernt Hansen’s excellent Org Mode – Organize Your Life In Plain Text! as a guide and tried to configure everything at once. The result was that I didn’t understand anything and mostly didn’t use Org at all. When I started over, I configured only a small subset of the capabilities and got familiar with them through repeated use. Later, I added more functionality as I found new ways to use Org in my workflow. That process is still going on even though Org mode is at the center of most things I do on my computer.

Do yourself a favor and start with just a couple of Org’s capabilities. You’ll have much better results that way.

This entry was posted in General and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.