# Overwhelmed New User: Building a Scalable DEVONthink System for Writing + Archives

**URL:** <https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487>\
**Category:** DEVONthink\
**Created:** [March 2, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487 "2026-03-02T17:20:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 16\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![SteveU75](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@SteveU75](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/SteveU75)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 8:15am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/41 "2026-07-10T08:15:49Z")

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Is there anyway to index your folders in DEVONthink and then make changes in DEVONthink and in Finder and then re-index in a way that would resolve any conflicts?

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**Author:** ![chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/chrillek/32/29340_2.png) [@chrillek](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/chrillek)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 10:18am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/42 "2026-07-10T10:18:56Z")

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What conflicts do you expect?

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**Author:** ![DTLow](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/dtlow/32/18161_2.png) [@DTLow](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/DTLow)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 10:26am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/43 "2026-07-10T10:26:11Z")

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> [@SteveU75](#):
>
> make changes in DEVONthink and in Finder and then re-index

Generally, “re-index” is not required - Devonthink can handle you making changes in Devonthink and Finder

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**Author:** ![rmschne](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/8baadc/32.png) [@rmschne](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/rmschne)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 10:32am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/44 "2026-07-10T10:32:00Z")

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@SteveU75 I recommend you do some tests by making changes (a Text Editor or other app?) and see what happens when you view the files in DEVONthink and Finder, with and without updating index. Best to get confidence from your own experience.

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**Author:** ![mbbntu](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@mbbntu](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/mbbntu)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 10:34am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/45 "2026-07-10T10:34:38Z")

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I have played with metadata at times but I’ve found that in practice I hardly ever use it, so I don’t really bother with it much. At one point I deleted all the tags I had because I wasn’t using them for anything.

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**Author:** ![BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/bluefrog/32/135_2.png) [@BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/BLUEFROG)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 2:51pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/46 "2026-07-10T14:51:02Z")

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> [@mbbntu](#):
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> At one point I deleted all the tags I had because I wasn’t using them for anything.

This is a good point to share. Not that deleting them is required but the good assessment about them not being useful to you, removing them, and not having FOMO about it. 🙂

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**Author:** ![tudoreynon](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/tudoreynon/32/5421_2.png) [@tudoreynon](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/tudoreynon)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 3:59pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/47 "2026-07-10T15:59:00Z")

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I understand your position. I will add from experience to what BLUEFROG said. DEVONthink is highly adaptable and I would take my time on the learning curve and not set out a fixed system right at the start. That is overwhelming and whatever you do you can be sure you will change it and the beauty of DEVONthink is that you will be able to do that easily. The search capacities I found so efficient that I dropped a lot of my ‘organizing’ structures over a few years.  
Basically if you ‘label’ mark in some way or name things in a fairly systematic way, search functions will do the job for you. If that is a bit vague, well it is I suppose but that is my point: you don’t need to over think it, honestly!

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**Author:** ![BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/bluefrog/32/135_2.png) [@BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/BLUEFROG)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 4:05pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/48 "2026-07-10T16:05:59Z")

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Agreed on exploring at your own pace and letting things evolve over time. This should be a good illustration, bearing in mind I’ve been with DEVONtech for 14 years, `DEVONtech Support_r5.dtBase2`. I am working on the fifth iteration of my support database, working with it and assessing it over years of practical use, then trying some new ideas or approaches as the need arises.

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**Author:** ![apb123](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@apb123](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/apb123)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/49 "2026-07-10T18:28:23Z")

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I have a tip for using Curio and DEVONthink. DEVONthink is a repository for all your documents, but Curio is better for brainstorming. Therefore, if I have a project, I make a group in DEVONthink and add the label “Curio” to that group. That way, I know all the documents are stored in that DEVONthink group, and I can easily identify which projects I’m brainstorming by looking for the label.

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**Author:** ![stratadata](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/stratadata/32/35651_2.png) [@stratadata](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/stratadata)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 7:07am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/50 "2026-07-11T07:07:20Z")

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Remember SteveJ saying you could forget about using folders because of Spotlight?

I never quite got there, but I did have a Finder equivalent of the DTP Inbox (before I looked into using DTP [finally!] last year) – a folder where all scans automatically went, where I might do some further light organisation, but it just acted as a dumping ground for stuff which didn’t _ **need** _ to be in with my more organised stuff.

And a lot of Downloads and Mail attachments stayed where they arrived.

Spotlight got a workout, but not a heavy one.

That Finder folder now sits in DTP4 along with most of the rest of my “files”. I’ve worked out how to extract attachments from archive e-mails in DTP via AppleScript, then remove them from the raw mail data. Improved search results, removal of hundreds of duplicate signature images, more efficient data storage (as attachments are no longer uuencoded), improved discovery of links across my “dtaa universe”, etc. DTP is now my primary storage and discovery infrastructure.

I don’t use tags (yet). I don’t use labels (yet). I barely flag anything (yet). Because DTP has allowed me to live what Steve suggested.

Oh, I’m a hoarder and an inveterate filer, but I can just relax into that and not overthink it because of the level of support I get from the app.

Strong agree on “slow pace” familiarisation. Try things out. Experiment. Read the blog posts when they’re posted and think about what would or wouldn’t be useful for you.

Ask questions here (after searching!).

You’ll find your own place at your own pace.

Sean

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**Author:** ![Amontillado](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Amontillado](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Amontillado)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 1:10pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/51 "2026-07-11T13:10:57Z")

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Deleting tags - that’s one of the things I like about them. They give me organization schemas I can scrub without losing information.

Keep in mind that tags are there if you need them, even if that seems unlikely now, and that tags can make sense without any direct link between a tag and its member documents.

For instance, you’re writing a book and you’ve got a pile of research notes. As you outline, draft, and struggle, tag the research notes you used for each chapter with a tag like Chap1 or Chap19. Each document’s tags maps where it was referenced in your work. A search for untagged documents shows research you didn’t yet use.

And, of course, tags are a feature not a gatekeeper. If you don’t use tagging they stay completely out of the way.

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**Author:** ![mbbntu](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@mbbntu](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/mbbntu)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 1:35pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/52 "2026-07-11T13:35:37Z")

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> [@Amontillado](#):
>
> For instance, you’re writing a book

I actually have written a book, though it was in the days before DEVONthink, and also in the days before Finder tags (and their unofficial predecessor). It took me about five years to work out that I could have a folder for chapter 1, another for chapter 2 and so forth, with the material relevant to each chapter in its proper folder. Nowadays I probably would use tags for such a purpose, though my next book might not need that sort of organisation. The advantage of tags over folders would be that some material might be relevant to several chapters, but then DEVONthink would allow you to replicate items if you wanted.

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**Author:** ![Amontillado](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Amontillado](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Amontillado)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 2:00pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/53 "2026-07-11T14:00:38Z")

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Yes, quite so! I like the idea of facts separate from narrative. If that sounds like I’ve obsessed over how to write more than actually writing, I’ll hang my head in shame. 'Tis true.

Using tags gives me an easy way to update a factual note from any reference. I saw a post somewhere that called that a single point of truth.

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**Author:** ![mbbntu](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@mbbntu](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/mbbntu)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 2:36pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/54 "2026-07-11T14:36:26Z")

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I’m sure you’ll get there. I did use DEVONthink while writing my PhD thesis (another 80,000 words …) but at a distance of seventeen years I’m afraid I can’t remember much about how I used the program. I just remember being totally exhausted. And being amazed at what @korm seemed to be doing with the program.

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**Author:** ![Amontillado](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Amontillado](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Amontillado)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 3:58pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/55 "2026-07-11T15:58:47Z")

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Thank you for your encouragement and there are signs of life in my work.

I’m in my third cleanup of a companion to Mellel’s user guide, a Mac only word processor.

It’s taking me forever. I’m not complaining. It’s a paradox. The longer I hack through this mess the more I learn about productive writing habits. I’ll put it on Amazon as a self-help book. To me, it’s a writing course.

I’ve always loved to write but never wrote anything longer than probably 5,000 words until this guide.

Now, my worst frustration with the current project is I want to start something new with a clean launch using newfound perspective.

Of course, the best will be that grand day I can finally stop calling myself a hack amateur writer, because I will soon enough become a hack published author. I can’t wait.

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**Author:** ![FrankT](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/a3d4f5/32.png) [@FrankT](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/FrankT)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 4:20pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/overwhelmed-new-user-building-a-scalable-devonthink-system-for-writing-archives/86487/56 "2026-07-11T16:20:08Z")

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> [@Amontillado](#):
>
> Keep in mind that tags are there if you need them, even if that seems unlikely now, and that tags can make sense without any direct link between a tag and its member documents.

> [@Amontillado](#):
>
> tag the research notes you used for each chapter with a tag like Chap1 or Chap19. Each document’s tags maps where it was referenced in your work. A search for untagged documents shows research you didn’t yet use.

That’s all pretty smart 🙂 I definitely need to think more carefully about how I could use tags. Often, that’s the simple solution that I always overlook. Thanks @Amontillado

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