Took a new gig. Steep learning curve. Tons of info coming in all the time.
First, I do the usual new gig routine: new DT database. I start putting every new doc I get into DT, it does a great job, nothing new there. Tag and group, lots of both, that’s how I like it.
Then the email starts coming in. Tons of it. More than I’ve ever had to deal with. I’m rarely just cc’d, usually directly addressed. The whole team uses Google Drive for many many shared spreadsheets and lists, all constantly being updated and edited. All of those get a bookmark in DT, tagged for ease of connection to various subjects.
First big challenge: new tasks and projects. Problem solving for a team up the chain and make new processes available down the chain. Lots of tasks are “this isn’t priority now but will be in two weeks” or “we have to get them something that looks like minimum progress every week, as proof of their concept” the usual stuff. Lots of meetings where things land on my plate for the first time. No email or verbal warning, just someone mentioning something I know will be my problem eventually. I used to be lone wolf/hired gun - one major task, get it done, drop off invoice, move on. No longer.
First big lesson: reading this forum for almost two years, you read about people’s requests and methods and think “well I’ll never need to do that”. But then when you’re flailing about, trying a paper notebook (terrible handwriting, bad at keeping up, its not searchable) or post-its (chaos!) or new apps (so many new questions, not enough answers or time to test them all), you remember a forum post. A quick search and there it is, or really there they are. Many posts. So many posts.
Hey, you can use Mac Reminders and theres a built in script to turn any DT file into a Reminder with a link back to DT. Suddenly your Reminders list is populated with every on-the-go issue linking back to a group in DT that contains a markdown note (tracking actions taken and progress), emails, and docs, related to the issue.
The Reminders are synced on your phone/iPad and also work to link to DTTG. I guess the paper notebook will have other uses.
Next; I remembered reading something about putting a link to a script on the toolbar. Never needed to do that before. Look it up. Boom. Eventually it will be a hotkey but a toolbar button is a great start.
Can’t tell you how much relief I had seeing this really work today. On one phone call, identify the issue, call up Reminders, (click link to DT) - there is a note about what I had done so far, emails from people promising to get things done, a price list with options, all in one place.
This is a good demo of how my mind works at least. Reading every post on here for a couple of years, noting possible options, trying some things, forgetting others. But in a time of need, hey, didn’t I read something about this before?
So thanks for the apps and all that, they’re great, but also thanks for this forum. All the different academics and lawyers and IT people and writers and whoever else is out there, trying to solve your very specific problem and posting about it here. Thanks for that. I may never have a need for a citation manager or Bates numbering but then I never thought I would need a ToDo list like I do now. So maybe Bookends is in my future, but at least I know where to go if and when the issue comes up. I kind of hope I never need Bates numbering though, IYKWIM.
For reference I take all my notes in DT/DTTG, exclusively in markdown.
I have dbs for creative work, financial papers, a scrapbook, major projects, daily journal.
Sync all the databases with Dropbox. (Used to be all Bonjour but I no longer have every device on the same network every day. DB is slower but it works for me now)
