Every time I try to get into org-mode, I just don't get where to start and how to do things. So I end up going back to Sublime text, creating markdown files to take my notes, works well.
I started with simple outlines. Then started using `TODO` and similar states to track tasks and projects, along with checklists. There's a ton that I never use, I'm honestly only using the following 95% of the time:
* Headline 1 [1/2]
** TODO Headline 2 [2/4] :tag1:tag2:
- [ ] Some incomplete task
- [X] Some other task
- [ ] [[http://example.com][Only this part shows]]
- [X] C-c C-c will toggle the state
** DONE Headline 3
** Some code in this one :code:
#+BEGIN_SRC elisp
(defun some-function (foo)
...)
#+END_SRC
But when I want more, it's there, and I can extend it. I toyed around with, but didn't complete, having rust code snippets exported to temp files that would be compiled with the output pushed back into the buffer, for example. Just stole the org-babel code for handling C and tweaked it. I made custom states for handling my org file which contains my ledger file (ledger-cli user) so it more clearly matches my workflow. Same with links to JIRA entries at work, and creating a task management workflow that matched the way my work hours get billed and tracked by management.
OTOH, if Sublime and markdown works for you, keep using it. Nothing beats a functioning tool, in the end.
Given the many different features this is not surprising. My approach was to focus on learning one set of features at a time. I used http://doc.norang.ca/org-mode.html as a guide.
The order I went in was:
Creating / editing / manipulating trees - Being able to easily organize everything in a hierarchy
TODOs - how to customize my own list of TODO states to fit my workflow
Habits - I created a habit for learning more about org-mode each day
Agendas - I found this to be one of the most useful features especially being able to create a custom agenda to see exactly what I wanted - a section of scheduled todos/habits and list of TODO items organized by todo state, sorted by category
Capture Mode - makes adding new todo items easy
I used org-mode to help me learn org-mode, using everything I learned prior to help bootstrap learning the next piece. At the same time I integrated the pomodoro technique into my work flow. So my habit item for learning org-mode was to spend one 25 minute period a day learning. Do this for a couple of weeks, making sure to spend some time customizing everything to suit your process and you should be all set.
I wouldn't start with this cookbook, which seems to be a laundry list of all the extremely hairy things you can do with Org. Think of it as an outliner with simple tables and spreadsheets: starting a line with "*"s makes it an outline heading, and "| something | like | this |" is a row in a table. That's how I've used it for years, despite being aware that it can do all sorts of other semi-related stuff. Don't venture down the rabbit hole of complexity unless you want to.
I use markdown for blog posts and presentations, pandoc and/or hakyll (jekyll for haskell) suits me fine. What am I missing that org mode would provide?
I've found this series of videos on YouTube to be a very good introduction. The speaker starts with very basic concepts and builds on them in each successive video:
The beauty of orgmode is that you don't need to learn everything to start using it, actually, you can just start with your typical workflow and look for stuff as you need.
I stopped using org-mode for a time after having invested a lot of time in learning all the cool stuff you can do because I felt like it was overkill and I was trying to do too much with it and organizing everything was becoming a chore. If you look at all it can do, it has so many capabilities (outlining, gtd, wiki, blogging, ebook publishing, presentations, time tracking, etc).
Recently, I came back to it just to use for code/programming notes and instead of trying to organize all the code into source blocks I went the other way and added in my own comments and questions in blocks that can be toggled on/off around the code that's there. Now the only org syntax I really use from org-mode is `#+BEGIN:` blocks for comments/questions I can quiz myself on and occasionally headlines when I want to organize something because it's in the way of reading the plain text. If I gave advice to someone new to it it would be to start with just plaintext notes and only add what you really need. You can quickly go overboad once you are trying to figure out how to do footnotes, file linking, exporting w/ images, source code execution, etc.
Not sure if it is the same thing, but I find myself sometimes procrastinating by noodling with software features. It isn't the fault of org-mode (or any other software), it is mine, for not being disciplined enough.
"Distraction free" apps don't work, because I frequently need to switch windows a lot and need some fancy features.
Really, the answer for me is to work on staying focused. (Perhaps a lobotomy would help.) But it isn't a problem with my tools.
Yes I've done this a lot too. Emacs is the perfect environment for doing this too, but it really isn't too blame. I also have a problem wasting too much time on reddit and HN. If I put all this time I've been spending reading forum comments into instead reading really high quality content material (maybe books, wikipedia, or even good source code) I'd probably be a lot more skilled than I am. But, yeah the problem is me, and I agree looking to software (like discract-free apps) to solve the problem for me is counter-productive
Someone once said that the trick of being productive is to use emacs as "your operating system", or unproductive if you just end up playing with elisp all day.
The first time I decided to start using Org, I printed out the reference card with all the keyboard shortcuts...and quickly gave up. But I hadn't learned Emacs itself yet, so trying to learn to use Org without really knowing how to use Emacs didn't work.
Later, I learned Emacs itself, and then learning Org was much easier, because I could look up functions and keys and variables and customizations, etc. from within Emacs. As some other people said, I just learned a little bit at a time as I used Org. Eventually, after customizing it and even making a couple of Org-related packages, it's become my own system that works the way I want it to. And I will probably use it for the rest of my life. That's one of the beautiful things about Emacs and Org.
