Working with Notes
Master your daily workflow with Notes—from quick capture to knowledge organization, linking, and productivity shortcuts.
Daily Notes
Daily Notes are auto-dated entries that make journaling, planning, and thought capture effortless. Every day gets its own note automatically.
What are Daily Notes?
Auto-created entries: A new note is created for each day automatically
Date-based organization: Notes are labeled by date (e.g., "Thu, November 6th, 2025")
Persistent: Past daily notes remain accessible forever
Searchable: All daily notes appear in search and All Notes
Accessing Daily Notes
⌘D Shortcut (Fastest method):
Press ⌘D (Mac) or Ctrl D (Windows/Linux) from anywhere in Deva to instantly jump to today's daily note.
This is the fastest way to capture thoughts throughout the day.
Sidebar Navigation:
Click "Daily Notes" in the left sidebar to see your daily notes organized chronologically.
Search:
Use ;search or ⌘K and type dates like "Nov 6" or "today" to find specific daily notes.
Use Cases for Daily Notes
Morning Planning:
# Thu, November 6th, 2025
## Today's Priorities
- [ ] Finish Q1 report
- [ ] Team meeting at 2pm
- [ ] Review budget proposals
## Focus: Client presentation prepEnd-of-Day Reflection:
## What I Accomplished
- Completed draft of proposal
- 3 productive client calls
- Fixed critical bug in auth system
## Tomorrow's Top 3
1. Present to client
2. Code review with team
3. Plan sprint retrospectiveThought Capture:
Throughout the day, hit ⌘D and jot down:
Random ideas
Meeting notes
Things to research
Questions for your AI
Habit Building:
Use ⌘D every morning for 30 days to build a consistent journaling habit. Each day's entry becomes a record of your progress.
Daily Note Options
Tap the ⋯ (three dots) on any date header to access options:
Rename: Change the note title (useful if you want custom names)
Delete: Remove a daily note (confirmation required before permanent deletion)
Expand: See full note without leaving Daily Notes view
Organizing Your Notes
All Notes View
The complete list of every note you've created, sorted and searchable.
What you'll see:
Subject - Note title
Snippet - First few lines of content
Updated - Last modification date
Icon - Note type indicator (🌿 for Root Note)
Sorting options:
Newest first
Oldest first
Most recently updated
Alphabetical
Filtering:
All notes
Only private notes
Only public notes
Notes used for Deva responses
Search
Find any note instantly using Deva's powerful search system.
Quick Search - ;search syntax:
Type ; followed by a word while editing any note, and matching notes appear as suggestions.
Example: Type ;project and see all notes with "project" in the title or content.
Global Search - ⌘K:
Press ⌘K (when no text is selected) to open the global search modal.
Search across all note titles and content
Recent notes shown first
Arrow keys to navigate results
Enter to open selected note
Search Tips:
Search is instant—no need to wait
Matches titles, content, and [[links]]
Case-insensitive
Partial words work ("prod" finds "productivity")
Tags and Organization Strategies
While Deva doesn't have formal "tags," you can create your own organizational system:
Method 1: Prefix Titles:
Project - Alpha Launch
Project - Beta Testing
Meeting - Weekly Team Sync
Meeting - Client Q&A
Research - AI Trends
Research - Market AnalysisSearch for "Project" shows all project notes.
Method 2: Use [[Links]] as Tags:
Create notes like [[#productivity]], [[#work]], [[#learning]] and link to them from relevant notes. These act as tag pages.
Method 3: Root Note Directory:
Use your Root Note as a table of contents with categories:
# My Knowledge Base
## Work Projects
- [[Client Alpha]]
- [[Internal Tools]]
## Learning
- [[AI Development]]
- [[Productivity Systems]]Note Linking & Connections
Build a web of knowledge by linking notes together. Connections help you discover insights and build context for your AI.
[[Double Bracket]] Syntax
Create links between notes using double brackets:
I'm working on [[Project Alpha]] using ideas from [[Research Notes]].
See also: [[Meeting Notes - Client Kickoff]]How it works:
Type
[[to trigger note suggestionsStart typing a note name
Select from suggestions or create new note
Link is created automatically
⌘⇧K Shortcut
Quick link creation:
Highlight text in your note
Press
⌘⇧K(Mac) orCtrl Shift K(Windows/Linux)Text wraps in [[brackets]] automatically
If note exists, it links; if not, it's marked as a new note to create
Or press ⌘⇧K with no selection to insert [[]] with cursor ready inside.
Backlinks
Incoming connections: When other notes link to the current note, you see them in the Backlinks panel (right sidebar).
What backlinks show:
Notes that [[link]] to the current note
Context snippets (surrounding text)
Click any backlink to open that note
Why backlinks matter:
Discover related content you forgot about
See how ideas connect across your knowledge base
Build richer context for your AI to reference
Building a Knowledge Web
Start with a hub note:
Create a central note for each major topic (or use your Root Note).
Link liberally:
Don't worry about over-linking. More connections = better discovery.
Example:
# My Productivity System
Based on [[GTD Method]] and [[Time Blocking]].
## Daily Workflow
1. Check [[Daily Note]] for today
2. Review [[Project List]]
3. Work in [[Focus Mode]]
## Resources
- [[Productivity Tools]]
- [[Reading List - Time Management]]Use natural language:
Link notes the way you'd naturally refer to them:
"I learned this from [[James Clear]]"
"See [[yesterday's meeting]]"
"Related to [[that idea from April]]"
Finding Related Notes
Through links: Click any [[link]] to jump to that note
Through backlinks: Check the Backlinks panel to see what references the current note
Through search: Search for concepts and see which notes mention them
Through browsing: Start at your Root Note and follow the connection web
Keyboard Shortcuts Reference
Master these shortcuts to work at the speed of thought:
Navigation Shortcuts
⌘D / Ctrl D
Jump to today's daily note
Works from anywhere in Deva
⌘K / Ctrl K
Global search (no text selected)
Find any note instantly
[[
Trigger note suggester
Shows matching notes as you type
Editing Shortcuts
⌘K / Ctrl K
Create hyperlink (text selected)
Paste or type URL to link
⌘⇧K / Ctrl Shift K
Create [[note link]]
Wraps selection in brackets
⌘Enter / Ctrl Enter
Send inline @deva prompt
Get AI response in note
⌘⏎
Block prompt shortcut
Select block with @deva mention
View Shortcuts
⌘⇧F / Ctrl Shift F
Focus mode (hide sidebars)
Press again or use arrows to restore
Arrow buttons
Restore sidebars
After focus mode
Tips & Productivity Features
Focus Mode
Eliminate distractions with Focus Mode:
Activate: Press ⌘⇧F to hide both sidebars Write: Full-screen editing area, no UI clutter Restore: Press ⌘⇧F again, or click the arrow buttons that appear
Perfect for:
Deep writing sessions
Long-form content creation
Distraction-free brainstorming
Reading and reviewing notes
Templates
Create reusable note structures for common formats:
Meeting Template:
# Meeting - [Topic] - [Date]
**Attendees**:
**Agenda**:
1.
2.
3.
**Notes**:
**Action Items**:
- [ ]
- [ ]
**Next Steps**:Project Template:
# Project: [Name]
**Status**: Planning / In Progress / Complete
**Deadline**:
**Owner**:
## Objectives
## Resources
- [[]]
## Progress Log
## Blockers
## Next Actions
- [ ]Save templates as regular notes with "Template -" prefix, then copy structure when needed.
PWA Sync
Access your notes anywhere with real-time synchronization:
Cross-device sync:
Desktop browser
Mobile browser
PWA (Progressive Web App) install
Real-time updates:
Changes sync instantly
Edit on phone, see on desktop immediately
No manual saving or syncing needed
Offline access (when PWA installed):
View recent notes offline
Changes sync when reconnected
Seamless experience across network conditions
Note Search Best Practices
Be specific: "Q1 project" vs. "project"
Use natural language: Search the way you'd describe the note
Try synonyms: If "meeting" doesn't work, try "sync" or "call"
Use dates: "March meeting" or "2024 project"
Leverage recent: Global search shows recent notes first—useful for "what was that note I just created?"
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