# 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.

![Daily Notes interface showing date headers](https://3195043238-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F1ER7rc5bkFwDBjgUvcTm%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-e7a1b2098f9f99982dc60070b9361e72ad1f0d93%2Fdaily-notes-interface.png?alt=media)

### 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**:

```markdown
# Thu, November 6th, 2025

## Today's Priorities
- [ ] Finish Q1 report
- [ ] Team meeting at 2pm
- [ ] Review budget proposals

## Focus: Client presentation prep
```

**End-of-Day Reflection**:

```markdown
## 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 retrospective
```

**Thought 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.

![All Notes list showing subjects, snippets, and dates](https://3195043238-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F1ER7rc5bkFwDBjgUvcTm%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-1ba212eb493e329c981d73a61102aad9969fbf7b%2Fall-notes-list.png?alt=media)

**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 Analysis
```

Search 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:

```markdown
# 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:

```markdown
I'm working on [[Project Alpha]] using ideas from [[Research Notes]].

See also: [[Meeting Notes - Client Kickoff]]
```

**How it works**:

1. Type `[[` to trigger note suggestions
2. Start typing a note name
3. Select from suggestions or create new note
4. Link is created automatically

***

### ⌘⇧K Shortcut

**Quick link creation**:

1. Highlight text in your note
2. Press `⌘⇧K` (Mac) or `Ctrl Shift K` (Windows/Linux)
3. Text wraps in \[\[brackets]] automatically
4. 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**:

```markdown
# 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

| Shortcut        | Action                           | Notes                            |
| --------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| `⌘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

| Shortcut                | Action                           | Notes                           |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| `⌘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

| Shortcut               | Action                     | Notes                                |
| ---------------------- | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| `⌘⇧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**:

```markdown
# Meeting - [Topic] - [Date]

**Attendees**:
**Agenda**:
1.
2.
3.

**Notes**:

**Action Items**:
- [ ]
- [ ]

**Next Steps**:
```

**Project Template**:

```markdown
# 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?"
