I started using Emacs because it provided syntax coloring and indentation for Gnu LilyPond input documents. Later on, I learned about org-mode. I sort of fell down the rabbit hole, trying to implement all the functionality org-mode promised, particularly in regard to note taking, agenda and task-management. Things got too confusing, and I spent more time configuring the system than I did being “productive”.
Silver lining: Along the way, I learned how to use org-table formulas, org code blocks and more generally, implement what the computer scientist Donald Knuth refers to as “literate programming”. For example, when I produce a play-along video for students, the project workflow is documented inside a .org file. And there are code blocks (embedded shell scripts) within the org file which get run throughout the project. One org file can act as a template for a similar project. Great for anyone, like myself, who can’t seem to remember anything.
The promise of note-taking software, it seems, is to create order out of the chaos many disconnected thoughts. This is achieved by adding metadata, or tags, to each idea, then later on being able to sort the ideas by tag. The key to success, we are told by the makers, is to follow the method religiously.
