If you want to use Capacities for writing, it helps to translate a few familiar concepts first and then build a setup that lets you draft and review your material side by side.

This is a starter workflow that you can build on as you get used to writing in Capacities.

Here's how to get started.

Terminology

If you're coming from a folder-based tool, this translation helps:

• Document = page
• Folder = often a tag, but sometimes an object type or collection
• Object = one thing in Capacities
• Object types = groups of things, such as pages, images, or tags

Once this clicks, Capacities starts to feel much more intuitive. You can read more about this in the glossary.

Tags

Tags are an important part of organizing writing in Capacities.

If you're used to folders, a good starting point is to turn topic-based or status-based folders into tags. In practice, tags are more flexible than folders because you can assign several of them to the same page. This means one draft can belong to a topic, a project, and a status at the same time.

That is especially useful for writing, where a piece often fits into more than one category.

Create your setup

First, check that you have the Pages object type in the left sidebar. Then check for Tags.

If one or both are missing:

1. Hover over Object types in the left sidebar.
2. Click the + button.
3. Add Pages and Tags.

You should now see both object types in the sidebar.

Next, open the Tags object type and click + New object in the top right. Create tags for the themes, topics, or statuses you want to use across your writing.

If one of your old folders was really a recurring kind of content, such as Books, Meetings, or People, that may be a better fit for an object type instead.

Once you've done that, you have the basic structure you'll work with.

Your first steps

Create a page by clicking New object in the left sidebar and choosing Page from the list.

Give the page a title. Every time you would normally create a document in another app, create a page in Capacities instead.

Under the title, add a tag. In many cases, this tag is the topic, project, or status you would previously have used a folder for.

This gives you several ways to find the same piece of writing again:

• through the page title in search
• through the Pages object type
• through any tag attached to that page

This is one of the biggest differences between Capacities and folder-based tools. Instead of remembering one exact file path, you can resurface your writing from several directions.

It also reflects how writing actually works. A draft might belong to a topic, a status, and a client at the same time. In Capacities, you can simply add the relevant tags under the title and link to your client's name.

Bringing together the items you need

One of the most useful features for writing is the right side panel. It lets you keep your draft open while reviewing related material at the same time.

Open a page if you don't already have one open.

Then hold Shift and click on something in the left sidebar, for example Tags. You should now see your page on the left and the selected content open on the right. You can also click the + button on the right side of your Capacities window and search for content to open in the side panel.

You can open almost anything in this side panel, but for writing there are two especially useful workflows:

1. Outline on the left, full draft on the right
2. Outline or draft on the left, resources on the right

Outline on left side, full draft on right side

You could start with a page called Draft of XYZ and sketch an outline using bullet points. Use the hyphen key to create bullets, or type /bullet at the start of a new line.

When you're ready to expand it into a full draft, type /page/Full version of XYZ and press Enter.

This creates a new linked page for the actual draft. If you Shift-click that new page link, it opens in the right side panel so you can work with both side by side.

If you prefer to keep everything in one place, that works too. Write your outline at the top of the page, leave some space, and begin the full draft below it.

Outline or draft on left, resources on the right

A resource can be anything you want to refer to while writing.

If you've already translated your old folder names into tags, you can bring resources into Capacities, tag them, and then reopen them later in context.

Types of resources and how you can add them to Capacities

1. Image: Open Images in the left sidebar, click + New object, then upload your image.
2. Weblink: Open Weblinks, click + New object, and paste the link.
3. Random text: Open your daily note, then write or paste the text there.

If you get into the habit of tagging these resources well, you can open the relevant tag in the right side panel and review everything connected to that topic while you write.

To do that:

1. Open the draft you are working on.
2. Click the search icon in the left sidebar.
3. Search for the tag you want.
4. Hold Shift and click the tag to open it in the side panel.

You can now scroll through all tagged items while keeping your draft open on the left.

If you want to inspect one item more closely, Shift-click it again and it will open in the right side panel. When you're done, close that tab and return to the tag view.

This is a very practical way to gather context without getting pulled away from the writing itself.

Using resources in the actual draft

So far you've set up a way to write and review your material. To actually use a resource in the draft, type @.

Start typing the name of the resource after the @, then select it from the search results. Capacities will insert a link to that object directly into your draft.

This is what makes the workflow really useful: your draft, your notes, your links, and your supporting material can all live in the same connected system.