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Organize knowledge & projects

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TL;DR​

When using Heptabase to manage knowledge and project notes, we recommend adopting a "two-layer whiteboard structure." In the first layer, set up primary parent whiteboards (Projects, Topics, Life, Books, Courses, etc.), and in the second layer, create corresponding sub-whiteboards. Most notes should be recorded in these second-layer sub-whiteboards. Avoid creating third-layer sub-whiteboards until the second-layer whiteboards have more than 100 cards; instead, organize these using the "Section" feature. Use whiteboards exclusively for managing all cards related to knowledge and ideas, and only use the "Tag" feature to organize cards with purely archival records (e.g., meeting notes, literature references).

Foreword​

Before Heptabase's launch in 2021, although many note-taking and whiteboard tools existed, none effectively allowed users to "manage extensive (thousands of) knowledge and project notes with whiteboards." Therefore, new Heptabase users often wonder how to maintain clarity and structure as the number of cards and whiteboards increases.

This article shares a flexible and scalable method—developed through our many years of experience using the product and tons of user interviews—helping you easily manage your knowledge and projects with Heptabase.

Using Whiteboards as Folders​

Heptabase whiteboards have two essential characteristics. First, they help you build deep understanding of topics you care about. Secondly, they function like folders—you can place notes within them and create sub-whiteboards through right-clicking empty spaces, managing your notes in a hierarchical structure.

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If you're new to Heptabase, we recommend initially creating the following three primary parent whiteboards, each containing relevant sub-whiteboards:

  • Projects: Manage all important projects you initiate or participate in, creating a sub-whiteboard for each project.

  • Topics: Organize topics you are learning or researching. Create sub-whiteboards for each topic, such as "Artificial Intelligence," "Business Case Study," "Economics," or "Electromagnetics." When you find quality knowledge sources, you can place it into the corresponding topic’s sub-whiteboard.

  • Life: Manage different aspects of your personal life, creating sub-whiteboards for topics such as "Personal Finance," "Sport," "Travel," "Movies," and "Annual Reviews."

If you regularly read books, take courses, or follow thought leaders across different fields, consider adding these additional parent whiteboards:

  • Books: Organize all your reading notes, creating a sub-whiteboard for each book.

  • Courses: Organize all your course notes, creating a sub-whiteboard for each course.

  • Thought Leaders: Organize content from thought leaders you follow, creating a sub-whiteboard for each thought leader.

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When using this structure, you might wonder: If you're reading a book on economics, should notes be placed under the corresponding sub-whiteboard in "Books" or "Topics"?

Our suggestion is: If the book is content-rich and you plan to study it deeply, place it in the corresponding sub-whiteboard under "Books" for future detailed breakdown and visualization. If you're quickly skimming the book for useful references, place it under "Topics."

Of course, this classification isn't absolute. For example, if you're an academic researcher, you might add a parent whiteboard called "Papers," creating sub-whiteboards for each paper you're writing. As a company operator, I have a parent whiteboard named "Company," containing sub-whiteboards for product research, user research, growth strategies, hiring strategies, and financial planning.

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In our experience, starting with the above two-layer whiteboard structure is typically sufficient when first using Heptabase. Avoid hastily adding third-layer sub-whiteboards. When a whiteboard starts feeling cluttered with increasing number of cards, use the selection tool to select related cards, right-click to open the whiteboard menu, and select "Create Section" or use the shortcut Cmd/Ctrl + G to organize these cards into sections.

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With Sections, even when zoomed out significantly, you can clearly see section titles and maintain a clear overview of the whiteboard’s layout.

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When should you create third-layer whiteboards? According to our experience, consider creating third-layer whiteboards when your second-layer whiteboards contain over 100 cards and these cards have already been effectively organized into sections.

Use Tags with Caution​

In most situations, for most users, we recommend managing your notes with whiteboards. However, if you're using Heptabase to manage specific types of "databases" and want to add notes and properties to each entry, you might consider using the Tag feature.

In Heptabase, each Tag functions like a table—each card tagged with it represents a row, while properties you define for the tag represent columns. For example, if you frequently take meeting notes, you can create a #meetings tag and add attributes like "Date," "Participants," and "Meeting Type." When viewing these tagged cards in Table View, you can easily see all meeting details at a glance.

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The advantage of managing cards with tags and properties is that, as the number of cards grows, you can efficiently filter cards based on property values without opening each card individually.

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At Heptabase, all tags are stored in the Tag App. You can access the Tag App from the left sidebar to view all your tags. Click on the "New Tag" button to add a new tag. If you want to add a tag to an existing card, simply use the shortcut Cmd/Ctrl + T.

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Since both tags and whiteboards can organize information, when should you use each?

Our official recommendation is: always use whiteboards for managing "knowledge or ideas" (e.g., reading notes, research notes). Consider using tags only when managing a large number of purely archival records (e.g., meeting notes, literature references). Since Heptabase is designed specifically to help you learn and research complex topics, we recommend using whiteboards 95% of the time.