T5 Decon Tips: Calendar, Date Initialize, and Template Review: Tanarian Brain
Welcome back to Tana Deconstructed! Where we break down Tana node by node.
T5 Decon issues are where we break down Tana Tips, Tricks, Templates, and Talk (announcements). T5 issues are released 1 - 3 times monthly in addition to once a month longer, more in-depth Tana Deconstructed articles (see the last full Deconstructed article here on the Live Search Expression Box).
This week’s T5 Decon issue brings you:
Calendar Tip
Date Initialization Tip
Template Review: “Tanarian Brain”
New Resources
Calendar T5 Decon
I'm sure you've heard about Tana's recent release of the Calendar View feature. There are a ton of videos out about the calendar view, and I've listed several from our Tana Ambassadors at the end in the resource section. I don't want to rehash those.
But I want to point out that Calendar View is much more than your typical calendar.
One thing I love the most, and something I cannot do on other calendars, is to calendar non-calendar items.
What?
Let's say you're starting a project.
Create a node about the project, and indented underneath, list what you need to do for that project. You have no idea when you're going to do these activities. You may not even know how to tag them at this point.
Then create a Calendar View of that node you just made (Ctrl/CMD K >View as Calendar).
You’ll notice nothing is on the calendar. But there is a node below the calendar notifying you that there are seven nodes with no dates. In the image below, I’ve expanded that node to review the Project tasks we entered previously.
🌟🌟 👇👇 HERE’S the COOL PART. 👇👇
You can drag and drop your project activities on the calendar into available time slots. Tana doesn’t care that you didn’t tag these items (but could if you wanted) or that you don’t have a date field included. As you drag and drop, Tana adds a date field equal to the day you dropped the item.
How do I use this? I keep a big brain dump of things I'd like to do "someday." I capture my thought - I want to do X - and tag it "someday," and that tag has no fields. Then periodically, I review the brain dump and drag and drop a few items onto my monthly calendar. And voila - someday turned into action!
Initialize Date T5 Decon
But, of course, Calendar View works with date fields. And it makes date fields much more valuable. But entering dates can be inefficient and cause room for errors.
🛟 🛟 Initialize Date feature to the rescue. 🛟 🛟
When you create a date field, there are three options to have Tana initialize date values automatically. You can initialize to:
To Current Date
To Date of Ancestor Day Node
To Value From Ancestor Day Node
These options will show only when the field type is set to “Date.”
Let's deconstruct each one below.
1. To Current Date
"To current date" is the easiest to understand. In this example, the "Date Field" value is the current date. Note, however, this is not necessarily the date on your day node. This is because you can enter a node on any day node, like yesterday, but still want the field to initialize to today’s date (not yesterday).
Location: The example node above, "Let's Initialize" , does not have to be in the DAY node. It can be anywhere in your graph and will initialize to today's date. It is not looking at your DAY node date.
Indentation: It does not matter how deep this field is in your supertag. You can indent it five times or not indent it at all.
2. To Date of Ancestor Node
Hmmm, it looks very similar to using the "to current date" feature. Let's look at the differences and similarities.
Location: Unlike initializing "to current date," this option, “to date of ancestor node”, only works if the example node, "Let's Initialize," is one of your DAY nodes.
Indentation: Similar to the initializing "to current date," you can indent to your heart's content, and the date field still will initialize to the date on your DAY node.
So if you enter a node on a prior or future DAY node, this field will show that prior or future date from your day node.
Whereas with the “to current date” initialization, if you entered our example node on a prior DAY node, it would initialize to TODAY’s date, not the date of the earlier DAY node where you entered it.
If you enter a node not on your Day node, a field set to initialize “to To Date of Ancestor Node” will be blank (as there is no Ancestor Day node to reference).
3. To Value From Ancestor with This Field
This option looks at your field name, then looks up to find that same field earlier in the outline and uses the value found there to fill in the lower field's value.
Beginner's warning: it MUST be the very same field. If this feature does not appear to be working, try changing the name of one field - if it is the same field - it should change in both locations. If it doesn't, then you're referencing two different fields of the same name (yes, that can happen).
The example above is for book notes. Highlights of the book are shown with the tag `#demohighlight."
Underneath the "demohighlight" tagged node, I enter my notes about that passage and tag it "#demo-myThought."
The "#demo-myThought" tag includes the date and author fields. Both fields are set to initialize "to value from ancestor with this field."
Let's follow the logic of the "Date Processed" field using the image above. Since the “Date Processed” field is set to “To Value From Ancestor with This FieldInsertImage
Tana looks at the Date Process field in the lower indented node
Then finds that same field above it in the outline (ancestor)
It takes that value from the above Date Processed field
And enters it in the lower (indented) Date Processed field value
AND MORE…
Initialization is not just about dates. It works for any other field type (Plain, Options, Instance, etc.) but only initializes “To Value From Ancestor with This Field.”
Take a look at the Author field in the example below. It works the same way as the date example above.
Tana looks at the Author field in the lower indented node
Then finds that same field above it in the outline (ancestor)
It takes that value from the above Author field
And enters it in the lower (indented) Author field value
Tanarian Brain Template
from Lukas of CortexFutura
A few weeks back, Tana announced Tana Templates. If you're a notion user, you’re probably familiar with Templates. It's a way of having someone else do all the nitty gritty Tana set up for you. Most Tana Templates cover one thing, like tracking subscriptions or logging books you've read.
Then there is the mother of all Tana Templates: "Tanarian Brain" from Lukas of CortextFutura. You might recognize his name from all the great YouTube videos he does and his Tana designation as a Tana Ambassador.
I worked with the Tanarian Brain template this week and was BLOWN away. 🔥 This isn't what most people would think of as a template.
Tanarian Brain is an entire Tana ecosystem you can install on day one - and be up and running without fully understanding what a supertag is (although that helps).
So if you're more interested in getting things done with Tana than tinkering around with supertags, searches, and features, this Template is for you.
You'll hit the ground running🏃♂️, and just by using it, your understanding of how Tana works will grow organically.
It provides fully built-out workflows for task and project management, GTD, Zettelkasten, PARA, Cycle planning and execution, journaling, and periodic reviews. You can use part of it or all of it. Use as is, or modify as needed.
The Template’s presentation is highly professional. It includes a growing library of tutorials, help documentation, and a complete demo template with real examples. The videos are packed with step-by-step guides on how to install (super simple, by the way), use, and update when updates come out (did I mention updates are included?).
All that plus you get:
Tana Fundamentals course for free
A welcoming and helpful community of hundreds of CortextFutura students.
All of that — for a one-time fee of $99.
Icing on the cake - you can add the CortexFutura course: Mastering Tana Core, for an additional $50 (about a 50% discount on the regular price). AND if you choose this combo option - you also get an INVITE to Tana - no more waiting list!
My apologies. I sound a bit like a salesperson, which is not my intent. I am not affiliated with CortexFutura, nor did they pay me for this review. I'm just excited to see a product that is so comprehensive, value-packed, and reasonably priced — that I had to mention it.
Click here for more info on Tanarian Brain
Check out Luka’s tweet about Tanarian Brain for screenshots.
Resources
As promised, here are some awesome video's about using the Tana Calendar view:
New Tana Feature: Calendar View! by CortexFutura
How I'm Using Tana's Calendar View by R.J. Nestor
Tana's New Calendar View | Tasks with Due Dates by Santi Younger
How I'm Using Tana's Calendar View in My Workspace by Renee's Workspace
How To Setup A Calendar View In Tana (The Quick & Dirty Version) by Ev Chapman
That’s it for this week, fellow Tana lovers. Node-ing off until the next T5 Decon issue. (see what I did there? 🤣)
Stay tuned for a special edition. I’m feeling like next week might be an 🎆 EXCITING 🎆 week for Tana! 😉