As your notes grow, nocal gives you two simple tools to keep them organized: folders for grouping related notes and pins for surfacing the ones you reach for most. Used together, they keep your notebook tidy without a lot of upkeep.
Folders: group related notes
Folders collect notes that belong together — a project, a client, a recurring topic — so you can browse them in one place instead of hunting through your timeline.
Create and use a folder
- Open the notes area or sidebar in nocal.
- Select New folder and give it a name.
- Add notes to the folder, or move existing notes into it.
Good folder ideas:
| Folder | Holds |
|---|---|
| A project name | All notes related to that project |
| A client or partner | Notes from every meeting with them |
| "Reference" | Docs and standing info you revisit |
| "1:1s" | Notes from a series of one-on-ones |
Keep folder names broad enough to be useful but specific enough to find. Avoid making a folder for every single meeting — your calendar already groups those by date, and pinning handles the few you revisit often.
Pins: keep important notes at hand
Pinning lifts a note to the top so it's always quick to reach, no matter when its event happened.
Pin a note
- Open the note (or right-click / use the note's menu).
- Select Pin.
Pinned notes appear in a dedicated pinned area for fast access. Unpin the same way when a note is no longer a priority.
Folders vs. pins: when to use each
| Use a folder when… | Use a pin when… |
|---|---|
| You have many related notes to group | You revisit one note constantly |
| You want to browse a topic | You need instant access |
| You're organizing for the long term | You're prioritizing for right now |
They work well together: keep a project's notes in a folder, and pin the single running doc you update every meeting.
Stays in sync
Folders and pins sync across your devices through your nocal account, so the structure you set up on your laptop is there on your phone too — see install nocal on all your devices.
Can't find a note?
Organization helps, but you don't have to rely on it. nocal has full-text search across notes and events, so even an unfiled note is easy to recover.