Org-mode is a highly customizable package. It currently contains close to 400 customization variables that can be changed to tweak every detail, and more than 260 are known to be actually used out there.
However, as a beginner you do not care about this kind of flexibility. On this page, we have a list of five settings that you might want to try first in order to personalize your system.
Once you are done with that, we also have a list of some 40 variables that are changed by many users.
The minimal customization needed to use Org-mode is – Nothing at all!
Org-mode works out of the box, and besides the steps described
in the manual to activate it, nothing is needed at all. Just open a
.org file, press C-c [ to tell org that this is a file you want to
use in your agenda, and start putting your life into plain text.
OK, for completeness, let's just repeat what is needed to activate Org-mode in files with .org extension, and a few important key assignments.
(add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.org\\'" . org-mode)) (global-set-key "\C-cl" 'org-store-link) (global-set-key "\C-ca" 'org-agenda) (global-font-lock-mode 1)
Define the TODO states you find useful and single letters for fast
selection. Customize the variable org-todo-keywords or simply do
this right in the file with1:
#+TODO: TODO(t) STARTED(s) WAITING(w) | DONE(d) CANCELED(c)
You can always add tags freely and by hand, but if you configure the
most important ones along with fast-access keys, life will be better.
Configure the variable org-tags-alist or simply do this right in the
file with1
#+TAGS: home(h) work(w) @computer(c) @phone(p) errants(e)
When Org compiles agenda views like the the agenda for the current
week (C-c a a) or the global TODO list (C-c a t), it checks all
files in the variable org-agenda-files. Instead of setting this
variable explicitly, it is much easier to just add and remove the
current buffer with C-c [ and C-c ], respectively.
If you need to sharpen the predefined agenda commands, define your own
Agenda commands, using the variable org-agenda-custom-commands.
This is a pretty complex variable, but if you use the customize
interface2, it is not too hard. Everyone
ends up customizing this one after getting comfortable with Org-mode.
Do checkout this tutorial on building your own custom agenda commands
as well.
Use remember to quickly capture ideas, tasks, and notes. Add
(org-remember-insinuate)
to your setup and populate3 the variable org-remember-templates
with templates and target locations.
Here is a list of the variables most frequently changed by power users. The variables mentioned above are repeated in this list. Yes, some power users change 60 options or more, but these showed up most frequently in the customization survey.
Here are a few things about basic setup that many people change.
C-c [ and C-c ] to add or remove the current
file, respectively.
#+STARTUP options to
set this on a per-file basis.
Besides being an organizer, Org-mode is also a text mode for writing and taking notes. The following variables that influence basic editing behavior and the appearance of the buffer are often customized:
C-a and C-e behave specially,
considering the headline and not the leading stars, todo
keywords, or the trailing tags? About equal numbers of users set
this to t or to reversed
C-k behave specially in headlines,
considering tags and visibility state?
#+TODO: setting in the buffer.
(setq org-log-done 'time).
Remember is great for fast capture of ideas, notes, and tasks. It is one of the primary capture methods in Org-mode.
org-remember-insinuate in your startup file.
Refiling means moving entries around, for example from a capturing location to the correct project.
C-c C-w?
To reduce clutter in the task list for today, many users like to remove tasks from the daily list right when they are done. The following variables give detailed control to what kind of entries this should apply:
People who use Org like a day planner, who schedule all tasks to specific dates, often like to not have scheduled tasks listed in their global TODO list, because scheduling it already means to have taking care of it in a sense, and because they know they will run into these tasks in the agenda anyway.
If you want to become a true power user, see for yourself what some users do. The Emacs customization system4 organizes all variables into a structure that can be used to easily find the one particular option you might be looking for. Also, the Org-mode manual and the FAQ mention many variables in the appropriate context.