What’s Inside My Tana Workspace (And Why I Love It)

"Instantly turn thoughts into structured, ready to use action items, no matter where you are"

That's what Tana is all about—a powerful and flexible tool. But the same flexibility that makes Tana so powerful also made it overwhelming at first. I almost gave up before I even got started.

---

---

From Trello to Tana

I've always used tools to organize my work and life. For years, Trello was my go-to. I used it for planning projects, collecting ideas, and managing personal stuff. But there came a time when I needed a change. I didn't know exactly what I needed. I just knew I wanted something different.

I was reminded of what Steve Jobs once said about how a customer doesn't know what they want until it's right in their face. It happened to me when I came across a creator named Ev Chapman on Twitter. She was sharing content about this tool called Tana, and I got instantly absorbed by it.

The idea of shaping a tool to match how you think sounded like what I was looking for. I installed Tana in mid-2023, when it was still in early access.

I was excited... but then I hit a wall. I didn't know where to begin. And my mistake was trying to copy my Trello setup inside Tana. Board by board. But Tana doesn't work like Trello. And the more I tried, the frustrated I got. I almost quit.

Then, I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down what I was struggling with, something I mostly do when experiencing complicated problems. That helped me think more clearly.

I realized I didn't need to move everything from Trello. I just needed one small system to start—a system where I capture ideas and turn them into content. That became my first setup inside Tana (and has evolved over time).

If you're learning a new tool, the best thing you can do is focus on solving one problem at a time. Once that works, you can build more.

What I use Tana today

Fast forward to 2023, I've now used Tana every day for over a year. And I can honestly say it has changed the way I think and work.

It's where I plan projects, shape ideas, and create content. But I also use it for personal things like setting goals, tracking habits, reflecting on my life, and organizing what I read and learn.

The flexibility of Tana is what made it possible. But the changes didn't happen overnight. It took some time to get it all together.

Why I wrote this

My intention for writing this essay was to give you a closer look at how I use Tana, not from a technical perspective, but from a personal one. This isn't a how-to guide. It's a showcase of what's possible.

It might inspire some of you to give it a try. And just to be clear, this isn't a sponsored essay. I'm not paid by Tana. I just really like the tool.

My Daily Page

Every day starts with my Daily Page in Tana. It has all the things that matter the most in one place, without distractions.

For starters, here are the parts of my Daily Page that support my work and life.

Spiritually Grounded

At the top of my Daily Page, Tana shows me a random verse from the Qur'an. I do this using a live search that pulls from my personal verse collection.

This detail sets the tone for the day. It reminds me of what matters most and helps me stay spiritually grounded.

Yearly Compass

I keep a link to my Yearly Compass on my Daily Page, so I can quickly access my intentions and goals for the year. It's also the place where I track habits, reflect each month, and capture moments that matter.

Weekly Routine

At the end of each week, I try to follow a simple routine to close things off well (though I don't always stick to it).

It includes calling family members, journaling, updating my personal site, and cleaning up my digital environment.

When I do it, I start the next week with a clear head and a clean slate.

Random Serendipity

I use Reader + Readwise to collect highlights from things I read and watch. Those highlights get sent to Tana, and some of them are turned into atomic notes—short notes that capture one idea.

On my Daily Page, Tana shows me two random highlights and two random atomic notes. It's a fun way to discover insights I've forgotten.

I also pull in any highlights from the past 7 days, so I can easily find fresh ideas worth exploring.

The Right Side View

Tana recently added a right side view. And I really like how it works. It lets me pin important nodes to the side of my Daily Page.

Right now, I use it to show my current tasks, active projects, atomic notes in the growth stage (more on that later), and whatever I'm currently reading.

It just makes the whole page look nicer, too.

Tracking My Life

I like the creative chaos that comes with random insights, but I also need structure. So I built a simple system to track key parts of my life.

I track things like reading, writing, exercising, and spiritual habits like prayer, charity, and Qur'an recitation.

This data becomes especially valuable during my monthly and yearly reflections. I don't have to rely on memory. It's all there.

Creative Control Center

This is the heart of my Tana setup—where I spend most of my time.

It's built around three main hubs:

• Inspired Mind (where ideas are captured)
• Creator Studio (where ideas turn into content)
• Project Hub (where everything gets done)

Here's how each part works.

Inspired Mind

This is where I collect anything that sparks inspiration.

It starts with my Inspired Journal, which holds saved highlights and notes from Readwise. Then there's my Idea Garden, where I write atomic notes—small, focused ideas—and develop them over time.

When a few atomic notes start to connect, I group them in my Inspired Library to form bigger ideas.

I also keep Fleeting Notes—quick thoughts from things I see, hear, or think about. And sometimes turn into Questions I want to explore further.

Creator Studio

This is where ideas become content. Once a thought or note is ready, I move it into the Creator Studio to turn it into something I can share, like an essay, a newsletter, or a social post.

All my content lives in the Content Bank, and I can easily expand it later if I want to add new formats like video.

I also use a Content Calendar to plan and schedule what gets published when. And at the core of it all is my Content North Start—a guide that reminds me why I create and how I want to show up online.

Without that direction, it's easy to feel lost or unsure of what to write.

Project Hub

Project management is a big part of how I work. Without it, I'd feel aimless, not knowing where to focus my time or energy.

My Project Hub is where I manage all my active projects and tasks. I usually keep it limited to 5-10 projects at a time (though it's often fewer).

Each project has a deadline, so I don't let things drag on forever. And if a deadline slips, I would just adjust and keep moving.

Notable Mentions

Alongside my main hubs, I also have three others inspired by Tiago Forte's PARA method: Area, Resource, and Archive.

• Area Hub holds ongoing responsibilities that don't have deadlines, like health, family, or finances. These aren't short-term projects, but areas I check on occasion.
• Resource Hub stores notes, highlights, and inspiration around topics I'm interested in. Think of it as a personal library.
• Archive Hub is where I move finished, canceled, or abandoned projects and goals. I never delete them. They're part of my journey.

This system helps me stay organized without losing sight of what I've already done. On days when I feel stuck or unproductive, a quick scroll through my archive reminds me of what I've accomplished.

Game Plan

My Game Plan, also called the Yearly Compass, is where I map out how I want to live my life—from intentions and goals to habits and reflections.

It took me about a month to build this system, and it has become one of my favorite parts of Tana. After using it for more than a year, I've collected so much data on myself that I've started noticing real improvements.

Here's how it works.

Intentions

Everything starts with intention. Each year, I choose a Word of the Year, a quote or phrase to support it, and a vision to help me stay aligned.

These give me clarity before I set any goals.

I'm not a fan of yearly goals—they feel too heavy. Instead, I break things down into Quarterly Goals with a Monthly Focus.

Goal-settings

I set goals in steps—starting wide, then narrowing down.

First, I make a Bucket List with all kinds of goals, without worrying about priorities. From there, I pull the ones that align with my intentions into a list of Quarterly Goals.

Each month, I choose 3-5 to focus on. That Monthly Focus helps me stay focused and avoid being overwhelmed.

This incremental approach has been a game changer. And if I don't finish something, no problem—it either gets moved to the next month or archived.

Habits

I track my habits through my Daily Page, but I also have a dedicated space where I can see an overview.

At the end of each month, I do a bit of manual work. I run a live search for that month, type in the results, and use the results in my Monthly Reflections.

Reflections

Each month, I reflect on key aspects of my life. It's honestly my favorite part of the Game Plan.

This is where I get real with myself. I write down what's been on my mind, what's gone well, and what needs work.

It helps me see patterns in my behavior and make small improvements over time.

Notable Mentions

One small but meaningful part of my Game Plan is a section I call the Memory Lane. A place where I save photos from moments that matter to me.

I don't always keep it updated, but when I do, it's a nice visual reminder of the year I'm living through.

Digital Library

I built this at the start of the year after getting frustrated with forgetting what I'd read or what I wanted to read. Now I've got a dedicated space in Tana to track everything.

Since I mostly read on my Kindle, I also import my highlights and notes into Tana and link them to each book.

Here's how it's set up:

Master Book Database

Here I track every book I've read, am reading, want to read, or have paused or abandoned.

Summaries & Themes

On some of the books, I write a short summary and jot down the big ideas, so I can easily remember (or recommend) a book later.

Book Quotes

Who doesn't like a quote or two from a good book? So, of course, I included a section where I pull quotes using Tana's live search, and I can even filter for my personal favorites.

Islamic Hub

I created this hub in the summer of 2024 because I wanted a dedicated space for all my Islamic content.

Like many of my systems I've built, it came from a simple frustration, and then I thought, "Why not create a system for this?" And voilà, here we are.

Here's what's inside:

The Daily Tracker

This is similar to my habit tracker but focused only on spiritual practices like prayer, fasting, giving charity, and reciting the Qur'an. I check in through the Daily Page, and the data shows up here.

Ramadan Hub

I set up this for Ramadan 2025 to stay focused during the month. It combines elements from my Yearly Compass (intention, goals), Project Hub (tasks), and reflection system. I just make sure it fits how I approach Ramadan.

The Rest of the Hub

The last three things I've here are the Islamic Journal, where I collect Islamic-related content—both written and videos, Islamic Notes, where I write on different themes, and lastly, The Qur'an, where I'm storing all of my favorite verses. So this is where my daily page pulls from and then displays at the top of it.

The Rest of My Workspace

Before concluding the essay, here are a few smaller but still important parts of my Tana setup:

Quote Database

Unlike my book quote sections, this one collects all kinds of quotes I find online. Anything that resonates with me.

Recalls

If something's worth remembering but not urgent, I drop it here. I've rediscovered great things I completely forgot about.

Learnings

When I come across interesting concepts, ideas, theories, etc., I write them down. Over time, this has grown into a mini personal library of valuable information.

The Final Curtain

If you've made it this far, I salute you. I hope this deep dive didn't overwhelm you (and if it did... sorry, not sorry. Just kidding).

As I mentioned at the start, I've been using Tana since August 2023, and it has become a regular part of my life. I've spent time learning it, building systems, and even getting frustrated enough to almost quit.

What kept me going was one question: "What do I actually need Tana for?"

That clarity helped me move forward. One small system at a time.

If you were to ask me if I would recommend Tana, my answer would be: it depends. If you like flexibility and want to build systems for projects, content, knowledge, etc., and still be able to find everything when you need it, then yes, I'd absolutely recommend it.

But of course, that's just my opinion. I think it's an amazing tool. And if you ever decide to try it but feel stuck, I'm happy to help however I can.