Using the Source System in Tareea
The Source System is six habits for keeping your thinking connected to your doing. This page maps each one to exactly where it lives in Tareea.
Looking for the philosophy behind these habits, without the product detail? Read The Source System on its own.
1 — Create tasks where you think
When a task occurs to you while you're writing, make the task in that note immediately. Don't postpone it for a task list later — the moment of creation carries the most context.
Highlight the sentence and use Create task inside the note editor. The task is automatically linked back to the exact sentence that created it — no manual linking step, ever.
2 — Prefer one note, not a folder
A note holds the reasoning; the task holds the obligation. If you can point to one note the task belongs to, prefer that. If you can't, the task may not be specific enough yet.
Every task created from a note carries a permanent "From note" chip. Click it any time to return to the exact source — the link survives renaming, editing, and reorganizing.
3 — Shallow is fine, linked is required
Short task titles are acceptable. Orphaned task titles are not. "Finalise before Thursday" is a fine task title, if it carries a link to the note that explains it. Without that link, it's noise.
Don't over-write task titles to make them self-sufficient. The "From note" link is already carrying the context — a short title connected to its source beats a long title standing alone.
4 — One start, not a list
Begin each session with one task, not a review. Before opening the task list, identify one task to begin with: the task with the most context available, the clearest note link, and a reasonable deadline proximity. Open that note. Read it. Begin. The list review happens after, not before.
The Focus card surfaces exactly one task, chosen for you, with its note one click away. Open the note, read it, then begin — the list is for later, not for the start.
5 — See the shape first
Look at the connections before you open the tasks. At the start of any complex session, spend two minutes looking at the structure: which notes generated which tasks, which threads are open, which ideas have produced no action.
Open a Folio and its Connection Map. Structure shows the hierarchy as you built it; Activity shows what's alive and what's gone quiet. Two minutes here replaces a lot of guessing later.
6 — Watch distribution, not just deadlines
A due date is necessary but not sufficient. Before accepting a new commitment, check how tasks are distributed across days and projects — you'll spot collisions and overloaded weeks a flat list would never show you.
Open the Timeline. Density is visible at a glance — a heavy Tuesday, a quiet Thursday. Day Pins add context for why a day should stay light before you commit to anything new.
The orphaned task
An orphaned task once had a note link, or should have one, but doesn't. It's either fixable, accidental, or genuinely standalone — handle it quickly, on a regular cadence.
- If you can find the source note, link it retroactively.
- If you can't reconstruct the origin, delete it.
- If it's genuinely standalone, leave it and add the minimal context it needs to stand on its own.
Search for the task's text, then use Link to note to restore the connection — or delete it if it can't be rescued. On the Connection Map, unlinked tasks sit in their own quiet holding area, so they're never invisible.