Your first 30 minutes
Build your Data Base from two schema packs, connect an AI, and ask your first question that only your own data can answer.
By the end of this guide you'll have one organised place for your goals, projects, tasks and know-how, an AI connected to it, and a first answer that came from your records rather than a guess.
What you need
- A Data Base account (hosted or self-hosted).
- One AI app that can connect to it: Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex or Cursor. See Connect your AI.
- Optional: the three things you keep forgetting or redoing, from week 0 of the migration.
1. Build your base from schema packs (5 min)
A schema pack is a ready-made set of linked tables. You choose the areas of life and work you want to organise, and the Data Base builds the tables, links and formulas for you.
- A new account opens on a short setup: choose Get started. Otherwise, create a base in your space and choose Start from schema packs.
- Pick Progress (goals, projects and tasks) and Knowledge (notes and how-tos). With both, notes link to the goals, projects and tasks they support.
- Personalise: a base name, your timezone, and leave Starter rows on so it doesn't feel empty.
- Under Extra tables, add the Project frameworks library (OKR, PDCA and meeting playbooks). The weekly review guide uses it.
- Review what will be built, then build it.
2. Connect an AI (10 min)
- Create a personal access token for the Data Base: Create access tokens.
- Add the server to your AI app: Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex or Cursor.
3. Put your first things in (10 min)
Don't type them into tables. Tell the AI, in one message each:
Add a goal: get fit for the summer hiking trip. It matters because I want to do the full trail, not half of it. Create a project under it with three tasks for this month.
Save a how-to: to reset the router, hold the back button for ten seconds, wait for the light to go orange, then log in at 192.168.1.1 and re-enter the Wi-Fi name and password.
I keep having to look up which tax deductions I can claim. Save that as a note, create a task "Sort out tax return", and link the note to the task.
(These are made-up examples. Use your own three things.)
Open the base afterwards. Each one should sit in the right table and be linked where you asked.
4. Ask your first real question (5 min)
What are my active goals, and what's planned under each one?
How do I reset the router?
Check it worked
The answers should name your actual goals, projects and notes. Ask "which records did you use for that?" A connected AI can point to them. If it can't, it's guessing: see Troubleshooting.
Next
Make capturing a habit with one sentence: Capture anything.