A common sticking point is naming the thing before you have done the work. You might wonder whether a research-report concept should be an Idea type, a Report type, or a page tagged #report-idea.

Ask what the note is right now, not what it might become later. Early on it is usually an idea (a possibility). When you commit to doing the work, you can change the note type to a project. The finished report, published article, or shipped feature often lives outside Capacities; your space holds the thinking and coordination.

What is an object type for?

An object type answers: what kind of thing is this? Meetings, people, and projects are different kinds of notes with different structure. Use a type when you want a recurring shape (shared properties, its own place in the sidebar, filters that only apply to that kind of note).

A tag answers a different question: what theme does this touch? Tags work across types. They are a good fit when you want to mark “email idea” or “campaign” without inventing a new type for every medium.

For a fuller decision guide, see When to create a new object type and Organizational structures.

Capture the idea

While something is still a possibility, keep it light:

• A dedicated Idea object type if you collect many ideas and want properties such as Status, Area, or Priority
• Or a Page (or another general type you already use) tagged #idea

Write rough notes, sketches, and links in the body. Optional properties help you review later; they are not required on day one.

You do not need a Report type for a report that does not exist yet. The type would describe the artifact. At this stage you are describing a possibility.

Promote to a project when you commit

When you decide to execute, you can convert the idea to a project. All the notes will be transferred into the project and it will gain the properties your project type has, so you can track progress.

Use the project as the hub for tasks, related resources, meeting notes, and next actions, based on the work you did in the ideation phase.

That is the same “projects as hubs” pattern described in PARA in Capacities and in Getting Things Done in Capacities.

If the work is a single next action rather than multiple steps, a task may be enough. See Tasks and projects.

Where to go next

• Organizational structures: objects, types, tags, collections, and queries
• PARA in Capacities: projects as hubs for related work
• Tasks and projects: outcomes vs next actions
• When to create a new object type: type vs tag vs query
• How do I structure information instead of using folders?: “what is this?” and “where should it resurface?”