Roam Essentials

A tiny course for beginners and false beginners

You’ve heard about Roam, the note-taking tool for networked thought. Maybe you’ve even given it a try. But somehow, it never clicked.

Roam Essentials is a short course so you can finally make the most of Roam, without spending hours scratching your head or watching complex tutorials.

Through a series of short videos combining mental models and practical examples, Roam Essentials will take you from “what’s the fuss all about” to “I finally get it!”

Contrary to many courses that assume you already have a Roam database full of content, Roam Essentials starts from scratch with a blank slate, so you can follow along even if you’re a complete beginner.

If you want access to the quickest way of going from Roam confusion to Roam revelation, this course is made for you.

No fluff, just the essentials

Many courses are too long or overly complex. This course’s goal is to help you quickly and efficiently get started with Roam. Here are the promises of the Roam Essentials course:

Lessons are based on the Pareto principle. You only need to learn 20% of the features to get 80% of the benefits. We will teach you the 20% and how to teach yourself the remaining 80% on a need-to-learn basis.
Lessons are opinionated. We explain simple but strong mental models that will make things click.
Lessons are short. Your time is precious. You don’t need to spend ten hours watching tutorials to start getting amazing value out of Roam. The course offers 20 short and practical videos covering everything you need to get started with Roam.

There is no video longer than 5 minutes so you can explore the course in your spare time. While we advise you take the time to digest each lesson before moving onto the next one, you could technically complete the course in a bit more than an hour.

What’s included?

Roam Essentials outlines a simple system to make the most of Roam in a minimum of time. The course includes:

20 short videos with full transcripts*
5-day starter plan to go from zero to hero
9 Roam templates for planning, journaling, reviewing, note-taking, and more
20 creative prompts to practice using Roam
Access to the Roam Research discussion group in the Ness Labs community

* Please note: there are currently 11 published videos, but new videos are being published every week.

Who’s the course for?

The course is for beginners and false beginners. If you have been curious about Roam but are not sure where to start, you will get tons of value from Roam Essentials. And if you have dabbled with Roam in the past, but couldn’t make it “click”, this course will combine practical examples and helpful mental models so you can finally say “I get it!”

What’s the curriculum?

MODULE 0: INTRODUCTION
Learn how to make the most of the course

Welcome to the course!
Let’s take a quick tour
The power of quick commands

MODULE 1: COGNITION
Explore 5 mental models to make the most of Roam

Set your intentions
All roads start from your Daily Notes
Forget about folders
Embrace bi-directional linking
The key is your keyboard

MODULE 2: COLLECTION
Take and make notes in Roam

Create hubs for quick access
Watch a live note-taking and note-making demo
Save time with templates

MODULE 3: CONNECTION
Interlink your notes in Roam

Practice networked thinking with references
Use the search function to link your notes
Manage orphan notes with the graph

MODULE 4: CREATION
Create content from your notes in Roam

Identify an idea to work on
Work on your draft
Publish your content

BONUS: EXPLORATION
Try advanced hacks to go further with Roam

Use extensions to supercharge Roam
Pimp up Roam with custom styling
Unlock advanced use cases with JavaScript

EXTRA MATERIAL
Downloadable resources to speed up your learning experience

5-day starter plan to go from zero to hero
Roam templates for planning, journaling, reviewing, note-taking, and more
Creative prompts to practice using Roam
Roam cheat sheet

How do I join?

The course is included in the yearly Ness Labs membership, which is just US$49 per year. Once you have joined the community, go to this link and click on “Roam Essentials” to get instant access to the course.

ACCESS THE COURSE

The membership is non-refundable. You can cancel at any time. See you in the community!