I've been using org mode since 2015 and for a majority of that time I didn't really customize anything besides some more TODO labels. I've changed my layout sev

I've been using org mode since 2015 and for a majority of that time I didn't really customize anything besides some more TODO labels. I've changed my layout several times too as I've changed projects or roles. Since it's just text I'd just start with using headings+folding and todos. Even just that is better than a text file. You can pick up more things as you find some friction in your organization process and wonder if there's a different way to do something. I eventually found that tags didn't work much for me but properties were very useful along with a handful of capture templates.