Maybe you’re a knowledge worker too, spending your days in front of a computer trying to figure out important things. Anyone can search. You type something into a search engine and chew through the results. But how and where do you store the information — and what do you actually do with it?
Imagine you get an unexpected phone call. During the conversation, important details come up that you absolutely need to capture. Do you grab a pen and scribble on the nearest receipt, or do you open an app on your phone? And if so, which app?
Editing notes on Mac, PC and Linux — at the same time
Ideally, you’ve got a system that everything flows into and that you can access from every device in your digital ecosystem. For me, that was Devonthink for a long time. In a pure Mac world, it worked a treat, but these days I’m working across multiple systems: Windows 10, Raspberry Pi OS and iOS. That rules out Apple Notes as well.
A few weeks ago, I set up a Nextcloud instance on my server. It has a notes app too, but it only works when I log in through a browser. Not exactly ideal for that urgent phone call. For the moment, I’ve switched to OneNote for those situations (years ago I was an Evernote fan), and even though the software feels a bit sluggish, it seems to get the job done.
OneNote — a container for everything?
I dictate audio notes in transcribed form on my iPhone using ADA Dictation. Important thoughts that might turn into something later get transferred to OneNote.
But I’m not trying to talk you into using OneNote. I’d rather encourage you to find a system that works for you — one you’ll stick with for a VERY LONG TIME. It’s easy to jump to a new, possibly more intuitive piece of software. But what happens to your data? Can you migrate it across?
As I’m writing this, I’m thinking about NVAlt and SimpleNote. Those were just Markdown text files. The folder with my notes is still sitting in Dropbox. I used NVAlt from roughly 2012 to 2015, and the notes are still instantly readable. Maybe I should go back to that simple system to keep my data future-proof? Right, I’m doing a complete backflip here, but these are exactly the questions you should be asking yourself:
- Does the system work everywhere, all the time — even when you’re under pressure?
- Can you still access your data and notes down the track? Can you search them, export them, and open them easily?
I’ll leave you with those thoughts. I’ll report back on whether I gave SimpleNote another go…
This post first appeared in German on reinergaertner.de, where I’ve been writing since 1997 — back when the internet still had that new-car smell. An AI assistant helped with the translation under my supervision. If something reads a bit odd, blame the Denglish in my head.