To avoid all of this, I simply maintain markdown files. No vendor lock-in, no prices, no new technology to learn. At the end of the day, we're primarily just adding text notes to some structured folders. I use Git for version control and can easily sync across many devices with full offline support.
I switched from Evernote to Apple Notes around 5 years ago. I’ve been tempted with adding highlights automatically, capture tools, etc. But I always go back to why I stick to Notes so much. Simplicity, free of cost.
Very useful. I've changed over 10 times in the last 3-4 years because 1) I didn't have a system and 2) I had FOMO on new trends. Tried them all and only 2 stuck out to me. Apple Notes for it's convenience and portability (phone + computer) and Obsidian. Much much due to your clear explanations of the types of notetakers and your influence! Your interview with Ryder Carroll was also very inspiring for me, as I'm a user of (a variant of) the bullet journal. Thanks, Tiago.
How are you doing without an app? I started to take my notes in Markdown ( .md ) sometimes ago. My priorities were open source file format and no need for a certain app. This enabled me a lot of tasks with my notes afterwards, like export / publishing of a file and changing the look and feel with css in a second. Looking forward to here about your approach.
I've struggled to even get a second brain set up, never mind switching apps 🤣 I love the idea of notion but I don't have enough processing power left in my actual brain to get started with that right now. So I'm opting for google docs as I already know how to use that and it's free, plus I can always update the storage space on my drive when I have the funds and actually need more space. And I'm playing with either miro or milanote as almost a frontend to the google system to satisfy my need for visual stimuli and novelty when time/energy allows. As always thank you for the informative video Tiago 🖤
I almost fell into switching to Bear after i heard some hype about it until i realized that there’s nothing Bear can do (for my daily use) that my apple notes can’t do.
I do agree with this and I started try to stay using one app instead of jumping around which is much better cutting effort and time and learning curve. Also found that old apps are much more stable and sometimes we don’t need more. However sometimes apps has so many limitations and don’t have everything which causes me to look around and other times such as Safari ios 18 I had so many issues I started looking at more stable browsers. Tiago, your book is on discount, any idea till when it’s staying like that? Or getting it into kindle unlimited perhaps?
I agree with the general sentiment, but I have a suggestion. Different projects require different applications. For example: - Notion is better for group projects (participants may even live on different planets). - Obsidian is better for personal projects (as someone from Kyiv whose electricity and internet are periodically cut off due to bombing, I'm used to not storing a lot of things in the cloud).
@@DemchenkoDmytro nothing is wrong with it per se, but knowing Tiago and his work for many years, I just wanted to point out that he mostly talks about personal knowledge management, which is something very different from collaborative group efforts that you mention as an example. When there is a team, every member can have their own PKM but what they need is an additional collaboration tool. That collaboration tool can be Notion as in your example while every individual uses Obsidian for his PKM. However, collaboration is not what Tiago is talking about. He only focuses on the individual part. So his advice does not conflict with "Different projects require different applications" - at least not for the examples you have given.
@@dennisnehrenheim I'm curious if you're all part of a cult. Please don't answer, as I've already formed an opinion and will use it as I see fit. I hope you'll do the same.
Still using Evernote today, but just because Apple Notes is still missing: 1- A web version of the product that behaves like the desktop version (or similar to what Evernote can do vs. its Desktop version). This is extremely important to people like me who have no option at work but to use a Windows PC, but the rest of my ecosystem is in Apple products; AND 2 - a way of clipping and/or sending a note (which will possibly be an email) to Apple Notes using an email address. They do that and I would switch very quickly...
Apologies for double posting, but strongly Disagree, on 5min mark, to change when theres a life change ..... isnt it countering points 3 and 4 ? new app must , at least on my struggles , be as seamless and as efficient to transit. However if theres' major life changes, that will actually be the WORST time to move, and if theres no opportunity, running apps in parallel, which most of us are doing , would be the better one
new apps are fine if they have different use cases. but not if you just replacing the same use case that works fine one the app your on now. like my main app is obdisian and i simply do not change, but im open to changing todo app, calender app, collaboration, docs. like if i have a project i need to collab on, totally open to trying a new app
I use google sheets for my 2nd brain. There is no 'best' way to make a 2nd brain. What works is different for everyone. It's always a skill-diff not a tool-diff.
@@TiagoForte I was a member of the POP Masterclass, and it changed my life! It is more valuable than gold! It is better than HBS and Other Company Productivity and e-mail management courses that I tried during the previous years. POP is Intuitive, Straightforward, and Delivers Massive Results if you take care of it and follow the principles.
@@TiagoForte how would you manage then the tasks and the notes? Into separated apps? I was using todoist description as the note taking part and then using labels to categorize which kind of note it was.
I ended up going back to Todoist just because I love how it flows, but I could recommend TickTick for that type of flow where you would like to have Tasks and Notes in the same place. Is very solid, you might want to research and try it.
My favorite task management app is Things and I've used it for many years. As for the task management process, I explain everything in my Pillars of Productivity course: www.buildingasecondbrain.com/pop
I tried switching to Obsidian from Notion lots of times but I just can't. There's way too much tinkering to make Obsidian work close to Notion. I do like Notion by a lot but it being online only is messed up.
"What I call Shiny New Toy Syndrome" - No need to make your own model for this - there is already the ubiquitous Shiny Object Syndrome - but I guess this way you can rehash something and pretend to be an authority I suppose
I am trying to use the PARA for thr first time. Evernote is great, but i am finding the organization to be unintuitive. Have been using Tick Tick as a task manager and now seeing it captures notes pretty well. Any issues you see combining my task and note apps into one when using PARA?
The fact that you release this video the EXACT day I just downloaded a new app is very powerful for me 😅
I had a feeling you'll need it.
A note app chooses you. it speaks with you and resonates with you. Love this
To avoid all of this, I simply maintain markdown files. No vendor lock-in, no prices, no new technology to learn. At the end of the day, we're primarily just adding text notes to some structured folders. I use Git for version control and can easily sync across many devices with full offline support.
Would really be interested in a workflow video 🤔
@@Reznov0ps143 I think @davidluhr is using Logseq or Obsidian.
I switched from Evernote to Apple Notes around 5 years ago.
I’ve been tempted with adding highlights automatically, capture tools, etc. But I always go back to why I stick to Notes so much. Simplicity, free of cost.
I hear you - sometimes the best solutions are the simplest.
Thank you for raising awareness of this. Social media itself is the main problem.
I deactivated my Twitter two weeks ago and it feels good.
This is a much needed video for a lot of people.
Very useful. I've changed over 10 times in the last 3-4 years because 1) I didn't have a system and 2) I had FOMO on new trends. Tried them all and only 2 stuck out to me. Apple Notes for it's convenience and portability (phone + computer) and Obsidian. Much much due to your clear explanations of the types of notetakers and your influence! Your interview with Ryder Carroll was also very inspiring for me, as I'm a user of (a variant of) the bullet journal. Thanks, Tiago.
Thanks for sharing! And I'm glad my interview with Ryder was helpful.
Excellent video as always Tiago. Keep ‘em coming!!!
Back to Apple Notes after testing a lot of notes apps.
“Well, the toilet in the basement overflowed. I guess I better buy a new house now!”
Mr. Tiago Forte, I dont have a note-taking app but what you said can be applied to any sets of apps!
How are you doing without an app?
I started to take my notes in Markdown ( .md ) sometimes ago. My priorities were open source file format and no need for a certain app. This enabled me a lot of tasks with my notes afterwards, like export / publishing of a file and changing the look and feel with css in a second.
Looking forward to here about your approach.
I've struggled to even get a second brain set up, never mind switching apps 🤣 I love the idea of notion but I don't have enough processing power left in my actual brain to get started with that right now. So I'm opting for google docs as I already know how to use that and it's free, plus I can always update the storage space on my drive when I have the funds and actually need more space. And I'm playing with either miro or milanote as almost a frontend to the google system to satisfy my need for visual stimuli and novelty when time/energy allows.
As always thank you for the informative video Tiago 🖤
Nothing wrong with Google Docs. Has worked for me for a long time.
Cool! Tiago glitched! I wondered where Max Headroom had got to!? (Ha ha) Good points Tiago.
I almost fell into switching to Bear after i heard some hype about it until i realized that there’s nothing Bear can do (for my daily use) that my apple notes can’t do.
Oddly enough… there is more Apple Shortcuts support for Bear than for Apple Notes.
@@jpait I wish i can get into shortcuts. i'm not that hardcore. Good to know though. Thanks!
Mine is Obsidian!
Same here. Obsidian is my life
I do agree with this and I started try to stay using one app instead of jumping around which is much better cutting effort and time and learning curve. Also found that old apps are much more stable and sometimes we don’t need more. However sometimes apps has so many limitations and don’t have everything which causes me to look around and other times such as Safari ios 18 I had so many issues I started looking at more stable browsers.
Tiago, your book is on discount, any idea till when it’s staying like that? Or getting it into kindle unlimited perhaps?
I agree with the general sentiment, but I have a suggestion. Different projects require different applications.
For example:
- Notion is better for group projects (participants may even live on different planets).
- Obsidian is better for personal projects (as someone from Kyiv whose electricity and internet are periodically cut off due to bombing, I'm used to not storing a lot of things in the cloud).
"group projects" aren't PKM and second-brain territory, but granted - that context may not be clear from the video alone
@@dennisnehrenheim your context may not be clear for me, too - what's wrong with my advice?
@@DemchenkoDmytro nothing is wrong with it per se, but knowing Tiago and his work for many years, I just wanted to point out that he mostly talks about personal knowledge management, which is something very different from collaborative group efforts that you mention as an example. When there is a team, every member can have their own PKM but what they need is an additional collaboration tool. That collaboration tool can be Notion as in your example while every individual uses Obsidian for his PKM. However, collaboration is not what Tiago is talking about. He only focuses on the individual part. So his advice does not conflict with "Different projects require different applications" - at least not for the examples you have given.
@@dennisnehrenheim I'm curious if you're all part of a cult. Please don't answer, as I've already formed an opinion and will use it as I see fit. I hope you'll do the same.
No one lives on another planet sir
Much needed vídeo, thanks for sharing
Still using Evernote today, but just because Apple Notes is still missing: 1- A web version of the product that behaves like the desktop version (or similar to what Evernote can do vs. its Desktop version). This is extremely important to people like me who have no option at work but to use a Windows PC, but the rest of my ecosystem is in Apple products; AND 2 - a way of clipping and/or sending a note (which will possibly be an email) to Apple Notes using an email address. They do that and I would switch very quickly...
Apologies for double posting,
but strongly Disagree, on 5min mark, to change when theres a life change ..... isnt it countering points 3 and 4 ?
new app must , at least on my struggles , be as seamless and as efficient to transit.
However if theres' major life changes, that will actually be the WORST time to move, and if theres no opportunity, running apps in parallel, which most of us are doing , would be the better one
Hey Tiago, considering you "recently" concluded your BASB CBC arc and relocated to Mexico, doesn't this warrant a switch for you?
Relocating was more of a project, not a complete life transition. But I'm using a new tool, Obsidian, for my book writing this time.
@@TiagoForte interesting. i remember u said on ur blog u werent a fan. i hope u will say why u tried it again.
You understood many internal sufferers😂... finally time to watch a video😊
Would be a good idea switching from Evernote to Google Keep for people who don't have many stuff to hold, or the later is too simple?
Nothing is too simple if it works for you and your needs.
new apps are fine if they have different use cases. but not if you just replacing the same use case that works fine one the app your on now. like my main app is obdisian and i simply do not change, but im open to changing todo app, calender app, collaboration, docs. like if i have a project i need to collab on, totally open to trying a new app
That's a great way to think about it! Apps like a calendar have much lower switching costs than your notetaking app.
He made this video because he saw me crying about Evernote's price increase on Reddit 🤣
Exactly!
Spot on 😂😂😂😂
I use google sheets for my 2nd brain. There is no 'best' way to make a 2nd brain. What works is different for everyone.
It's always a skill-diff not a tool-diff.
You got it!
Could you show us your things 3 process please? and setup.
I describe my task management process in detail here: www.buildingasecondbrain.com/pop
@@TiagoForte thanks man
@@TiagoForte I was a member of the POP Masterclass, and it changed my life! It is more valuable than gold! It is better than HBS and Other Company Productivity and e-mail management courses that I tried during the previous years. POP is Intuitive, Straightforward, and Delivers Massive Results if you take care of it and follow the principles.
This make think of Adobe vs Affinity (designer here)
Paper&Pen, Obsidian and Google sheet. ❤ It’s been 5 years.
Solid setup!
This video is sponsored by the new shiny app, haha. Jokes aside, the video is great
Thank you!
What do you think about Todoist as a Note taking app?
Todoist is a solid task management app. I haven't seen it used for note-taking though.
@@TiagoForte how would you manage then the tasks and the notes? Into separated apps? I was using todoist description as the note taking part and then using labels to categorize which kind of note it was.
I ended up going back to Todoist just because I love how it flows, but I could recommend TickTick for that type of flow where you would like to have Tasks and Notes in the same place. Is very solid, you might want to research and try it.
Simple notebook and pencil
Of course this gets uploaded as I was just thinking of checking out a new note taking app haha.
Perfect timing!
What is the best task app in your opinion and process?
My favorite task management app is Things and I've used it for many years. As for the task management process, I explain everything in my Pillars of Productivity course: www.buildingasecondbrain.com/pop
Hello Mr Elon Musk twin brother. 🥰 thank you for this video. 😊
You're very welcome!
I tried switching to Obsidian from Notion lots of times but I just can't. There's way too much tinkering to make Obsidian work close to Notion.
I do like Notion by a lot but it being online only is messed up.
I feel attacked. 🙈
Let's use Emacs and Org-mode
Why r u reminding me of Elon Musk? 😂
Evernote is so slow and full of bugs
It's working fine for me. Have you updated it to the latest version recently?
"What I call Shiny New Toy Syndrome" - No need to make your own model for this - there is already the ubiquitous Shiny Object Syndrome - but I guess this way you can rehash something and pretend to be an authority I suppose
The side camera angle is "annoying" at best. You're not doing an interview, it's not appropriate. Don't do it. Please. Don't.
Thanks for your feedback!
Indeed. That was horrible. Zero professionalism. 🤮
Eh, I like it!! It’s different
I am trying to use the PARA for thr first time. Evernote is great, but i am finding the organization to be unintuitive. Have been using Tick Tick as a task manager and now seeing it captures notes pretty well.
Any issues you see combining my task and note apps into one when using PARA?
❌ Evernote
✅ Notebook zohoo