I cannot do normal notes. I cannot do writing in a notebook. I cannot do managing a file folder in real life. I cannot do managing a binder in real life. I just can’t do it.
I wont have the time in class, I wont have the motivation to, I will hate it the whole time, its just not a worthwhile thing.
online notes have a number of advantages:
- rely on my typing speed ( 180 wpm )
- do not take up space in my bags ( other than the space for a laptop, which I need anyway )
- do not weigh anything more than the laptop itself.
- do not rely on my handwriting ( which is very bad )
- do not require manual organization, as filesystems organize themselves.
- do not require spreading notes across multiple sheets of paper.
- allow for the importing of external graphs and diagrams, without printing out diagrams and gluing them manually.
- allow for the easy sharing of notes to others
- allow for me to get responses from other people on the notes without giving up my copy.
So whatever notes platform I do needs to be online, cause I am not willing to give up any of those advantages.
I have centered my life around avoidance of proprietary software though, and most of the notetaking systems that are mainstream, are closed source, and as proprietary as can be.
Most common notetaking platforms:
- Apple Notes
- Google Keep
- Obsidian
- Evernote
- OneNote
- Notion
None of those work for me. I would love to get rid of them all. They are all proprietary, and they are all closed source, and I dislike them for that reason. You can seem my explanation for why this matters here : Free and Libre Open Source Software and Copyleft
The entire rest of my life I have mostly gotten to this free and libre state, but my note taking I cannot. I explain this here: 2 Alternative Solutions and here: 3 making helix workable