I make notes in text files which are set as Scrivener Scratchpad files synchronised via Dropbox. It means I can have an idea, note down it's outline using my phone at any time, then when I open up Scrivener (Substack posts are all developed there, as well as novels, them the text is immediately available to me). Google Drive is then used to store research files and images some of which can be dragged into a Scrivener project. Finally, Google Keep is used for Web and other bookmarks. I've used this system for over 5 years.
I use notion as a planner and obsidian as an only writing space to take notes, I haven't migrated notes on there yet since I've made a pact that I'd only transfer things if I saw a need to for the relevant topics (makes it more natural and less pressuring). That way I'm not procrastinating, and can focus on migration and reviewing at the same time when I need to refer back to things. Great post, and I liked looking at how you set up your notes!!
Notion is so good for scheduling and planning. I've been using it for all of my social media content planning lately. And since writing this article I've toned down my Obsidian obsession, but I still pay for it and use it daily for writing, but mostly for my fictional worldbuilding. I almost want to just create a new vault and have it be used solely for my fiction at this point. Anyway, thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts!
Just to clarify a small point... I used the same drive letter (G:) in my example to make the process easier to describe, but it doesn't need to be that letter nor does it need to be the same one on your different devices. When you click on "open as vault," just point to the correct path on that specific device, no matter what letter you used.
Oh my! This seems really interesting and I'm glad its working for you! Me, I'm probably too low tech to pick up on something with this many facets (I'm barely using a computer when I write ;-) but it's cool to know there are so many options for so many different working styles.
Thanks, Jacquie! It’s working so far. We’ll see if it stays that way haha. It has a bit of a learning curve but it’s free if you do want to poke around and try it.
I switched from Notion to Obsidian a couple years ago and haven’t looked back. I see the self hosting as a feature not a bug. I’ve never been able to trust what companies are doing with my data, particularly in the age of AI where data becomes valuable fuel for the models.
I make notes in text files which are set as Scrivener Scratchpad files synchronised via Dropbox. It means I can have an idea, note down it's outline using my phone at any time, then when I open up Scrivener (Substack posts are all developed there, as well as novels, them the text is immediately available to me). Google Drive is then used to store research files and images some of which can be dragged into a Scrivener project. Finally, Google Keep is used for Web and other bookmarks. I've used this system for over 5 years.
I use notion as a planner and obsidian as an only writing space to take notes, I haven't migrated notes on there yet since I've made a pact that I'd only transfer things if I saw a need to for the relevant topics (makes it more natural and less pressuring). That way I'm not procrastinating, and can focus on migration and reviewing at the same time when I need to refer back to things. Great post, and I liked looking at how you set up your notes!!
Notion is so good for scheduling and planning. I've been using it for all of my social media content planning lately. And since writing this article I've toned down my Obsidian obsession, but I still pay for it and use it daily for writing, but mostly for my fictional worldbuilding. I almost want to just create a new vault and have it be used solely for my fiction at this point. Anyway, thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts!
Thanks for this. I tried Obsidian a while ago but didn't stick with it. Perhaps I should try again.
(It's much simpler, but have you ever tried Dynalist?)
Hey, Norman. I haven't tried Dynalist. I'll look into it. Do you use it? What are your impressions of it? Thanks for commenting!
I do. It's essentially an outliner, but I use for cataloguing, note-taking and planning. It works well on mobile too.
Just to clarify a small point... I used the same drive letter (G:) in my example to make the process easier to describe, but it doesn't need to be that letter nor does it need to be the same one on your different devices. When you click on "open as vault," just point to the correct path on that specific device, no matter what letter you used.
Oh my! This seems really interesting and I'm glad its working for you! Me, I'm probably too low tech to pick up on something with this many facets (I'm barely using a computer when I write ;-) but it's cool to know there are so many options for so many different working styles.
Thanks, Jacquie! It’s working so far. We’ll see if it stays that way haha. It has a bit of a learning curve but it’s free if you do want to poke around and try it.
I switched from Notion to Obsidian a couple years ago and haven’t looked back. I see the self hosting as a feature not a bug. I’ve never been able to trust what companies are doing with my data, particularly in the age of AI where data becomes valuable fuel for the models.