|||

PTPL 061 · How to Leave Evernote and Become a Future-Proof Note Taker (Obsidian Optional)

Plus a short note of appreciation to my dear little paper notebook


Evernote to Markdown

It feels like Evernote has been around forever; it’s where I began my note taking journey, and created my first web clipping graveyard. However, the news of recent staff layoffs that have preceded the company moving its base to Europe, along with skyrocketing subscription prices, have caused many diehard Evernote users to wonder (finally) if their notes are safe.

Friend, there’s no safety in notes that can only be accessed with someone else’s key. Whether or not you stick with Evernote isn’t the issue; the long-term accessibility of your notes in a format and location you control, is.

I recommend exporting your notes from Evernote to Markdown, at the very least as a backup. There are a number of options for this, including —

Dan York, on Markdown files, after walking away from a 15-year relationship with Evernote:

You can edit them with ANY appropriate editor! You don’t need to use the actual Obsidian app. You can open them with other editors. You can move them around and re-organize them simply in Finder on a Mac.

Warner Crocker, a stage director with a cool life motto (“Every day I learn something new is a good day”):

Always remember to never forget that everything changes, dies or fades away. Especially if it holds your data.
— Warner Crocker

Existentially, I don’t hold with that sentiment, but digitally, terrestrially— absolutely.
Ignore it at the peril of your data!

While Obsidian is amazing, the best thing in my opinion is how transportable — and, in many cases, beautifully usable — your Markdown files can be in other apps. With over 1000 plugins there’s a lot of potential bloat in Obsidian, but I LOVE how it’s completely optional!

Vanilla, or rainbow sundae with choccy bits, it’s up to you.

My sweet little paper notebook — a quiet, patient companion

My dear little Paper Saver notebook still goes with me everywhere, even when I don’t use it daily. The other day I grabbed it to quickly jot down a few numbers needed for a meeting, knowing it was the perfect tool for the job.

Photograph of an open notebook viewed with the spine almost at eye level. There’s a Zebra retractable pen in the gutter of the book, lining up with a magnificent gum tree that can be seen in front of the distant hills. Just another glorious winter’s day in Australia!

The monthly calendar pages in the middle of the book continue to guide my sense of what’s on my plate. Now that we’re in July, it’s almost time to print out the first few months of 2024 for forward planning — but there’s no sense of urgency. Come October, I’ll move on this if it doesn’t happen beforehand.

How many tools do you have in your gotta-write-it-fast, fleeting note arsenal? If you’re fully digital or fully analog, how’s that going?

I’ve learned there’s no need for dogmatism. When you’re paying attention to changes in the flow, you might find that using a different tool for a time helps get things moving again.


💬 Comment on Mastodon · or by email


Follow my RSS feed, or sign up to receive posts in your inbox

If the things I post bring you value, please consider contributing to the support jar

Up next PTPL 060 · A New Circular 24-Hour Template Download for Hand Written Plans PTPL 062 · Human Joy is More Important Than Raw Productivity — A Real Life Example
Latest posts PTPL 155 · The Moleskine Cahier Layout That Dethroned the Wonderland222 PTPL 154 · Spaced Repetition in One Plain Text File PTPL 153 · Working With the Garage Door Up Is Great (But You Might Want to Get Dressed First) PTPL 152 · Append, Not Prepend, if You Want to Craft a Dashboard at the Top of Your Daily Notes One Big Text File - the What and the Why Yes, Plain Text Friends, Some Open Formats Are Opener Than Others PTPL 151 · Why the Openest of Open Formats Isn’t the One for Me PTPL 150 · Simplicity Is Great but There’s a Key Lesson in This Genius Complexity PTPL 149 · 3 Tiny PKM-Themed Wisdom Snippets to Beat Digital and Analog Overwhelm PTPL 148 · How to Keep Your Googly Eyes on Your Mouse Pointer (and Off Google) There is Peace in Boundaries PTPL 147 · This Is Why You Might Want to Keep Multiple Daily Notes as Well as an OBTF PTPL 146 · Please Leave Me Alone, I’m Deliberately Distracted Changing From Hledger to Beancount PTPL 145 · Folders or Tags or Index Pages? They’re Tools, Not a Debate PTPL 144 · Browser Switching Time! Bye-Bye Arc, Hello Vivaldi PTPL 143 · You Don’t Need Any of the 6 Drafts App Alternatives I’ve Been Playing With Lately PTPL 142 · Done-for-You Markdown Dates for Organising an OBTF Calendar Headers for 2025 OBTF - Sunday Start Calendar Headers for 2025 OBTF - Monday Start PTPL 141 · Using todo.txt in Obsidian (Or Wherever You Like), Part 2 PTPL 140 · Using todo.txt in Obsidian (Or Wherever You Like), Part 1 PTPL 139 · 2 Proprietary Apps Designed to Set Your Data Free PTPL 138 · Daily Notes Don’t Need to Live in Separate Files PTPL 137 · There’s only One Right Way to Type the Date PTPL 136 · Why Do New Year’s Resolutions? Every Day is Already a Fresh Start PTPL 135 · This is Why To Do Apps Fail and What I’m Using Instead PTPL 134 · Paper, or Paperless? Yes Please Kindness, Hope, and a Christmas Carol from Me to You PTPL 133 · Eventually Consistent: a PKM Allegory on Taking Imperfect Action Now PTPL 132 · Happy To Do Lists · Better Queries in Obsidian · Trip Template · Avoiding App Lock-in
... ... ... ...