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You may not need to transition away from tool X, but you should know and structure your processes so that leaving it wouldn’t be a catastrophe or even a major disruption. Quiz time! When it comes to processes and tools, what kind of digital or analog note-keeper are you?
You may have noticed “How to leave Evernote” articles leaking out of the online woodwork lately, sparked by that company’s recent price increase and crippling of their free plan. I generally ignore this kind of post, but the title of one of them caught my eye as it seemed to tie in well with the theme of simplifying and fortifying one’s processes.
“How to Transition from Evernote to …Nothing”, is wonderfully intriguing, don’t you think? And the subhead, “You don’t have to replace a thing with another thing”, clinched the deal: here was an article this non-Evernote user had to read.
Spoiler: the author, Darryl Brooks, is still an Evernote user. An informed, intentional Evernote user. And I love that!
Darryl took a deep look at his processes; what he was saving and where those things existed elsewhere, and embraced a mindset of using Evernote as a tool on top of files he controlled outside of that app.
I like to call my backup plan, my forward up plan. Instead of putting everything into Evernote and then trying to figure out how to back it up. I put most things in a place where they will be backed up and then put them into Evernote.
— Darryl Brooks
He and I use different tools, and do different things with them, but our underlying philosophy is the same: control your notes, and have an exit plan.
So, if you are searching for an [insert name of your tool] replacement and haven’t found anything you like, sit down and take a look at how you use the system. Create a flowchart if necessary. With some thought and planning, you could devise a system that gets the job done without moving to another software system.
— Ibid, comment in brackets added by me
Medium members can read the full article here.
How to Stop Obsessing Over Apps and Embrace the Right Kind of Productivity
_You need to know why you want what you want_medium.com
And now, a bit of fun, with a serious side. What would you do if —
DIGITAL TOOLS:
If [app X] suddenly disappeared, could you still access your notes?
If all your devices were lost, stolen, or damaged beyond repair, could you still access your notes?
ANALOG TOOLS:
If your favourite notebook / pen brand was no longer available, what would you do?
If your paper notebooks and files were lost, stolen, or damaged so as to be unreadable, could you still access your notes?
Whether you love Evernote, Obsidian, Leuchtturm1917, Capacities, Lamy, Scrintal, Rhodia, Twos, Moleskine, Notenik, Waterman, Joplin, Hobonichi, Napkin, Craft, Filofax, Logseq, Bic, Emacs, Midori, etcetera, I hope you were happy with your answers. If not, what’s one thing you could do this week to assuage potential future anxiety?
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