Tag: notes

10+ Reasons Reflect Notes Should Be Your Primary Note-Taking App

Featured app, note-taking

I recently had the pleasure of trying Reflect Notes, and I am impressed. I have previously detailed my love for Obsidian—nothing has changed. However, Reflect is an excellent app, though it gets less attention than it deserves. Hopefully, this post will help change that.

Reflect is a beautiful note-taking app. It fits in with many of the other apps I have posted about before. It recently added an AI assistant, which I am confident users will enjoy. The AI assistant will help avid note-takers enhance their notes.

Image of blog post 10+ Reasons You Should Try Reflect Notes on MyStudentHq.com

Reflect Notes has some important features.

  1. Daily notes. It does an excellent job with this. If you have used similar apps, you are likely already used to this format. However, with Reflect, I especially liked being able to scroll through all my daily notes in one place (i.e., without hacking it with a plugin).
  2. Backlinks. The backlinks feature does not appear to be second thought. It seems to now be an unspoken requirement for note-taking apps. Reflect does a nice job with this.
  3. Tasks. I can’t say much about tasks. As you may know, I use a dedicated task manager and have at times used Sunsama when I am working with teams that use different project management tools. However, if you do like integrating your notes and tasks, you’ll be able to see them together on the daily note associated with the task due date.
  4. Calendar. Reflect integrates to your calendar (i.e., Google or Outlook) and allows users to keep track of events.
  5. Integrations. Users can connect with other applications using Zapier. You can also sync and import highlights with Readwise and Kindle. I highlighted a book with my Kindle and Reflect was able to create a note with the book’s details, highlights, and page number. This is a plus for anyone who actively reads on their Kindle device.
  6. Web clipper. The app includes a web clipper that Chrome or Safari users can use to save clips while browsing. The web clipper was better than I expected because it includes an annotation and auto highlight feature! The import worked well and was generally well organized. I read too often on my mac to dismiss the added import of this! The other thing I noticed was the my highlights appeared to be preserved when I visited the site later! However, users should note that removing a highlight does not automatically remove it from Reflect.

There is so much more the Reflect Notes team can boast about.

  1. Design. Reflect is beautifully designed and simple to navigate, which allows for a distraction free writing experience.
  2. Map. I don’t often use the map—or the graph as it is called in some other apps—but it is available too.
  3. Search. The search function is quite good. Users will be able to search for those notes in a frictionless way.
  4. Secure. The app includes end-to-end encryption—only you can access your notes.
  5. Fast. It is fast.
  6. History. The page history was an added plus, as users will be able to restore their notes to a previous state.
  7. Mobile. It is only available on iOS (at the time of writing)
  8. Pricing. At $10/month (if billed annually)—it seems well priced. Reflect offers a free trial period.

Lingering thoughts

  • ✅ You can import your notes from Evernote
  • ✅ You can export your notes in various formats
  • ✅ There are slash commands
  • ✅ You can create templates and evoke them using the slash commands

Reflect is definitely worth trying. Consider it as your primary note-taking app if you are looking for an app with daily notes and back-linking functionality, and integration with many different apps. If you read a lot on the Kindle and need a place to revisit your highlights, definitely give this it a try. Reflect is well designed and likely to meet the needs of diverse users.

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A Virtual Study Space for Productive Work

Featured app, note-taking, Tips, writing

I was inspired to create a Notion template that mimicked a virtual study space after researching and writing about online study websites and virtual work spaces. I’ve previously written about LifeAt, Bindr, Fiveable, Study Together, and StudyStream. These sites aim to provide aesthetic and functional online work and study spaces and are increasingly popular.

Notion is also gaining traction from diverse audiences, including students, freelancers, and small to large-sized teams. Notion is considered an all-in-one workspace and many people do their work within the app. I’ve written previously about the Notion templates that students may find useful.

The Notion Study Lounge

I worked with Notion template creators at Hypen to develop the Notion Study Lounge, a virtual Notion template for productive work. The template offers many different features and is customizable. The workspace includes:

  • Inspiring daily quotes
  • An editable pomodoro timer
  • 24/7 lofi radio station
  • A task list
  • A reminders section
  • A notebook for quick notes
  • Quick links

When you log in, you will get a greeting with the current date and time. You’ll also be able to add external and internal quick links.

The internal workspace links will allow you to jump from one section of your work space to another.

We included toggles so that your workspace remains uncluttered.

This is great if you are easily distracted. With one click you can hide other areas.

The workspace can also work as a daily productivity dashboard. It includes a table where you can drag and drop your task lists. You’ll then be able to sort, group, search, and track your tasks over time.

This template also includes a customizable timer and a 24/7 Lofi station — we absolutely love these two features!

You will likely need to jot down some quick notes and reminders. We have a section for that too.

We wanted to create something that would also look good in dark mode, with different fonts, and in full width. This template achieves all of that!

Get the template ($10.00 USD) here and reach out if you have questions about the template or ideas about future ones. The template includes our credits section–we give credit to the creators that make the widgets we use possible.

Buy on

Mention mystudenthq when purchasing here to get 10% off.

If you are looking to try Notion, you can use my affiliate link for a Notion Plus account.

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Write collaboratively with Strike

Featured app, note-taking, writing

Today’s featured app is Strike. Strike is a simple application that makes your writing projects more manageable. Users can work alone or invite colleagues to write collaboratively.

The app has Markdown support and many other useful features that I’ll cover in this post.

Writing, editing, and formatting documents

  1. Markdown – Capture your notes and see them automatically. Strike has automatic Markdown preview, so users can see their formatted document as they write. Strike Markdown includes headings, ordered and unordered lists, checklists, links, code blocks, attachments, and other helpful formatting features
  2. Formatting – The formatting features are on the right side so users can easily select text editing tools
  3. Elements – Add MathJax formulas, tables, or a variety of chart types

Navigating documents

  1. Outlines – Generate outlines automatically
  2. Navigation – Use the side panel on the left side of the document to navigate long files easily Users can also identify and select headers or tags on the page from the left panel to navigate directly to that section of the document

Saving and exporting documents

  1. Files – Upload file attachments and export documents as PDFs
  2. Protection – Password protect your Strike documents, lock files, and use version control for file history
  3. Sync – Sync documents with iCloud so that it is available on all your Apple devices

Other useful features

  1. Themes – Select from different themes and colors
  2. Statistics – See document statistics

Write collaboratively

  1. Collaboration – Strike is useful when working with colleagues. Users can invite up to 10 people to collaborate on a document in real-time. The app may also be an alternative to Google Docs if you are looking for a simpler interface.

Strike is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

I tested the app through Setapp, a subscription service for Mac apps. Setapp has been one of my most significant investments to date and almost all of the apps on my computer are available through the app.

Try Setapp, and we will both get a free month.

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15+ questions to consider when choosing the best note-taking app

note-taking

I am increasingly interested and fascinated by the tools, systems, and processes we use to do our work. Choosing the right tools for yourself or a team is not always easy. There are many things to consider, including which app or system you’ll use and how the app or tool will fit into your workflow. This post outlines 15+ questions to consider when choosing a note-taking app.

Pricing and general affinity for the product

  1. Is there a free trial? Always start with a trial of the product.
  2. Can I afford a monthly or yearly subscription? If you decide that you like the app following the free trial, can you afford it?
  3. Do I like this tool? We should enjoy using the tools we rely on to get our work done.
  4. Are my feelings about this tool based on what others think? Or does it meet my needs? Do not bend to fit tools; allow them to fit within and enhance your workflow.

Read more about the questions to consider around pricing and your general affinity for the app when choosing a note-taking app.

Requirements and app features

  1. What requirements do I need? This is an important question to consider.
  2. What features does the note-taking tool provide? Think about what you do when you are writing or creating a document.
  3. Will I still use pen and paper, or am I going paperless? This is a relatively straightforward question to consider.

Read more about the questions to consider around app requirements and features when choosing a note-taking app.

Writing, saving, importing and exporting, integration with other apps, and collaboration.

  1. Am I comfortable writing in the format that it provides? It is essential to consider how you want to take notes and how you want those notes to appear.
  2. Can I export my notes? Can I import my notes? It is also crucial to know if you can import and export notes.
  3. How are my notes saved? It is also important to know where and how your notes are saved.
  4. Does the app integrate with some of the other tools I use? Another consideration is whether the app integrates with some of the other tools you use.
  5. Can I collaborate with others? For some people, this is essential; for others, it is not important.

Read more about the questions to consider around writing, saving, importing and exporting, integration with other apps, and collaboration when choosing a note-taking app.

Community, philosophy, data privacy

  1. How’s the community? You might care how helpful community members are to one another.
  2. What is the company’s philosophy? You may care how company leaders and employees interact with users online.
  3. What is the pace of development? This may or may not be as important to you, but it is an important consideration.
  4. What are my views on data privacy? Data privacy is gaining increased attention. Do you hold strong views in this area? How does that affect which apps you use?

Read more about the questions to consider around community, philosophy, and data privacy when choosing a note-taking app.

These questions should be treated simply as a guide rather than a ranking system. Everyone is different. Some individuals may value privacy over pricing, while others may value aesthetics (the look and feel of the app) over privacy. 

Consider what works for you.

Stay tuned for more posts on note-taking, writing, and general productivity.

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Questions to consider when choosing the best note-taking app: Community, philosophy, data privacy

note-taking

So you want to find the best note-taking app. This post is part of the series on questions to consider when choosing the note-taking app that will work for you or your team.

Today, we focus on the community that uses the app, company philosophy, and data privacy.

How’s the community?

On forums, including Discord, Twitter, Reddit, telegram, and other social corners of the internet, how do users of the app interact with one another? Also, how do they talk about the tools they are not using? Why bash other creators? Use what works for you. You might care how helpful community members are to one another.

What is the company’s philosophy?

Relatedly, how do company leaders and employees interact with users online? Are developers building in public? Is the app open source? Can other users contribute to its development? Are these defining points or criteria for you or things that do not matter?

What is the pace of development?

This one may not seem too important, yet the limited development of Evernote over a long period led to immense frustration from long-term users. Apps like Notion, Nimbus note, and Ample note seem to have picked up when Evernote lagged.

What are my views on data privacy?

Data privacy is gaining increased attention. Do you hold strong views in this area? How does that affect which apps you use? You may also consider the following questions. Does the app allow data encryption? How and where are your credentials stored? Is it safe to store or capture sensitive information?

Stay tuned for more posts on note-taking, writing, and general productivity.

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Questions to consider when choosing the best note-taking app: Writing, saving, importing and exporting, integration with other apps, and collaboration

note-taking, writing

So you want to find the best note-taking app. This post is part of the series on questions to consider when selecting a note-taking app that will work for you or your team.

Today, we focus on writing, saving, importing and exporting, integrating other apps, and collaborating.

Am I comfortable writing in the format that it provides?

It is essential to consider how you want to take notes and how you want those notes to appear. For instance, you may ask yourself: am I proficient in Markdown? Is the tool a WYSIWYG interface?

Can I export my notes? Can I import my notes?

It is also crucial to know if you can import and export notes. Know the formats that would be available to you. Are you content only exporting notes as PDF files? What if you can only import .txt files?

For example, I write in Ulysses and can easily export to Microsoft word when I need to get comments/feedback from collaborators. I may also outline in RoamResearch to organize my thoughts and produce first drafts in Obsidian. I can export these notes as Markdown into a folder accessible by Ulysses on my computer.

How are my notes saved?

It is also important to know where and how your notes are saved. Are your notes stored on your computer? Can you see and manipulate your notes even when you are not using the intended app? Can your notes be backed up to iCloud, Box, GDrive, Dropbox, or other software?

Does the app integrate with some of the other tools I use?

Another consideration is whether the app integrates with some of the other tools you use. If so, yay! If not, are you willing to sacrifice this to use the note-taking app anyway? For example, I used Evernote as a standalone notebook. I did not need it to integrate with other apps that I used. Any integration would have severely cluttered my workflow. If required, could Zapier or some other software help with the intergeneration of your apps?

Can I collaborate with others?

For some people, this is essential; for others, it is not important. If you are a solo user, this may not apply to you. Have you considered how you will approach this should you need to collaborate on a document? I share notes with my family (e.g., itineraries, addresses, general family stuff) with Apple Notes. These are mostly just notes to which we all need access. These notes are easily accessible by invited family members and reduce the back and forth of asking the same questions over and over. With Apple Notes, I don’t have much to explain about the use and function. It is relatively straightforward. When I share Notion spaces with others not already familiar with the app, it takes a bit of onboarding to get everyone up to speed.

Stay tuned for more posts on note-taking, writing, and general productivity.

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Questions to consider when choosing the best note-taking app: Requirements and features

note-taking

So you want to find the best note-taking app. This post is part of the series on questions to consider when identifying the best note-taking app that will work for you or your team.

Today, we focus on app requirements and features.

What requirements do I need?

This is an important question to consider. If I prefer taking notes on outliner apps, like Workflowy or Dynalist, and hold an outliner function as a top requirement, there is no point in trying out an app that does not have this feature available.

Second, do I need mobile access? Does it have a web app? Is it available for IOS, Android, macOS, Windows, iPad? Evernote, for example, is available on all of these platforms.

What features does the note-taking tool provide?

Here, you want to consider many different things. Think about what you do when you are writing or creating a document. You may consider the following questions to help with this:

  • Can I create tables? Can I add images, video, embeds? Can I add LaTex equations and math formulas?
  • Do I need a tool with a web clipper?
  • Do I need a tool that provides [[backlinks]], or will a simple link to a note suffice?
  • Are keyboard shortcuts available, or can they be programmed?

You may or may not need a tool where one or more of these things are possible, but it is best to know what you are willing to compromise. If you are looking for a quick way to compare features, I’ve found noteapps.info very helpful.

Will I still use pen and paper, or am I going paperless?

Taking notes with a pen, using post-it notes, an iPad Mini and apple pencil are things I still do throughout the day. Depending on the note, these are sometimes later scanned and archived in Evernote or expanded in Obsidian. Evernote has easy search with OCR (Optical character recognition or reader), making many of my handwritten notes retrievable.

Stay tuned for more posts on note-taking, writing, and general productivity.

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Questions to consider when choosing the best note-taking app: Pricing and general affinity for the product

note-taking

So you want to find the best note-taking app. This post is part of the series on questions to consider when choosing the best note-taking app that will work for you or your team.

Today, we focus on pricing and general affinity for the product.

Is there a free trial?

Always start with a trial of the product. Some developers offer anywhere from three to thirty days to try their product. If a trial is not available, are you willing to subscribe to test the product for a month or more? I generally recommend, and in my experience, trying out an app–using it as it was intended–for some time to test and see if it’s something you like and are willing to purchase.

If you work as part of a team, team members should also test out functionality and speak to the benefit of the app for their work.

Can I afford a monthly or yearly subscription?

If, after the free trial, you decide that you like the app, can you afford it? Have you, unfortunately, fallen in love with a note-taking app that you can not afford? Can you afford to add team members, if necessary? Moreover, how much are you willing to pay? On February 10, 2021, I became an Obsidian Insider because it met my needs even at that point in its development. I know today that I can not afford the cost of RoamResearch long-term, no matter how great the app is. I was an early adopter and thankfully have been locked into a free graph (for now). Should things change, similar apps are emerging that offer similar functions. Though, in my view, Roam still excels above the others.

Do I like this tool?

At a basic level, we should enjoy using the tools we rely on to get our work done. I am drawn to apps that are aesthetically pleasing and well-designed. That is, on the surface, the app looks good. Here, I may also ask myself whether I would enjoy using this app every day. If the answer is no, then, unfortunately, the app would not work for me, and I would need to seek out another option. I would most likely learn whether I would enjoy using the app every day during a 30 day trial of the product.

Are my feelings about this tool based on what others think? Or does it meet my needs?

At separate times, I tried to use Notion, RoamResearch, and Obsidian for everything, notes, tasks, quick captures, and project planning. But they did not work for me as an everything notebook, and I did not understand why. There was so much hype about each of these apps, so I was surprised that I could not get any of them to work for me. In the end, I was trying to bend myself to fit within these tools, which created unnecessary friction. I lost time trying to configure these apps when I could have been better spent simply using them as they were intended.

Stay tuned for more posts on note-taking, writing, and general productivity.

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Moving from a first draft to a publishable document

note-taking, writing

Following my post on finding a note-taking app that works for you, I received questions about how I move from my first draft to a publishable version.

In my experience, RoamResearch is excellent for generating quick first drafts. When I feel stuck and need to generate content to see where ideas fit, I turn to Roam. In general, I don’t like having my writing across many different places. This is particularly important when sending versions to co-authors for comments and needing to keep track of these changes. Overall, I find that Microsoft word is still my go to tool for refining documents.

Most of my academic writing has often taken place in Ulysses. I like Ulysses because of its simplicity, Markdown, and text editing tools. However, I am currently using Obsidian for the same purpose and appreciate the extendability of the app with plugins.

In general, I often capture thoughts for a paper in my quick capture tool. I’ve written about how important quick capture is in my writing process. Next, I create a first draft in Ulysses, export it as a word document and send out the word version as a first draft to co-authors. I find that its hard to go back to Ulysses after this step, so I continue writing and editing in Microsoft word from this point on. I haven’t found a better process for handling comments once they come back. So all refinements happen in Microsoft word.

Over many years, Microsoft word has remained stable and offers enough features for wrangling documents and working with comments. Although it is not as shiny as recent apps, it works as intended!

Stay tuned for more posts on note-taking, writing, and general productivity.

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Note-taking apps: find one that works for you

note-taking

I often find that I need a trusted place to store my notes. I am guessing you do too. Here, I don’t necessarily mean privacy. I mean a place that always works as expected. In this post, I’ve outlined several different options so readers can find note-taking apps that work for them.

Note-taking apps

New note-taking apps are emerging and releasing updates relatively quickly. I’ve tried several of these tools, including Notion, Roam Research, and Obsidian. For me, none of these apps work as a reliable notebook. However, I tend to evaluate apps based on my use case and incorporate them in my workflow if the fit between need and function is clear.

Evernote

I moved away from Evernote because of its fleeting development and stability. It became frustrating to use, even as Evernote made updates. I generally still use Evernote as a folder because I can easily search for documents. However, I do not use Evernote for note-taking or writing, as I can not elevate it to a daily app.

Roam Research

In my view, Roam Research is about collating research, writing and resurfacing notes, and connecting ideas. Obsidian is similar, but not really. There are plug-ins and ways to adapt the app to function similarly to Roam Research.

Although I can use both apps for different things, I don’t believe in bending apps to fit my needs. I become frustrated, making me less likely to use the app altogether. When I need a task manager, I use a task manager. When I need a place to store digital notes, I use an app for that purpose. Yes, I know, moving across too many applications can be cumbersome, but I reach optimum productivity and creativity when I use tools to achieve their intended purpose.

Obsidian

Currently, I use Obsidian to expand my quick capture notes and generate first drafts of written products. It is a great way to see linkages across many different files. I enjoy using the graphs and seeing where different tags across several weeks or months aggregate. The graph view allows me to visualize how my work and ideas are connected. I use several plugins across different vaults to create an ideal workspace. Obsidian dissolves my need to use a new note-taking app because I can easily change the look and feel of the app with themes and CSS. The available plugins fuel my need to try new apps without moving away from my current structure and setup.

Logseq

I am currently testing Logseq as a daily journal. It is a fantastic app for keeping track of my daily activities. I also know that it works well with Obsidian, but I have not yet tested this.

Notion

In my view, Notion is in a class of its own, but I use it to maintain a high-level view of my projects. I open Notion once every few weeks to update my progress on different projects. The adaptable views are a big part of why I use Notion for project management. Notion is an exciting application to watch, and I look forward to seeing their progress. Notion released its API, which allows integration with other apps. I’m looking forward to checking this out.

Final tips for choosing note-taking apps

There is a growing interest in the security and longevity of notes.

It is good to know how companies store and protect your information. It is also important to consider whether you can access those notes should the company go out of business or cease to exist.

You can access Markdown and simple text files from several different applications. However, proprietary note types with unfamiliar extensions may create more trouble down the line.

In addition, other note-taking apps are quickly emerging. Hypernotes, Nota, Mem are among a few in this space. It is crucial that your foundation for note-taking, processing, and writing, be strong to withstand new shiny apps.1

Stay tuned for more posts on note-taking, writing, and general productivity.

1Shiny object syndrome (SOS) is an attraction to new and shiny things, especially trendy ones. SOS may also show up as an attraction to new projects, leading to procrastination–which distracts from current goals.

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