Tools man, where are your tools
I'm addicted to tools
Specifically, I'm addicted to tools that I believe will make me better at my work - better at learning, better at organizing information, better at focusing, better at solving problems, better at communicating. So I'm addicted to note taking, project management, idea generating tools.
I'm not the only one. Maybe this is
Baader–Meinhof, but it seems like the tech world is in a years-long note taking bonanza. See: Roam, Obsidian, Notion, RemNote, LogSeq, Simplenote, Standard Notes, and dozens more new programs that have popped up over the past few years. Not to mention renewed interest in older standbys like Emacs org-mode, TiddlyWiki, Bear, OneNote, Evernote, myriad pen-and-paper systems, etc...
Why am I addicted to tools?
This addiction has been going for a while. I’ve always been a poor painter blaming my tools (and trying to build or buy better). Covid kicked it into high gear. I found, and continue to find, working from home extremely difficult. I’m always trying to find some silver bullet to make it easier.
All the tools I’ve tried
I want to write down all the tools I’ve tried here. Maybe this will help me get out of my head - help me stop imagining that my problems stem from poor tools. I'm sure this list is not comprehensive, but it's pretty thorough.
The tools
- Vimwiki
- Tiddlywiki
- Notion
- Org mode
- A single text file
- Ample note
- Simple note
- Standard notes
- Obsidian
- RemNote
- Anki
- LogSeq
- OneNote
- Evernote
- GoodNotes
- Miro
- Trello
- Bullet journal
- Index cards
- One page todo lists
- Traveler’s Notebook
- Hobonichi Techo
- Three-ring binders
- That sms based app?
- Google sheets / docs
- Google keep
- Email
- Mochi
- Rocketbook
- reMarkable 2
- Various email-based systems
- Various calendar based systems
- Todoist
- TickTick
- Apple Notes