Why I left Notion for Obsidian

For the longest time, I was obsessed with Notion, until I realized that it wasn't the best app for me. In this video, I talk about why I left Notion and why Obsidian was a better option.

✨ Timeline ✨
0:00 Intro
0:51 Why I needed a note-taking app
1:37 Why Notion
2:32 Why NOT Notion
3:33 Rethinking why I needed a note-taking app
4:12 Why Obsidian

[Greatscott]

I thought I wanted a "second brain" with Notion. It turns out that my first brain never used the second brain. When the tool is more complex than the problem, there's a problem. I may check out Obsidian. Thanks for the quality information.

[Hamyhamster]

i do agree. Notion is so complicated that i spend more time trying to figure out than actually taking notes and keeping track of my work. my work is complicated enough...i dont have time to figure out a note app.

[anniesmith]

For me the customization is super important because it makes me more motivated seeing the aesthetics, helps me romanticize my work, like extra dopamine

[purplish_akari]

Yess ! I'm actually using both at the moment and I like it ! Notion for everything that needs to be tracked/managed, basically a productivity management system, and then you have obsidian where I put all my note-taking and extensive writing, so it would be my knowledge management system. Both are amazing to the point where you can probably do everything in them but still, it does feel more natural to "write & link" in obsidian and to "organize & manage" in notion so I'm keeping it this way for now.
P.S : When it comes to stuff that is really important for example your own written stuff, I think it's much better to do it in an offline, private, secure and "backupable" tool.

[wydx]

The feature that broke Notion for me is how they treat tables. They assume every table has a leading row or column, which is usually true, but not always. I just wanted a simple grid of cells where I can input text, and organize it however I want, but Notion tables always broke spectacularly on me. Which is ironic taking into account how flexible it aims to be with everything else.

[davidmcmillen]

Notion is certainly feature-rich. It is easy to go down the rabbit hole and try everything. I did that for a while. Ultimately rejecting an app for the reason it is so customisable is like rejecting MS Word because it can do too much. I tried Obsidian but it was not long before I headed back to Notion because I missed the flexibility of all the features I complained of.

[evangarrett]

For the last few years I've been in love with Notion (to the point of being annoyingly evangelistic about it to everybody) and somehow simultaneously surprised at how uninterested I've become in using it despite my plans to use it for everything. There's something about a plain paper notepad that is excellent for allowing the unfolding of human agency, ownership, and imagination, but it can be limited. There's something about Notion that enables powerful organization and connection, but somehow evokes the feeling of working with an over-engineered super computer when all you wanted was a quick piece of paper and pen. Maybe Obsidian hits a sweet spot between the two.

[nicolevdh]

You're just getting better and better! This video echoed so many of my own thoughts. I can really relate! Keep it up!

[susanpearson-creativefibro]

I love the time bar, please keep using them on suitable videos. I am in software overload at the moment. I have Obsidian as a fledgling second brain, ClickUp as a task and project manager and Notion for random jobs like tracking TV series I’d like to see. After creating a whole life operating system following August Bradley’s then not getting on with it. Shiny object syndrome.

[morganeua]

Yes, amazing! I tried Notion for a very brief time before learning about Obsidian. Now I'm obsessed and it really can be whatever YOU need it to be! These little tips about folding and stuff are really useful, too, I'll check out your other Obsidian content!

[KawoskiKoh]

Super insightful. I was looking for a note taking app and knowing that Notion you'll spend way more time making it look all nice vs taking actual notes is what made me choose Obsidian

[mstislavmaslennikov]

Thank you so much for your effort of sharing your experience in this video! It is so nice that you packed your experience through years into polished thoughts and video demonstration to help people make their choice, thank you for your caring

[rene.rodriguez]

Nice video. You have a great personality and presentation. My only advice is to turn the music down to around -30db in your editor. It felt like it was competing with your voice at times. Keep up the great work.

[Bakayaroz]

The layout of the video is so informative! Like the chapters + the time elapsed of that chapter :O

[OliverJanShD]

I completely vibe with this, especially with how distracting Notion is. Notion is a bit too flexible and chaotic for my workflow; I had way too many unlinked databases that were all over the place.

[yuanchiu]

The time line at the top left is such a genius idea!! Great job

[vic_and_hugh]

Really good video thank you. 🤝 I was considering switching from obsidian to Notion and this came up on my feed today!

[Bio.Hacked]

Great video and I absolutely love your timer in the upper left hand corner!

[annikafox]

I loved the video. I have been looking at other note taking apps and got suggested this video. The little graphics and the loading bar for each topic was soo cute and unique. My only critique about the video is that the music was too distracting and it was louder than your voice most of the time to really absorb everything that you were saying.

[kinesis]

Great review of the features provided by the two apps and your workflow. Very helpful!