Pick a Notes App: Your Notetaking Style (Part 1)

There's a perfect notes app out there for you. BUT if you don't enjoy using your notetaking app, it will become a digital graveyard. In this video, I'll teach you the 4 notetaking styles (and the best app to accompany each style).

WATCH THE FULL SERIES

CHAPTERS
00:00 How to Pick a Notes App That Will Increase Productivity?
00:18 The 3 Steps to Picking the Right Notes App
00:46 What is a Second Brain?
01:49 The 3 Notetaking Archetypes
01:53 The Architect Archetype
02:23 The Gardener Archetype
03:27 The Librarian Archetype
05:28 The 4 Most Recognized Notetaking Apps
06:08 The Student Archetype
07:16 What Notetaking Archetype Are You?

🪴 GARDENERS
🏙 ARCHITECTS
📕 NOTES APPS FOR LIBRARIANS
✏️ NOTES APPS FOR STUDENTS

SOURCES (in order of appearance):
• Linking Your Thinking (Nick Milo, Obsidian Expert): @linkingyourthinking
• Notion (Official App Channel): @Notion
• Anne-Laure (Ness Labs): @neuranne
• Thomas Frank Explains (Thomas Frank, Notion Expert): @ThomasFrankExplains
• Logseq Channel (Ramses Oudt): @Logseq
• Bryan Jenks (Tech + Obsidian Expert): @BryanJenks
• Matthew Gilbertson (OneNote Expert - Oztabletpc Channel): @oztabletpc
• Marc Koenig (Roam Research): @MarcKoenig
• Sara Dietschy (Apple Notes + Tech): @saradietschy
• Ali Abdaal (Notability + Tech): @aliabdaal

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[athelija]

Those feel like phases of note taking rather than archetypes for me. Librarian is stage 1 (collecting info), Architect is stage 2 (organizing info), Gardener is stage 3 (digesting info and making connections). I think each is lost without the other 2.

[almeidapipe]

Am I the only one who thinks this man looks like Elon musk?

[timothydaniels]

As a retired, but busy, person, understanding the potential of all this technology is a challenge. I’ve had several of the mentioned notetaking apps on my iPad but have never made good use of them. This tutorial is outstanding…realizing that I’m a librarian is a first step. Thank you for your kind help.

[SirenaFinesse]

I actually grinned when you started explaining the Librarian. There's something just so comforting about this archetype for me. I'm obsessed with just researching things and collecting things and "knowing" things and sharing things. That's a lot of things! Lovely video! I'll be returning for more of your content. Thank you!

[DataRich]

I'm definitely a librarian in terms of how I do notetaking. For me it's about categorizing notes and articles for fast retrieval later. Also a huge Evernote fan and have really come to love the Web Clipper. It works fantastically!

[Hybridsoulman]

I see myself identifying with all three, I think that makes me a student archetype however, I think that's because I'm at a HUGE crossroad in my life where I feel compelled to learn so much in a short time. But I must say my heart fluttered when I heard the of the Gardener archetype. I believe in the next 2 years that will be my primary archetype. This is a great discovery!

[ineiii]

I identified myself as an architect and a student and I was actually surprised you mentioned the apps I have leaned towards when I finally decided to narrow down: notion and Google keep. I used Evernote for many years but was instantly intrigued by notion and made the transition slowly over the last few months. I found evernote didn’t really give me the visual and the structure I craved for organising my longer term goals and lists. Google keep is as you said a daily app so I use it to store daily bits of info.

Great video

[diamonddrop]

I saw the earlier video on these archetypes. It helped me decide to transition from OneNote to Roam Research. The biggest benefit so far is rethinking the concept of "pages". In OneNote I hated to make a page with just a few words or mix multiple issues on one page. In Roam, "pages" are made almost without trying and are out of sight until you need them. I can put anything anywhere in there and trust it will show up in the best context when I need it.

[ALMBusinessInstitute]

I want to thank you for this video series. As a business owner, I was constantly using 3-5 (or more 🤦🏽‍♀️) different notebooks at all times. No was carrying these notebooks in a separate bag filled with only notebooks.

In addition to carrying the extra load, I would always misplace which notebook had the notes I was looking for. Enter your Second Brain Series. I now have Evernote on every device, desktop, laptops, tablets and phones. I took all my notebooks and scanned the important pages into Evernote. This has been nothing short of a miracle for me and my productivity. Thank you, again!!

[mediawolf]

I'm definitely a Gardener and use Roam, though I also systematize and curate. My wife is definitely a student and I love that you include this type because it helps me understand that she is most comfortable in Apple Notes and other simple/build-in apps, and why, and consider that as I look for something we both can use for shared projects.

[nathan]

Arguably one of the most important AA video’s I’ve ever watched. It’s currently on loop on my iPad. It’s 3 years old and it’s only just started to resonate with me (in a big way). The power of a YouTube video. Create it once and it continues to provide value years down the line. Thank you AA & TF🙏🏾

[RiderfBuffalo]

This is great! For those that are interested in why these terms are fitting it helps to know the fundamental design of a note taking service... If you are an Architect you want a service that is relational based (Notion). A Gardener you want a graph-based service (Obsidian), and if you a Librarian you want a directory based service (OneNote). For those who are familiar with computer science it is easier to figure out what service to used based on what data structures it supports.

[erindover]

In everything I do, I have how it relates to my Hubs and Kiddo in mind also. I instantly resonated with Librarian, and felt Hubs would fancy himself as Architect (but isn’t), and I see Kiddo growing into Gardener if only I could get her going with the right foundation. Thank you for recognizing the Student (whether literal or in our adult selves). I’ve spent months on many hours of research, trial and error, to no avail. I need a system for myself that allows for my notes + projects + ideas, that also allows for integrating, assessing, and steering systems that are suited to Husband and Kiddo. Thank you for these clear, straightforward solutions. This, combined with concepts from “The Second Brain” brings it all together.

[susanpearson-creativefibro]

I have dabbled with several of the apps and thrown myself into them at different times. As a long time Evernote user, I now use it as a digital filing cabinet. It has scans of household paperwork, scans of sentimental items like special greetings cards and also catalogues of all my paper crafting resources. I used Notion for a time and created August Bradley’s PPV system but after meticulously predating it all I didn’t want to use it. I have been using Obsidian for a while now and it feels right. I have found myself pulling together notes from blog posts from completely different genres which have sparked thoughts and ideas. Evernote will always be my filing cabinet but I can’t imagine not having my second brain in Obsidian.

[connectingjeri]

I definitely relate to the architect archetype. I have been using Evernote as a filing cabinet for my paperless home office for years and years, but I never tried to use it for projects or managing my day to day life. I am so attracted to Notion. I will invest some time trying to learn it.

[Jffb]

This is great. I really enjoy that you are lately posting many useful videos. Please coninue doing it.

[nareck]

I am glad you started talking about Obsidian. It has 3 key advantages -
1. Operates locally
2. Data is saved in standard format: markdown files
3. Awesome community

I think it resonates with people who also value freedom, privacy and are willing to take responsibility for managing their data.

[billgross]

The librarian archetype resonates with me. I've never found Evernote to be very helpful. Joplin has been the winner for me, but I regularly check out videos like yours to be sure I'm not missing something better. Thanks for this series!!

[staciegelhar]

Student -- I have loads of short term interests, along with long term hobbies, projects, goals, etc. I use Evernote and the P.A.R.A system for my capture, but the breadth of topic and interests shifts (all in my Resources section which is HUGE) and use the find options and tags for the organic pieces.

This was excellent.

[creations-by-jv]

I love this video. All of your videos have been some of the most insightful I have ever come across. Thank you so much