We’ve all been there. You have a perfectly functioning system for taking notes and creating work in one app, but regardless, we feel a powerful urge to try out a new offering.
So we transfer our files across to the new platform, and after a while of trying it, we realise that we’d have done better to just remain with our old system.
Why does this keep happening? And what can we do about it?
This is an article about how I used to struggle with deciding in which app to base my note-taking system. I’ll go into details about the pros and cons of Notion and Obsidian, the two opposing apps, and explain how you can make a choice regarding what’s best for your own system.
Let’s get started…
My dilemma
I noticed Obsidian about a year ago, when I was doing my A-level exams. I thought that it might have potential for running my notes system.
At this point in time, I was using Notion, with databases for my different notes and ideas, but I didn’t feel like it was providing everything I needed in a system. I knew that I was going to be headed to university, so I wanted a better in place that I could rely on to manage all of my academic work.
I was becoming more and more engaged in the world of PKM and Zettelkasten. It was at about this time that I started reading books like How to Take Smart Notes and Building a Second Brain.
I began maintaining a Zettelkasten within Obsidian, but I felt something was missing. There was, or so I thought, so much more possible within Notion, with all the power of databases, tags and all the shiny features they kept adding.
I read an article recently about Obsidian, which I agree with — you start with nothing, having to build from the ground up. This discouraged me initially — I didn’t appreciate the potential of Obsidian, and I wanted to stick with something I was used to. Obsidian didn’t seem as glamorous compared to Notion, and none of my favourite creators used it.
One year on and I’m a committed Obsidian user. I couldn’t be happier with the choice I made, although I think that both are powerful tools, and each is better for certain functions. Let’s compare them both now…
Obsidian — The extensible markdown-based notes app
Obsidian is great. There are regular updates with useful features and the app is light, fast and can be as basic or as complex as you want.
Pros:
- Offline-first software, based on a folder of markdown files that are stored on your system. You own your notes and control who has access to them.
- Huge plugin library that you can enable, to add almost whatever functionality you want to the software. Need to export to .tex? Need to add citations from a reference library? Need to build AI workflows for efficient study? There are plugins for all these requirements and more.
Cons:
- Hard to collaborate. If you work in a team, there’s very little workaround for using Obsidian, as you store files on your device.
- Difficult to start using, as there aren’t any built in guides or templates like what’s provided when you create a Notion account. You start from zero, and this can be daunting if you don’t have experience building productivity systems. You also need a basic knowledge of markdown syntax.
Notion — Best for collaboration and built-in features
I’ll give it to the Notion team. Their software is fantastic. Notion has many millions of users around the world. It’s effective, feature-rich, and the interface is great to use.
Pros:
- Notion is online and your files sync automatically.
- You can create workspaces that you can share with other people for collaboration on your projects.
- Databases. There are many built-in options for creating note properties and categorising or viewing them in useful ways, like kanban boards and calendars
- Rich editor where you can embed many forms of content and format your notes in any way you want them.
Cons:
- Notion owns your data on their servers.
- Low level of customizability in the interface and control of the app.
In short, choose Notion if you want to collaborate with other people, or if you want to build a media-rich knowledge base organised in databases. It also has the edge in project management, with built-in calendars and Gantt charts.
Choose Obsidian if you want a linked web of thought with customisable and specialised features.
Choose Obsidian if you want to create a personal system to improve your productivity and creativity.
Shiny Object Syndrome — Distraction by New Opportunities or Ideas
I used Notion for a long time, and I don’t at all think it’s a bad app. Despite this, I always felt that Obsidian was the right option for building a long-term effective note taking system.
My app use didn’t reflect this though.
I remained in a limbo between Notion and Obsidian for months before finally developing the values that allowed me to overcome the shiny object syndrome I was experiencing.
Notion kept releasing new features, and I felt as though I was missing out when it came to using Obsidian, which wasn’t updated, or advertised, as often.
I didn’t appreciate the value of remaining with a single platform long-term and building up a system that actually allowed me to get work done. Once I started producing writing online and for university, though, I realised that switching apps constantly would be unproductive, so I committed to Obsidian.
Choosing Obsidian and beating shiny object syndrome
I chose Obsidian because of one main reason:
It provided a blank slate with all the features to craft a functioning system that’s built for my use case.
I needed to export flashcards to Anki, render essays with Pandoc and outline articles and other creative projects, all in the same app. Only Obsidian, extended with some excellent plugins, could provide this for me.
I wrote before about my relationship with shiny object syndrome, saying that you need to make yourself ‘less open to the idea of adopting a new software’.
By investing time into building a system that works as well as possible in one app, it’s harder to drop everything and feel tempted to move to a new app because of your investment in the system.
If you can contribute some kind of money to the development of the app (as I did by purchasing the Obsidian Catalyst Licence), you can further strengthen the commitment you have to the system that works for you.
“You have to become less open to the idea of adopting a new software.”
A digital minimalist’s mindset is useful in this scenario as well. A philosophy of technology use that prioritises making upgrades only when you predict overwhelming benefit to your system will make sure you ‘prioritise long-term meaning over short-term satisfaction’.
Other brief tips and notes for beating shiny object syndrome
- When you feel the urge to change to a new software, wait until the next day before you analyse and make a decision.
- Keep yourself busy. If you don’t have time to be checking out all these new and exciting features, then you’re not going be tempted to switch.
- Don’t copy other people’s systems. If they’re using one app, it doesn’t mean that it’s right for you as well. They don’t use it for the same thing as you, so why should you copy them?
It’s a constant battle, because note-taking software is constantly updated, and fear of missing out on something that’s going to help you produce better work is real. Remember, there’s no such thing as a perfect system, and the best one is going to be the system you’ve put most time into crafting to suit your needs, whatever software you choose.
Build a system that helps you get work done.
P.S. I’m going to make an ‘Obsidian user tries…’ series, comparing Obsidian with different PKM apps. Reply to this tweet with apps you want me to try out.