![]() Each folder can contain any number of entries. In Macjournal, a “journal” is essentially a folder. Which means that I can use it as a shoebox, and decide later whether I think the notes I parked there should be sorted and indexed in Devonthink, used as background for writing in Scrivener, or as lego-blocks for thinking in Tinderbox. Its saving grace is the simple and versatile export function. It is in real need of a thorough redesign (but so are the three other applications I am discussing here). Macjournal is no way an exciting application. I just wanted to add that the major reason I think Macjournal is a good choice for scattered pre-project notes is precisely that I don’t feel locked into it. LiveScribe: I suppose I would have to give up my beloved fountain pens to use it! (I do like Scrivener’s full screen, fully customized window, which one can give any color and background color one wants…) As for rtf document within Devonthink is also less than engaging to write in. Then there are the aesthetic and personal elements: I think Devonthink’s quick note panel is really uninspiring (all boring black!), and the. Which means that I may be inconsistent when I also say that Nomad’s recommendation of slipbox actually sounds very interesting to me. (I really enjoy this user forum: alongside Scrivener’s surely the most sensible crowd online!)īluefrog: you are right to warn agains the tech temptation! (By the way, I do have DTPO.) But I have owned Macjournal for years, for other purposes, so at least I didn’t just run out to spend money recklessly! I am very grateful for everyone’s input so far. For once, I feel that I have solved a problem which has been nagging me for a long time.Īny comments? Further suggestions? Potential difficulties that I should be aware of? ![]() Macjournal also coexists beautifully with Simpletext and Notational Velocity, which are my preferred note-taking apps on the road. Of course Devonthink can also index Macjournal notes, if one prefers. It is just as easy to export them as txt, and then simply drag them into Tinderbox. It is easy to transfer whole folders of notes right into Devonthink and Scrivener (as rtf). The export functions are phenomenal, and very easy to use. Which means that the application has to be able to export notes easily to my three other favorite applications. In short, what I need is a place that can be a kind of pre-project repository of notes. Scrivener is absolutely essential when it comes to drafting papers, but it is not suited to be just a ragbag repository of notes before one gets to the writing stage. (I find that I can’t tag or group such notes appropriately because they are still at a pre-project stage.) And while Tinderbox is great for thinking, it is not a good place for just keeping inchoate notes. I find that putting them in Devonthink directly means that they often drown among all the other data I have there. The problem is that I don’t actually know what I’ll use them all for (yet). Right now I have a whole stack of handwritten notes I need to go through. I also, of course, sometimes take notes directly on the computer. But if I am serious about my notes, at some point I have to go over them, and transfer the essential points from paper to computer. I love taking notes by hand, away from my computer, and always have a paper notebook and a fountain pen with me. (So my note-taking needs are mostly academic and research related.) Notes that I take on interesting books or films or experiences that may come in handy for academic work later, but which are at a stage where it’s too early to decide exactly what I am doing with them. My problem came from the fact that I have a lot of “pre-project notes”. ![]() I have spent some time figuring out how to improve my note-taking workflow, and thought I’d share my experiences with you all.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |