Google Keep, because it works on my Pixel Watch, which is the only way (so far) I can use it at the exact moment when I actually need it and not have my ADHD brain forget it halfway through.

Orgzly is my favourite note app. I use that and sync to a folder which I can then sync with Syncthing to my desktop and have versioning there.

I use https://silverbullet.md/ have been loving it so far

Obsidian is what I use. I used Joplin and Simplenote in the past.

I’m using Obsidian on Android and on Linux and sync my notes with Nextcloud. Nextcloud also has its on note taking app but I prefer Obsidian. I also love the canvas feature. I also love the fact that the files in Obsidian are Markdown files. You can still edit them with any text editor if needed.

I keep envelopes from mail I received and write notes on the empty side. On the rare occasion where I want to actually retain the note, I retype it into one of several txt documents I have open in my Notepad++.

I have a few methods.

1. Post-it notes on the desk/wallet/steering wheel etc.
2. Simple Note Multiplatform; android, windows, iphone, and everyone’s favorite mac linux. Like the name says, its simple and syncs. Operated or owned by same people behind WordPress.com and source is on github…although cloud synced I assume 0 privacy or backup.
3. Notes I actually want long term end up on paper or a text document.
4. Calendar events with email reminders.
5. Email to self (has low success rate)
6. Set alarm or timmer. The random alarm jogs my memory.

Google Keep

Left to right

More important. Than taking notes is what are you gonna do with them. This conditions how, where, and with what you take notes.

If you’re never gonna look at them again and just generally use it to think, brainstorm, or remember things better. Then it doesn’t matter where, just use whatever is immediately available to you.

If it needs to be later referenced, shared, archived or processed into finished products for personal projects or work, there are several options. Note taking apps, text editing software, plugins for different editors. Each will do things different and will link differently to different work pipelines.

My current pipeline is notes either on the phone or on a notepad. Then I clean and process said notes on OneNote (don’t judge, work pays for it and it is the only one available). Where they are more structured, tagged, detailed, hyperlinked or whatever else it takes. That’s where I also take notes for meetings or training and study sessions.

Finally, I use those notes for writing reports, minutes, and presentations. Which are then sent to the actual institutional archive.

Me and all my colleagues erase old notes once they’re no longer relevant for data protection, so we don’t use the archive features of ONote. But the encrypted sharing and sync is very useful for collaboration and to save your work in case of hardware failure.

On my personal life I have permanent places of data storage, and take notes with whatever I happen to have at hand. Samsung notes, paper, notepads, whatever. Data always end up either being deleted or sent to a more permanent place. Just like with cameras, the best tool is the one you have at hand when you need it.

OneNote for work. Usually for meeting notes to help me transfer to Action items in to the task management software. I also use it to keep a record of my conversations with team members.

I also use it as a temporary location for information while performing work. I later transfer those into the details section of the task management software.

Apple Notes for personal. App is also installed on my personal laptop. It’s simple to share Notes with my partner.

It’s been years since I was in school… but yes, on a notepad with different emphasis for different things.

1. In general, summarize what the prof. is saying.

2. If they’re talking about something from the book, note it with a ⭐

3. If they say “this is important” mark it with an ❕

4. If they write it on the board or project it, undeine that.

emacs orgmode (+ mobile app) is incredibly powerful if you want something local and extensible.

The capabilities are insane, it can do TODO’s, scheduling, time-tracking, filtered agendas y lots more.

I have it synced with my iphone (the app i use is “beorg”, but on android a popular one is “orgzly”) and it kinda blows my mind

Barrier of entry for emacs is a bit high sadly

I recently got a tablet with pen support and have this same question. I’m specifically looking for something that’s on Android and Windows/web. So far, I’ve been using OneNote but I wish it had standard folders instead of notebooks and pages.

Notepad++

I keep one long “logfile” and sometimes a few extra files per special topic.

I use Standard Notes and Logseq

Standard Notes mostly for personal use, build a knowledge base where I can set categories to each not without rushing.

Logseq for professional use. I often join meetings with lots of people discussing topics for different projects. With Logseq, I can easily write down notes and add tags to easily correlate people, project, topic, status. I don’t need to think which category to save that note, just write on the Journal page and add the tags. Easy! The advanced queries is an amazing featured, I can easily create queries to summarise status of each project and who is working on it. With that in mind, I can easily send status reports to the stakeholder with just one click.

Both are private and don’t belong to any of the big tech. Standard notes was acquired by Proton (from ProtonMail), and it is E2EE. Logseq uses local storage, but its possible to sync (can be quite tricky).