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diff --git a/blog/2022-03-02-note-taking.org b/blog/2022-03-02-note-taking.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..16c99f3 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/2022-03-02-note-taking.org @@ -0,0 +1,125 @@ ++++ +date = 2022-03-02 +title = "Easy, Reliable Note-Taking" +description = "After years of testing, I have finally settled on maintaining my collection of personal notes and writings." +draft = false ++++ + +## Choosing Durable File Formats + +> TL;DR: Write in a format that can be easily rendered and read in plain-text +> mode (e.g., `.txt`, `.md`, etc.). + +As I've written more and more over the years, I've found that my love of +note-taking is always growing. Everything I learn or need to remember can be +written down in a note and saved digitally, with no cost to myself. Unlike paper +copies that need physical storage space, digital files simply need space on your +local disk or cloud storage, which is fairly abundant these days. + +However, I had a historical struggle with migration of notes between different +apps that require different formats and applied proprietary styling. This meant +that I had to go through each note during migration and edit the file to look +presentable again. + +For the last year or two, I have written everything exclusively in +[Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown) format. Small notes, +long-form writings, and even these blog posts are all written in Markdown. + +Why Markdown? While I do appreciate the simplicity of plain-text files without +any formatting, I often need visual cues such as heading and code blocks to keep +my thoughts straight. Markdown provides a minimal set of styling indicators for +me to style my notes without adding any proprietary, embedded data into the +files. If I want a top-level heading, I simply add a hash (`#`) before the line. +An added bonus is that even if a system doesn't understand Markdown, it will +render it as plain-text and I can read it just as easily. + +For example, here's how TextEdit on macOS will open and display a Markdown file +in plain-text, since it does contain any features to preview Markdown as HTML: + + + +## Saving & Syncing Files + +In order to read and edit my notes across platforms, I use my personal cloud +storage through Tresorit due to its native integration with macOS and iOS file +managers. In addition, Tresorit works well on Debian-based Linux distros, which +I used before macOS (and will likely switch back to in a few years). + +You can use whatever sync software you want - syncing plain-text or markdown +files is incredibly easy and fast, since the files are generally tiny. + +Since the cloud storage syncs files automatically, there is no need for me to +sync anything manually or kick-off a sync job to update my files. This means +that I can edit on mobile, and it takes about 5-10 seconds to see the changes on +desktop. + +### Version Control with Git + +A different approach I've contemplated is storing my notes and attachments is +using a hosted Git repository to track changes to the files. However, I don't +want to rely on an external service that could potentially see into my data, +even if the repository is private. + +I might just do `git init` locally and then commit my changes each time I write +or update a note, but that seems to be a lot of work just for tracking changes - +which I don't necessarily care to know. + +### Backups! + +One small addition to the storage/sync conversation is the idea of backups. +Personally, I manually create periodic backups of my entire cloud storage, +compress it into an archive, and store it on my home server. + +To improve my workflow, I am going to be exploring options to automatically +compress the mounted cloud directory and send it over to my server on a set +schedule. + +## Writing on Desktop + +> **Update (06.14.22)**: Since writing this post, I have reverted to simply +> keeping my `notes` folder open and opening notes individually in TextEdit +> for a more minimal and relaxing writing experience on the desktop. + +The bulk of my writing occurs in a desktop environment, with a full keyboard +layout and wide screen. I don't illustrate with a smart pen, I rarely use +embedded images, and I love being able to see all of my notes/directories in a +sidebar. + +With this simple set of requirements, I chose [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md) as +my desktop text editor. +Obsidian has some in-depth tools like a graph view, command palette, +mentions, etc., but I've found that using it as a simple Markdown editor is +incredibly easy and straightforward. + +Here's an example of how my Markdown notes look when opened in plain-text mode: + + + +Here's the "live preview" version, where the Markdown is rendered into its HTML +format: + + + +### Programming on Desktop + +While I was writing this, I realized I should specify that I don't use the same +editor for writing notes and for writing code. For programming purposes, I use +[VSCodium](https://vscodium.com) as my development IDE. + +## Writing on Mobile + +Personally, I write very little on mobile, except when needing to take +important notes on-the-go. Any long-form writing, journals, etc. are done at +home, where I always have my laptop available. + +I wanted a simple and foolproof editor for iOS, preferably open-source. +After a long journey of testing the few (& terrible) open-source iOS +note-taking apps, I finally found a phenomenal one: +[Runestone](https://github.com/simonbs/runestone). This app is fantastic +for note-taking, has plenty of optional features, and integrates natively +with the iOS file manager. + +This app opens the iOS file manager and allows you to click any file you want, +opens it up in an editor, and lets me save and close out of that note. + +Quite simple but effective. |