If you're a knowledge worker, I'm pretty sure you're collapsed by all the new note-taking apps that launch almost every day.
Every piece of software resonates with you. Each one seems to do something great. Something you're aiming for. The feature will make you progress, launch new ideas to the world, achieve your goals, succeed.
But, agggg... There's a moment that tool is not what you were expecting. There are uncovered gaps. You get disappointed. You need to start from scratch again.
Frustration knocks on your door.
1. Why are so many note-taking apps appearing all over the world?
2. Why isn't there one (and just ONE) that fits your needs 100%?
First off, so many tools appear because we're inside the information era.
Never before has humanity received so many "information impacts" per second.
You're overwhelmed by information. If you're interested in a topic, millions of bits come to your eyes. You want to capture all. You want to process all.
You want to eat and digest at the same time.
Consequence: you feel overwhelmed (in fact, you're overwhelmed).
Why cannot you find the "tool of your dreams"?
Because now we begin to understand how complex our brains are. We're amazing creatures with "a tool" (our brain) we never paid attention to until today.
Now, we contemplate our brains like the unique creation they are.
We were used to processing simple inputs, those a kid can easily carry on.
But now, we're inside the Olympic Games of information every day. And we just accept the gold medal.
We compete with ourselves second by second, article by article, podcast by podcast, book by book, YouTube video by YouTube video.
My approach?
Forget about apps and focus on my workflow.
My process:
1. Study the different apps to see how they’ve approached the problem.
2. Choose the one that seems to best suit my workflow, how my brain works.
3. Bet on it.
The third step is the most critical one. I've always bet on apps in the long term.
You cannot be jumping from one app to another.
If you do so, you’d be like those people who dedicate more time organizing things than doing them.
Remember: You move towards your goals by doing, not organizing.
Some questions you should ask your workflow
1. Am I a better thinker?
2. Am I generating ideas that drive me towards action?
3. Am I generating ideas that drive me towards achieving my goals?
4. Do I feel I know more about the topics that matter to me the most?
5. Am I using a frictionless workflow that comes naturally to me on a daily basis?
Stick to the app you've chosen. Grow with it. Polish your workflow.
Keep seeing how other apps perform. See if it's worth including any of them to improve your workflow.
Avoid a "continuous-switching-app" lifestyle.
Life is not about software. Life is about workflow.
Photo at the top courtesy of Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash.