I’ve been considering whether my current DEVONthink daily note is the best system for rapid note taking. Of course there’s nothing wrong with it, other than it being super-basic.

DEVONthink Pros

  • Wikilinking (automatic and manual) to other notes.
  • Integrated into broader DEVONthink Search/See Also system.
  • No-nonsense, no futzing with formatting.

DEVONthink Cons

  • No genuine Markdown editing support.
  • No outlining support
  • Just a plain text document.

I’ve been looking at Dynalist and Workflowy. Yet both cost money and feel kind of clunky - like my hands are flippers. That’s because they are web apps living in the Wild West of UIs - no operating system standards holding them to account.

I still have OmniOutliner Pro, which I’ve toyed with once again. Maybe if I keep the OmniOutliner file simple and focused enough, it will do the job. I’ve paid for the software. It’s available on macOS and iOS.

I think the last time I tried using OmniOutliner, I over-engineered my outline with columns, formatting, etc. If I keep it simple it may work better.

Of course, that also means I lose the integrated DevonThink search.

Continuous CRIMPing1, that’s the name of my game.

  1. CRIMP stands for a make-believe malady called compulsive-reactive information management purchasing. Symptoms include: never being satisfied with your current system of information management; continuously being on the look-out for something newer and better; purchasing every new PIM program you learn about; and secretly hoping you won’t find the perfect PIM, because then you’d have to stop looking for a better one. ↩︎