Why I left Notion for Obsidian | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

In this video, Rachel explains why she transitioned from using Notion to Obsidian as her note-taking app, highlighting issues with customization, time management, and keyboard shortcuts.

Key Insights

• 🔐 Notion introduced the concept of customizable note-taking with features like templates, databases, and sync blocks, which made it easy to organize and find notes efficiently.
• 💻 However, spending excessive time customizing Notion's features and lack of keyboard shortcut friendliness became major drawbacks for avid note-takers, causing distractions and hindering productivity.
• 🔦 Obsidian, on the other hand, offers a clean interface with pre-built themes and an out-of-the-box look. This saves time for users who are not design-savvy and prefer a minimalist approach to note-taking.
• 📋 Obsidian's template feature, similar to Notion, allows users to create reusable checklists for various workflows, reducing mental energy and automating routine tasks.
• 📁 Obsidian's folding feature is a crucial component, allowing users to collapse and expand sections of their notes, enabling easy navigation and organization.
• 🔄 Although Obsidian lacks sync blocks like Notion, it compensates with section previews, enabling users to reference and preview content from other notes without the need for advanced syncing.
• ⚙️ Obsidian's extensibility through community-built plugins enhances its capabilities, allowing users to customize the app to suit their specific needs.
• 📅 Obsidian's focus on maintaining flow and minimizing distractions makes it an ideal note-taking app for users who prioritize simplicity and efficiency in their workflow.

Transcript

couple years ago one of my coworkers introduced me to notion and i fell in love i told everybody i could that this was the app of my dreams i put my life from google drive and evernote and my bullet journal all into notion and i even created social media around it i was the notion girl but now i moved everything to obsidian hey guys my name is rach... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Notion initially meet Rachel's expectations for a note-taking app?

Rachel found that Notion was easy to use, allowed her to find and link notes effortlessly, and introduced helpful features like templates and sync blocks.

Q: What were the main drawbacks of using Notion according to Rachel?

The customizable nature of Notion made her spend excessive time building systems instead of being productive, and the lack of keyboard shortcuts became a distraction during meetings.

Q: How did Rachel narrow down her requirements for a note-taking app?

Rachel wanted an app that looked good, offered features like templates and folding, allowed easy migration, and minimized distractions to help her stay in the flow.

Q: Why did Rachel choose Obsidian over other note-taking apps?

Rachel found Obsidian's default look appealing, appreciated its template feature, and loved the folding option, which she initially discovered in Notion. Additionally, Obsidian's extensibility through plugins was a major factor in her decision.

Q: How does Obsidian's section preview feature function, and how does it differ from Notion's sync blocks?

Obsidian's section preview allows Rachel to reference other notes and display previews with ease by using specific syntax. Unlike Notion's sync blocks, Rachel can choose previews after creating notes, providing flexibility and facilitating a better flow of work in Obsidian.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Rachel initially loved using Notion for note-taking, as it provided easy note-taking, organization, and linking of notes through databases and sync blocks.

• However, she found that she was spending too much time customizing Notion and not actually being productive, and the lack of keyboard shortcuts became frustrating during meetings.

• Rachel reevaluated her needs in a note-taking app and wanted something aesthetically pleasing, with useful features like templates and folding, and minimal distractions, which led her to choose Obsidian.