On the value of flip-flopping

From the outside, it admittedly looks a bit ridiculous when someone changes their to-do app or notes app every few months. Especially if this one new app is supposed to make everything better. I’ve dealt with the issue here on the blog in the past, as of course, it affects me personally. If not, I would not be writing this blog. The specific reason for this article is that I am using OmniFocus again after a long abstinence. In fact, I haven’t done so for well over a year. First I tried GoodTask, then I managed all my tasks in …

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Childhood Cancer Awareness Month – Relay for St. Jude

It is the ultimate horror for every parent that their own child becomes seriously ill. No family in the world should suffer such a fate. That’s why I would like to support the fundraising campaign of the podcast network Relay FM for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Children with cancer from all over the world are treated there free of charge. In addition, St. Jude has been researching better cures for decades. I can hardly think of anything more worthy of support. Relay FM has been doing these fundraisers for several years now and you can be sure that …

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Unlocking Handwritten Notes in Obsidian with Excalidraw and Scribble Helper

Obsidian is primarily a text-based tool for me. I only use images occasionally, and I’ve also outsourced my PDFs to DevonThink. I take the approach that it often makes sense to use specialized tools and not do everything with one app, even if that’s potentially possible. Drawings and diagrams are a bit different. I need them relatively rarely anyway because I work very text-based. However, I’m currently trying to get into the habit of using drawings a bit more because I believe that complex topics can be understood much better that way. And that brings us to the topic of …

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➡️ Linked Post: Extensive Comparison of Markdown Apps

Looking for a great source to get an overview of Markdown editors? Hermann Rotermund’s recent article “Workflow mit Markdown” over on weisses-rauschen.info provides you with an extensive overview. Whether you’re new to Markdown or just not sure which editor to use, this article is highly recommended. It provides an in-depth overview of several Markdown editors, making it easier to choose the right one for your needs. The article covers various Markdown editors, including Typora, Bear, Ulysses, and iA Writer, highlighting their key features and pros and cons. It also touches on some essential Markdown syntax and provides tips on how …

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Making digital work visible

The Problem One of the biggest problems with digital work for me is that the spatial dimension is not represented, or at least not sufficiently. I have the problem that I can’t think very well in the abstract. I have to see things, arrange them and, above all, write them down in order to achieve insights. And it doesn’t help at all if I have folders upon folders on my hard drive (or in the cloud for that matter), ALL OF WHICH I DON’T SEE. I can’t get a sense of dimensions, relations, relationships. The only thing I can do …

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The Tools I use for Writing

Recently, I wrote about the applications I use for my daily work. Today, I want to follow up with a short post that focuses on the subset of my work: the apps and services I use to write my blog articles. My workbench looks like this: Obsidian, tools to improve style, upload, and publish. What does that mean in detail? Planning and Thinking I write all of my texts in Obsidian, as it is a fantastic tool. However, what might be more interesting is how I collect and manage my article ideas and track articles through to publication. To accomplish …

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What is this blog all about?

I began this blog as a resource for digital productivity in the knowledge sector, particularly for students and researchers. My inspiration for starting it came from my own experiences as a graduate student, as well as my admiration for individuals like David Sparks and the broader productivity blogosphere. Initially, I intended to write for a broad audience, regardless of the operating system they use. However, over time, my focus has shifted. There have been three main developments that have led to this change: As a result of these developments: I hope that you will continue to follow my journey and …

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State of the Apps 2023

Cortex by Myke Hurley and CGP Grey is one of my favorite podcasts and I eagerly look forward to each episode. Every year, in the penultimate episode of the year, they talk about the most important apps and services they currently use. And then, the always worth reading Mere Civilian also recently wrote an article under that theme. Last year, I actually wanted to do the same, but then didn’t for reasons I don’t remember. This year, however, the time has come. Which apps do I use every day? What has changed in the last year? And where do I …

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How to use Focus Modes on Apple’s devices

So, I’ve written about how Focus modes really could be a first step towards user profiles on the iPad a couple of weeks ago. In this article, however, I barely talked about how to set them up. That’s why I’d like to give a short how-to and also show my own focus modes to get you an idea of what is possible. — How to set up focus modes on iPhone, iPad, and Mac (This guide has been developed for macOS. The process on iPad and iPhone, however, is just about the same, so the guide should be easily applicable …

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Apple’s iPad lineup is a mess – Where is the journey heading?

Last Tuesday Apple updated its iPad lineup. In addition to the entry-level iPad, which is now in its 10th generation, the two iPad Pros were also updated. But anyone who now thinks that this presents the iPad product category in a good light is mistaken. On the contrary: Apple makes strange decisions that confuse users and simply do not make sense. Furthermore, models are neglected, which raises many questions. Little love for the pros Let’s start with the update for the iPad Pros, which are still available in the 11″ and 12.9″ sizes. Here, the few rumors that existed in …

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