Over the years, I've come to develop a system. I wasn't a big of writing until 4 months ago. That's a whole other story but these days I write often and I enjoy it. And for any serious writer, you need very serious writing tools. In the old days, they'd use a typewriter but even if I could use one these days it'd probably be hard to publish on the web. A friend of mine made Typewritist.
But if you're someone who needs more sophisticated tools then you've probably looked into tools like Notion, Obsidian, Wordpad (a relic of the past) etc.
I've been using Notion for many years now, I came across it back in 2018 and I've been using it since then. That's a long time even in dog years.
Notion has many use cases, and I really like that everything is a block. So everything can be moved as a block. I'm not an advanced notion user - I don't use templates or any complicated systems that I've seen most people use. I'm just a simpleton, I don't like fancy systems when it comes to simple things.
What do I use Notion for?
I've been using notion for mostly notes, expenses, and raw ideas, I also use it as a project management tool. Mostly for project management these days - with so many dead projects in the closet. My project management is pretty simple - I use only to-do lists. It works for me because I work solo. I've also been using notion for personal journaling, I've been doing that sparsely for the last 3-4 years.
Notion for writing - Too much friction
One thing I noticed was that I never wrote often when using Notion. I mean I did but not as much as now. Maybe it is the honeymoon phase of a new interest. I only had piles and piles of to-do items. Some checked, mostly unchecked. Buried deep down within pages across different various topics. As I scrambled to take notes and finish todos.
Obsidian is Simple
I had heard about Obsidian a very long time ago in my Twitter circle, but I never mustered the courage to try it. I dislike changing tools often just for the sake of it. If something works well, I rarely use anything else. But as I became a more serious writer (wink wink), Notion just wasn't working for me.
Notion is a good tool by itself, it does many things and tries to be everything. Nothing wrong with that, it tries to position itself as a swiss army knife. But at the same time, as it's trying to do that, it adds a lot of friction especially if you want to write.
When writing I prefer a flat heiracy to easily switch between files and folders. I like to see my files in the sidebar. Notion has that too but the page (file) could be anything, and everything is nested inside those pages. Each top level file acts as a group. And each group contains many pages. There's just too much friction to switch and other pages become clutter when writing in notion.
For me, this adds a lot of friction to even start writing. The mental effort it takes is enormous so I often preferred just not writing.
Everything is markdown
I like Obsidian because everything is a markdown. It's simple, and it works everywhere.
Obsidian - The Solution to my Decision Paralysis
The solution to this problem was compartmentalizing my duties. Even though I never consider myself as someone who compartmentalized aspects of my life - while writing and thinking about this I realized that I do it subconsciously a lot. It's a good thing - because I like having different rooms for different aspects of my thoughts. Obsidian is just perfect for that.
I wear many hats and using one tool for everything when wearing multiple hats creates this jumbled mess of everything in my head. This causes me to have decision paralysis where I'm not sure what to do next - finish tasks? Write? Code? Everything becomes a friction.
With Obsidian, I compartmentalize the writing part and I've never been so productive.
What do I use notion for now?
These days, I mostly use it for tasks and high-level planning for my projects. The high-level planning pages I don't change them often, it's a note dump unlike Obsidian which I use specifically for blogging.
Notion vs Obsidian - which one is the best to write?
Notion is a good tool in it's own right but for a specific task such as writing I personally don't prefer it. It just adds too much overhead if you want to write lots of different things. So Obsidian is my choice for writing.
What I like about Obsidian?
- Works offline and is very fast
- Everything is markdown
- It's just files, can store them anywhere
- Lightweight and simple
What I miss from Notion?
- Grammarly
- Auto-save to cloud
What about using both of them together?
I use both of them. But these days, I use notion only for managing my to-do list and project management and maybe writing things that I rarely open. Mostly long-term stuff. Obsidian is my tool for drafting posts, writing about raw ideas etc.
Backing up your Obsidian on Github
Since I code quite a bit I use a version control like git to keep track of projects. I've set up Git in my Obsidian vault folder which is linked to a GitHub repo. There's nothing special about it, I just like having a cloud backup of my stuff. I'm not used to the local backup, I fear I will lose things.
Another reason I like using Github is just for vanity. Each time I push, I get a contribution point on github, I use this as an accountability system to not break my streak. So the days I'm not coding, I write, this feels like I've made good progress. It's a cheat code but a very welcome one and I'm not ashamed of it (lol!)
Too long; Didn't read
Used Notion for years: notes, tasks, and project management.
Notion Pros and Cons: Versatile but clunky for writing due to nested structure.
Obsidian is my go-to for writing: Lightweight, markdown-based, ideal for focused writing.
Current Setup: Notion for high-level planning and long-term notes. Obsidian for drafting, ideas, and quick access to files.
Obsidian Benefits:
- Works offline, fast, and simple.
- Easy access to files/folders.
- Pure markdown (reduces friction).
What I miss from Notion:
- Grammarly integration.
- Auto-save to cloud.
Backup Strategy:
- Use GitHub for Obsidian backup — also acts as an accountability tool.
Bottom line: Obsidian for writing, Notion for planning.
