Using Cursor as a Smart Notebook (Not Just for Code)

Nina — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 17:07:47 +0000

I’m not a developer, but I live in Markdown. Here’s how I’m using an AI-powered code editor (Cursor) as a lightweight, multilingual, chaos-tolerant second brain.

Why I needed something smarter than plain notes

As a tech writer dabbling in code, I don’t really use an IDE for anything serious. I play around, test things, break things, but my tools are less about engineering and more about old writing. What I do need is a place to keep track of what I’m thinking, reading, half-starting, and meaning to return to later.
Basically: a notebook, but smarter.

From Obsidian to overload

I used to use Obsidian. For a while, I really bought into the whole second brain thing. But I write in multiple languages, and tagging or structuring stuff gets chaotic fast. I’d forget what language I used for a note or which tag schema I was trying that month.

Every six months or so, I’d do an ADHD-inspired reorg:

tags → folders → back to tags
dashboards with Excalidraw
fancy queries with Dataview

Eventually, it all got too heavy and I’d go back to plain text.

Reframing Cursor

And then I thought what if I could use Cursor? It's an AI-powered code editor, but I discarded it for this very reason, I didn't want extra help when I write code.

For me, it’s a smart notebook.

I still write Markdown files like I did in Obsidian (with Foam for daily and weekly notes), but now Cursor can actually find what I wrote.

I’ll type something like: “What did I say I wanted to do today?” and it’ll show me the right note, even if I don’t remember what I called it.

Cursor’s search just works

Unlike Notion, Cursor’s search actually works for me. I feel like it gets what I’m looking for, even when I don’t remember what I called it. The way it seems to use synonyms in its search makes it surprisingly good at finding things I wrote weeks ago, even if I wrote them in a rush and forgot where I put them.

A bit on structure (in case you’re curious)

I’m using Foam inside Cursor — mostly for daily and weekly notes.
I didn’t change the default setup much:

Daily notes go into a default folder — Foam creates these when I hit “make a daily note”
Weekly reviews go into folders like 2025-W30 — nothing fancy, just a convention
I have super light templates for both, but I mostly freestyle
Everything else just lives as plain .md files — no folder structure, no pressure

The nice part is: Cursor doesn’t care how it’s organized. It just finds what I ask for.

How I use it day to day

I’m on the free plan, which gives me about 50 AI queries a month. Mostly enough for the things I want from it.

Most mornings I ask it things like:

“What was I working on yesterday?”
“What did I say I wanted to do today?”
“What’s my priority for the week?”
or maybe even “Where’s that Python resource I saved?”

It gives me just enough structure to keep things moving. I still use Foam Cursor extension to create daily and weekly markdown notes and I just write plain .md files as usual. Cursor reads them without complaint, and I don’t have to worry about syncing or special formatting.

What I still use alongside

Notion is still my go-to for shared docs. If I need to build a quick visual presentation or brainstorm something personal, I’ll sometimes pop back into Obsidian. But day to day? Cursor is my home base now.

A quick note on privacy

I’ve turned off learning mode in Cursor for privacy reasons, so I’m still cautious about what I put in there. But for lightweight, non-sensitive stuff — tracking learning, staying organized, following threads — it’s working better than anything else I’ve tried.

DEV Community: Nina