DEV Community

Cover image for Why I use Markdown to take notes
Keagan Van Rooyen
Keagan Van Rooyen

Posted on • Edited on

4 1

Why I use Markdown to take notes

This is my first article, so please go gentle on me 😁 but I wanted to talk about why I started using Markdown to take notes.

Why Markdown

Before I started using Markdown, I used OneNote to take my notes. Why wouldn't I, it was cross-platform, it synced my notes across devices, and it was familiar. I started using it to take notes in my meetings, and it worked ok. I could take the notes, and then I could send them as a message later in our group chat. My issue came in the form of me spending too much time worrying about the formatting and then after the meeting, I would need to format the notes again. When I send the messages on our group chat, I can use a small amount of Markdown.

After using OneNote for about a week of taking notes, I decided that I would try using Markdown. I had some experience with Markdown from GitHub, so I felt comfortable taking notes with it. Markdown seemed like it would help solve my "issues" since I could quickly format the notes (Mainly bolding important things), and focus on taking better notes.

Choosing and editor

When it came to choosing a Markdown editor, I had 2 main requirements:

  • Open Source
  • Simple and distraction-free design

I came across some great looking editors, most of which I can't remember now. Eventually, I decided on using Mark Text, it was almost perfect out the box. I only changed a couple of small things before I started using it. I changed the default theme, the font size and have it open a specific folder on launch.

Final Setup

I have now been using Mark Text and Markdown to take notes, for almost 3 months. So far the experience has been incredibly smooth. I have a folder saved in the cloud, which contains all my notes, this folder is also stored locally on my device. This way if I get a new device or need to use another device, all I need to do is install Mark Text and point to the folder with my notes.

I have saved myself a decent amount of time, by switching to Markdown. I know longer need to spend as much time post-meeting, making sure the notes look good and are easy to read/understand. My typing speed seems to have improved as well, so that's always good. 😃

Found a typo?

If you've found a typo, a sentence that could be improved or anything else that should be updated on this blog post, you can access it through a git repository and make a pull request. Instead of posting a comment, please go directly to github.com/Kvanrooyen/dev.to and open a new pull request with your changes.

Image of Datadog

The Essential Toolkit for Front-end Developers

Take a user-centric approach to front-end monitoring that evolves alongside increasingly complex frameworks and single-page applications.

Get The Kit

Top comments (3)

Collapse
 
leonimella profile image
Leoni Mella

Cool to see someone writing posts on a repo (I do the same) and also, nice post! I'll give mark down a try.

I'm currently using Trello to keep my personal notes, but mark down seems very neat!

Collapse
 
kvanrooyen profile image
Keagan Van Rooyen

Muito obrigado!

Collapse
 
fviccia profile image
FV

I would try using Markdown for my notes! Thanks.

Postmark Image

Speedy emails, satisfied customers

Are delayed transactional emails costing you user satisfaction? Postmark delivers your emails almost instantly, keeping your customers happy and connected.

Sign up

👋 Kindness is contagious

Please leave a ❤️ or a friendly comment on this post if you found it helpful!

Okay