Like most individuals, I’ve cycled by means of extra note-taking apps than I care to confess.
Apps like Evernote, Notion, Obsidian, and OneNote promised the proper steadiness of group and adaptability. However someplace alongside the best way, I spotted I used to be spending extra time tweaking my note-taking system than really taking notes.
So, for one month, I made a decision to ditch the third-party be aware apps and went all in on the best one already on my cellphone: Google Hold.
After thirty days of working with sticky-note squares and color-coded labels, I had a a lot clearer sense of the place easy instruments shine, and the place they fall brief.
Why I gave up on third-party be aware apps
Maintaining issues easy
Should you’ve ever opened Notion, Obsidian, or Evernote, you already know the temptation: there’s a way of limitless chance. You’ll be able to construct second brains, design elaborate dashboards, and hyperlink concepts collectively.
Nonetheless, the issue was that I’d spend evenings rearranging my notes, making new databases, or worrying about folder hierarchies somewhat than writing.
Google Hold, against this, is as plain as a sticky be aware. There are not any databases to construction or pages to nest. With nothing to configure, I may open the app and sort with out excited about the place the be aware belonged.
Organising Google Hold as my solely be aware app
Once I determined to depend on Google Hold as my notes app for a month, my aim was to make it easy to seize any thought, record, or reminder the second I considered it.
Organizing my notes
First, I archived each previous be aware in order that the house display felt uncluttered. Nothing kills momentum sooner than scrolling previous years of half-finished lists.
Hold doesn’t have nested notebooks, however its labels assist with group. I created only a handful of labels, comparable to Work, Private, Concepts, Purchasing, and Reference, to maintain every part broad and simple to scan.
Colours and pins for priorities
Since Hold doesn’t have a folder system, colours turned visible cues. I exploit yellow for fast duties, blue for work and challenge concepts, and inexperienced for groceries. I pinned pressing notes to the highest in order that I’d see them each time I opened the app.
Voice and picture notes
I activated microphone permissions so I may dictate ideas throughout walks, and I took pictures for receipts or whiteboard snapshots. These options made the app really feel like an all-in-one seize device.
The professionals of utilizing solely Google Hold
I anticipated Google Hold to really feel like a downgrade after years of utilizing feature-packed be aware apps. Nonetheless, just a few issues turned out to be good.
Immediate seize
The most important power of Google Hold is the velocity of seize. I didn’t should determine the place a be aware belonged, the database it ought to go into, or whether or not it wanted tags. It was so simple as jotting one thing on a sticky be aware.
Voice notes had been a bonus. It allowed me to dictate to-do lists into Hold whereas strolling with out the necessity to kind something.
Seamless cross-device syncing
My Hold notes appeared on my cellphone, pc, and pill inside seconds. It allowed me to jot a buying record on my pc and have it prepared on my cellphone on the retailer with out excited about export codecs or model conflicts.
Shared notes made collaboration simple
As an alternative of sending WhatsApp messages about errands or buying lists, I shared a Hold be aware with household. We may all edit it in real-time, which was smoother than any third-party app I’ve used for informal collaboration.
Efficient reminders
Setting location-based reminders in Hold was a game-changer. I began utilizing it for errands. For example, a grocery record that alerts me as quickly as I stroll into the grocery store, or a reminder to drop off a package deal after I arrive on the submit workplace.
Time-based reminders are simply as easy. From any be aware, faucet the bell icon, and select a date or place.
This characteristic turned Hold into a light-weight process supervisor.
Visible notes
One of many largest surprises with Google Hold was how naturally it handles visible notes. As an alternative of typing every part, I may snap a photograph, draw a fast sketch, or combine photos and textual content on the identical be aware.
The place Google Hold fell brief
As refreshing as Google Hold’s simplicity might be, utilizing it for a month revealed some actual limits.
Not excellent for long-form writing
Hold is ideal for snippets, however not for longer codecs. I attempted drafting an article in it, however scrolling by means of a wall of textual content on a single card was painful. Finally, I spotted Hold works finest as a scratchpad somewhat than a workspace.
Labels and search can get messy
Labels and color-coding assist, however they’re not the identical as folders. After my notes grew, scrolling by means of lengthy lists felt clumsy. I usually wished for a extra sturdy tagging or filtering system.
Few power-user options
Should you depend on templates, backlinks, or integrations with process managers, Hold will really feel bare-bones. There’s no API magic or superior automation to faucet into.
My verdict after a month of utilizing Google Hold
So, would I persist with Google Hold endlessly? Not precisely. For fast notes, reminders, and on a regular basis lists, it’s wonderful, and I want I’d used it extra usually.
Nonetheless, I’ll in all probability nonetheless depend on an app like Obsidian for deeper initiatives. Its backlinks, wealthy formatting, and vault-style group give me the depth that Hold doesn’t have.
The actual takeaway is that I don’t must overcomplicate issues by juggling a number of note-taking apps.
Whereas Hold is my go-to app for something fleeting or speedy, Obsidian is my workspace for structured pondering and long-form writing. Collectively, they kind a system that’s each light-weight and succesful.