Productivity app swapping is not productive!

Feb 10, 2023

Newsletter housekeeping: Just after I scheduled this weeks issue Evernote release a new version of the desktop app! Nothing huge, they mention the new recurring task feature that I covered in this issue, some more keyboard shortcut tool tips on hover and PDF export fixes. Download version 10.53.2 from the Evernote website or wait for the update in the app.

I've used many productivity apps. It's actually quite embarrassing.

Even though I've used Evernote consistently since 2008 there have been occasions when my eye has been drawn to a new shiny thing.

I had a torrid affair with Notion that only lasted a couple of months. It was a complicated relationship and I seemed to end up with a table in a note that had a note in a table cell with an image in it that was another note and then some YouTube guy told me I had to write formula code like in Excel, plus it didn't work on the train with zero Wifi. Too hard and I don't have a PhD.

There was a six-month dalliance with OneNote and it was OK. Probably the closest I've had to Evernote but there were different versions and some folks said one would be shut down and then it wasn't and I had no idea so I gave up. To be honest the wobbly note made me seasick. I want a stationary note, note a wobbly whiteboard.

Zoho Notebook caught my eye for a while. Very pretty, with lots of colours and it integrated well with the other Zoho apps but the big issue for me was not being able to attach files to notes. It was also difficult to scroll through lots of notes as the card view just made everything too big.

I tried basic markdown apps, about a million of them. Zettlr, Joplin and Typora were nice but everything was a bit 90s text file style. I needed more functionality plus I had to work out my own sync.

I miss Springpad. They closed in 2014 and I used it for a few months in conjunction with Evernote. Springpad was pretty, innovative but in the end, couldn't make enough money.

The one thing all this app hoping taught me is that it's completely unproductive.

The only reason we set up these apps in the first place is to make ourselves more productive so what do we do?

We try another bloody app!

It's also really hard to export and import into different apps.

The reason we have a million different productivity apps is that they all want to do something a little different which is great. This is choice. But, it means that most are not compatible with each other.

Can you imagine if every app was 100% compatible with everything else? All the features, formats and functionality all the same on all apps.

There would be no choice. There would just be one app!

Each time I moved to another app I had to create a new system, change my workflows and try and get into new habits. This took time and made me less productive.

Consistency and being familiar with your tools play a huge part in your productivity.

But, you must always revisit your workflows and systems to make sure they are fitting in with the way you do things. Our lives change so we need our systems to change as well.

I take a look at my workflows in the Summer and just before Christmas when work is quiet.

I don't app swap anymore. I'm with Evernote. I know how to use it and it does what I want and with the new features introduced over the last couple of years I've ditched my task manager app and everything is in Evernote.

Now don't get me started on task apps. Todoist, Toodledoo, Remember the Milk, Wunderlist, ToDo, Outlook, Zoho Tasks … oh god stop it!

Are you guilty of app swapping? How many have you used? Be honest, tell me in the comments!

JohnnyC

Mar 17, 2023Liked by Jon Tromans

I think it entirely depends on how often you swap. In the past I have been a serial swapper and absolutely I wasted my time. I was more interested in the apps themselves than the productivity I gained from them (which turned out to be very little 'cause I kept swapping).

I forced myself in 2020 to stick with the apps I was using. To give them at least a six-month chance. Specifically for notes that meant Apple Notes, which I had recently moved to from either evernote, notion, roam, bear, simplenote, or something else entirely (I have at one time used them all I think).

Apple Notes has been great! I have benefited from kicking the habit of swapping and really learning the tool. But now nearly three years on, I have hit some limits that have led me to another look at the note-taking app landscape. Some apps are gone. Some new apps are out there. And some have improved. It's been helpful to me to see what I've built with Apple Notes and see the limitations I've also been under (which is true of all apps).

I like what I see with this version of Evernote. Tables alone (compared to Apple Notes) is a major reason why I think I'm swapping. I will be more productive with my projects if I have more robust table functionality in my notes app. Period, end of story. Plus backlinks and better in-line images and a few other things too. Being patient with Apple Notes allowed me to learn what I need and what I don't. What features matter and what features don't (to me).

So my long-winded point is, serial swapping is what you're referring to. And it's not productive. Agreed. But an occasional re-examination of what's out in the market is healthy and probably wise. Just pause at some point and let your choice work for you until it no longer does.

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1 reply by Jon Tromans