Thread by @HeyJennyLee

1️⃣4️⃣ reasons to switch to Apple Notes for your second brain

In the name of digital simplicity and keeping things ASAP (as simple as possible), I now use Apple Notes as my second brain.

👇 Read why in this thread 👇

For more about digital simplicity, follow me @HeyJennyLee.

🧠 Does it seem controversial to use the most basic app for your second brain?

Despite its simplicity, Apple Notes is a native powerhouse that’s more accessible, more nimble, and downright prettier.

#tweet100 #BASBinAppleNotes #BASB

✨ Here are 14 reasons why switching to Apple Notes for your second brain is a great decision for you. 💫

#ship30for30

1️⃣ Quick Notes is a game-changer

End of thread. *mic drop*

Just kidding (well kinda).

But seriously, Quick Notes is the reason a lot of people are using Apple Notes more if not abandoning their old note-taking apps entirely. 🤔

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With the iPad, you can swipe up from the bottom-right corner anytime—anywhere—and jot down a thought that you want to remember and sort through later.

And now on Monterey OS, you can access Quick Notes with the 🌐+Q keyboard shortcut anytime, anywhere. 🤯

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Quick Notes is the equivalent of sticky notes or scraps of paper littered across your desk—but Quick Notes allows to collect these messy typed or handwritten thoughts digitally and stacks them neatly in your Smart Notes folder.

2️⃣ Apple Notes is faster ⚡️

No slow load or complex sign-in process. No matter your devices, Apple Notes is there for you, ready to capture ideas and doodles.

Plus, it syncs super fast, so if you make a change on one device, it’ll show up immediately on another.

3️⃣ Apple Notes is simpler 🧘🏻‍♀️

Yes, Apple Notes is becoming more robust with new features.

But at its core, it’s one of the simplest note-taking apps you can use.

That means: small learning curve, intuitive interface, and just enough to do what it’s meant to do without bloat.

4️⃣ Apple Notes is free or the least expensive 💴

At installation, Apple Notes is 100% free.

If and when you need to pay for iCloud storage (which ranges from $1 to $10 monthly), it will also cover the notes and attachments you have in Apple Notes.

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(Because Apple Notes is wrapped up into iCloud, the monthly payment works as an umbrella cloud storage solution, making it less expensive and lower hassle than juggling multiple monthly payments—even if they’re as low as $4 per month.)

5️⃣ Get super organized with folders in Apple Notes 📁

Create a new folder quickly with the keyboard shortcut CMD+Shift+N and organize them as you see fit.

With nested folders, you can organize a project in as much detail as you wish (well, with nesting up to 5 levels deep).

6️⃣ Apple Notes has lightning-fast search 🔎

Easily find any note with its lightning fast Search.

So if you’d rather not use a super-detailed folder organization system and use one folder with reckless abandon? Just find what you’re looking for with Search.

7️⃣ Handwritten notes are searchable in Apple Notes ✍️

Looking for that note you jotted down with your Apple Pencil in Notes?

Search will cover both typed text AND handwritten text. Yes, even your chicken scratch. 🐓

8️⃣ Spotlight Search covers Apple Notes 🔦

Oh—and yet another 🤯 tip: you can search Apple Notes with Spotlight search.

Hit CMD+Spacebar anywhere on your Mac, and you're well on your way to finding the exact note you need.

Even the stuff you wrote by hand.

9️⃣ Access Apple Notes anywhere, even if you lose all of your tech

Lose your bag with all of your devices? 😫

With an internet connection and a browser, you can access your Apple Notes (amongst the rest of your Apple stuff) at icloud .com and sign in quickly and easily.

🔟 Lock individual Apple Notes

Did you want to write something that's password-protected?

Lock the note, and then re-access it with TouchID or your Apple Notes password.

Keep those prying eyes away 👀

1️⃣1️⃣ Blast an Apple Note directly into other apps

For example, send any Apple Note into the journaling app Day One quickly.

- Highlight a portion of your note
- Right-click 🖱
- Go to Services > Add to Day One.

Your highlighted text will immediately show up in @dayoneapp. 📓

1️⃣2️⃣ Translate quickly in Apple Notes

Use the built-in translate feature to highlight any block of text and:

- Create a translation
- Say it out loud

This is a more streamlined than the Translate app itself, especially if you’re translating for written communication. 📱

1️⃣3️⃣ Share Apple Notes

With Monterey OS, you can use @ mentions to tag someone. 👋

You can also view changes easily with tracking and activity logs.

Plus, multiple people can work on an Apple Note simultaneously, making it a decent alternative to Doogle Docs. 🤓

1️⃣4️⃣ Writing in Apple Notes is a dream

Fellow writers—if you’ve ever tried to write in Nevernote or Potion, you know that those apps actually feel too complex for writing.

Buckle in, this is the last reason to switch to Apple Notes, and it's a big one 🤩

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Apple Notes is a writer’s paradise.

Outline ideas quickly or write full pieces all in Apple Notes, and with quick formatting shortcuts you have an intuitive way to organize your piece as you write.

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Some of my formatting favorite shortcuts for writing:

- CMD+Shift+H for headlines, like H2’s in blog posts
- CMD+Shift+9 for numbered lists (aka ordered lists)

And unlike Potion, CMD+A in Apple Notes actually highlights “all”… not just the current block you’re on.

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With the simplicity of Apple Notes, you'll be able to focus on the writing process without distraction of heavy or slow features bogging you down. 💫

Thx for reading! 🤗

Are you considering switching to Apple Notes for your second brain? Reply with questions or thoughts!

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