Every since the Covid-19 pandemic tools for working collaboration and work organization grew immense popularity and in the tailwind of Microsofts popular Office suite Microsoft Teams become super fast the one tool that everyone uses for work collaboration. But there is more around and for me these are exiting times because so many new tools and concepts arise. There is the big boom of Notion, which is becoming in a certain target group the all-in-one organize everything tool with an huge ecosystem. On the other hand I am totally amazed by Obsidian or logseq which are new style personal note taking apps with enhanced features like knowledge graphs etc.
Hottest Tools at the moment
Notion
Notion is a versatile all-in-one workspace application that allows users to organize and manage their personal and professional tasks, projects, notes, and knowledge in a unified platform. It was founded in 2013 and has gained significant popularity for its flexible and customizable features.
Key Features of Notion:
- Blocks-based Interface: Notion is built around the concept of blocks, which can be text, images, tables, code snippets, to-do lists, embedded media, and more. Users can combine these blocks to create various types of content and layouts, making it highly adaptable to different use cases.
- Page Hierarchy: Notion allows users to create a hierarchical structure of pages and sub-pages, enabling them to organize their information in a logical and nested manner.
- Databases and Tables: Users can create databases with customizable properties and use them to store and organize structured data. Tables can be filtered, sorted, and grouped based on different properties, making it an excellent tool for project tracking and task management.
- Templates and Pre-built Blocks: Notion provides a wide range of templates and pre-built blocks for different use cases, such as meeting notes, project planning, to-do lists, and more. These templates help users get started quickly and efficiently.
- Rich Media Embeds: Notion supports embedding various types of media, including videos, images, maps, and more. This makes it easy to integrate content from external sources into Notion pages.
- Real-time Collaboration: Notion supports real-time collaboration, allowing multiple users to work on the same page simultaneously. Users can leave comments and mention others to enhance teamwork and communication.
- Offline Access: Notion offers offline access, enabling users to continue working even when they are not connected to the internet. Changes made offline will be synced when the user reconnects.
- Cross-platform Compatibility: Notion is available on various platforms, including web browsers, macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android, ensuring that users can access their workspace from any device.
- Security and Permissions: Notion provides features for controlling access and permissions to different pages and databases, ensuring that sensitive information remains secure.
Overall, Notion’s strength lies in its flexibility and adaptability to different workflows. It has become popular among individuals, teams, and organizations for managing tasks, projects, notes, and knowledge in a single, organized environment.
Obsidian
Obsidian is a popular personal knowledge management (PKM) application that is designed to help users organize and connect their notes, ideas, and information in a highly flexible and interconnected manner. It is primarily used for creating a digital knowledge base and is favored by individuals who engage in note-taking, writing, and research.
Key Features of Obsidian:
- Markdown-based: Obsidian uses Markdown as its primary file format, making it easy for users to create and format text notes with simple syntax. Markdown allows for clean and distraction-free writing, and it also ensures compatibility with other Markdown-based applications.
- Linking and Backlinking: A standout feature of Obsidian is its bidirectional linking capability. When a user creates a link to another note, Obsidian automatically generates a backlink from the linked note to the original one. This creates a powerful web of connections between notes, fostering the growth of a knowledge graph.
- Graph View: Obsidian’s Graph View is a visual representation of the interconnectedness of notes within the knowledge base. It helps users visualize relationships between ideas and navigate through their notes more effectively.
- Local Storage and Privacy: Obsidian stores all data locally on the user’s device, which means notes are not stored on external servers. This enhances privacy and gives users full control over their data.
- Customization and Plugins: Obsidian is highly customizable, allowing users to modify the user interface, themes, and CSS to suit their preferences. Additionally, it supports third-party plugins that extend its functionality and integrate with other tools.
- Tags and Search: Users can organize notes using tags and leverage the powerful search functionality to quickly find relevant information within their knowledge base.
- Versioning and Backups: Obsidian automatically tracks changes made to notes and supports versioning, enabling users to revert to previous versions if needed. It’s also advisable to set up regular backups to ensure data security.
- Community and Collaboration: Obsidian has an active user community, and users often share their tips, plugins, and themes. While Obsidian itself is primarily a local-first app, users can collaborate using version control systems like Git to share and sync their knowledge bases across multiple devices.
Obsidian’s non-linear approach to knowledge management, coupled with its Markdown support and interlinking capabilities, appeals to users who prefer a more organic and flexible way of organizing information. It’s worth noting that the application might have received updates and additional features since my last update, so I recommend checking the official Obsidian website for the most up-to-date information.
Work collaboration apps
- Slack: A widely used messaging and communication platform for real-time team collaboration, file sharing, and integrations with other tools.
- Microsoft Teams: Part of the Microsoft 365 suite, Teams is a comprehensive collaboration platform that includes chat, video conferencing, file sharing, and integration with other Microsoft apps.
- Zoom: A popular video conferencing tool used for virtual meetings, webinars, and online collaboration.
- Google Workspace (formerly G Suite): Google Workspace provides a suite of collaboration and productivity tools, including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and more.
- Asana: A task and project management platform with collaboration features that facilitate teamwork and task tracking.
- Trello: A visual project management tool that uses boards, lists, and cards to help teams collaborate and manage tasks.
- Jira: Primarily used by software development teams, Jira is a powerful project management and issue tracking tool.
- Basecamp: Known for its simplicity, Basecamp offers project management, communication, and file sharing features for collaborative work.
- Monday.com: A flexible work operating system that helps teams manage projects, tasks, and workflows.
- Figma: A collaborative design tool that enables teams to create, prototype, and collaborate on designs in real-time.
- Miro: A collaborative online whiteboard platform that allows teams to brainstorm, visualize ideas, and work together on visual projects.
- Dropbox: A cloud storage and file-sharing platform that facilitates collaboration on documents and files.
Note taking apps
- Evernote: A versatile note-taking app that allows you to capture and organize various types of information, including text, images, audio, and more.
- OneNote: Part of the Microsoft Office suite, OneNote is a digital notebook that enables users to take notes, draw, clip web pages, and organize content in a hierarchical manner.
- Notion: Although primarily a personal knowledge management app, Notion also offers robust note-taking capabilities with its block-based interface.
- Apple Notes: Pre-installed on iOS and macOS devices, Apple Notes is a simple note-taking app that syncs across Apple devices.
- Google Keep: A lightweight note-taking app by Google that allows users to create and organize notes, checklists, and images.
- Bear: A beautifully designed note-taking app for macOS and iOS users, known for its Markdown support and seamless synchronization.
- Simplenote: A straightforward and minimalistic note-taking app that focuses on simplicity and fast syncing.
- Zoho Notebook: An app that supports multimedia-rich notes, checklists, sketches, and web clippings, with synchronization across devices.
- GoodNotes: Primarily for Apple users, GoodNotes is a popular app for handwritten note-taking and annotations.
- Notability: Another well-regarded app for Apple devices, Notability excels in handwritten and audio note-taking.
- Joplin: An open-source note-taking app that supports end-to-end encryption and synchronization.
- Obsidian: A Markdown-based knowledge management app, which can also be used effectively for note-taking and linking notes.
- Simplenote: A clean and minimalistic note-taking app with syncing across devices.
Tasks management and project management apps
- Todoist: A widely used task manager with a clean interface, cross-platform support, and features like project organization, labels, due dates, and priority levels.
- Trello: A visual project management tool that uses boards, lists, and cards to help users manage tasks and projects collaboratively.
- Asana: A task and project management platform that facilitates team collaboration and task tracking. It offers a variety of features to manage projects efficiently.
- Microsoft To Do: A simple and intuitive task manager that integrates well with other Microsoft products like Outlook and Microsoft 365.
- Notion: While Notion is primarily a personal knowledge management app, it can also be used for task management, especially for individuals who prefer a more flexible and customizable approach.
- Wunderlist (acquired by Microsoft and transitioned into Microsoft To Do): Formerly a popular task management app, Wunderlist has been merged into Microsoft To Do.
- Todo.txt: A plain text-based task management system that allows for easy task entry and organization using simple text files.
- TickTick: A task manager with features like recurring tasks, reminders, custom lists, and collaboration options.
- Any.do: A task manager that helps users create to-do lists, reminders, and tasks with a simple and user-friendly interface.
- ClickUp: A comprehensive productivity platform that offers task management, project management, time tracking, and more, making it suitable for both individuals and teams.