One App vs Multiple Apps – Personal Knowledge Management
In the age of digital note-taking, I see a continuous debate between using a single app versus multiple apps for organising and managing information and note-taking / sense-making. There are a plethora of apps out there, each with their special golden nugget about why it is the best app for you. Each app is built slightly differently, and although you might like one app, there is a special feature in another app that you need to complete your best work.
I am not talking about day and night differences in apps (take Photoshop and Excel, for instance) but more about similar apps that offer something slightly different (take Notion and Obsidian, for example).
What do you do? Do you stick to your one app and plough through to make things work, or do you divest from the golden egg and start to bring in other apps? Does the additional feature make it worthwhile to invest the time and effort in a new app (which may carry an additional cost), or is this another way to procrastinate while seeming busy?
Taking the one app vs multiple apps approach has its pros and cons, and the choice ultimately depends on your preferences and specific use cases, but I wanted to touch upon some key differences and highlight my thinking.
Pros and Cons
First, let’s consider the pros and cons of using One app vs using Multiple apps:
ApproachProsConsUsing One AppUnified Organization: Simplicity and consistency in note-takingLimited Functionality: Potential lack of specialised featuresEfficiency: Quick access and streamlined workflowOver-Reliance: Single point of failureEase of Backup and Syncing: Simplified data management.Scalability Issues: Possible performance slowdowns with large volumes of notes.Cost-Effective: Savings on subscription fees.Using Multiple AppsSpecialised Features: Access to the best tools for specific tasksComplexity: Steeper learning curve and potential for confusionRedundancy: Backup options reduce risk of data lossIncreased Costs: Higher total subscription feesFocus and Organization: Separation of concerns helps keep information organizedIntegration Challenges: Difficulty ensuring seamless integration and avoiding data silos.
The key takeaways from the above, I find are:
One app – means you have a centralised place to store all your notes. No need to think, does this fit better here or there? And more importantly, when retrieving a note, there is no need to think, did I save it in app A, or app C? There is also the cost aspect. Nowadays, each app costs USD X / month – 1 app can save some subscription fees.
The one app approach does mean you are reliant on only one service. The service goes down / stops getting updated – do you find yourself in a sticky situation?
Lack of features – the one app approach means that you are stuck in the environment of that app. Another app might do something a lot better (take the Excel vs Word example – yes, you can do tables in Word, but if you want any more functionality, you start to question your sanity of not using Excel).
The one app means you make due with what is available and do not overcomplicate matters. From my time searching around the internet, I have seen such complex system that you start to question whether the user actually gets anything done.
So, having said all of the above, what do I think?
Personal Thought
Personally, I am a one app user. I much prefer having one central place for everything instead of notes being scattered all over the place. I start to lose the power to function when things get messy. Input is one thing. As they say, you get out what you put in and I dislike thinking where to store something, but output is another. Being able to run a search in one place and find what I need is the whole purpose of taking notes. There is no benefit in me having to open and search four apps to find what I need when I need it.
I also find that less is more. If I bring in more than one app, I need to create an intricate system or have different flows for different things. All I am trying to do it take a few notes and be done with it. I also want to make full use of the app that I use, for what it is actually there to be used for. Input some things, and output others based on what I need in that moment of time.
I think a lot of PKM users are swayed by apps by their shiny covers or their excellent input system, but have you actively tried to retrieve information. If I have my work meeting notes in one place, but research on the industry in another but both are quite heavily linked together, when I need to bring together a report or findings, I need to check two places as opposed to everything being in one home.
Having said the above, I am not a sucker. For example, I like taking handwritten notes – I am not going to hack my note-taking tool so that I can half a half-baked means of taking handwritten notes. No, I will use OneNote on my tablet, OCR the notes / convert to text and then store them in my notes app.
Conclusion: Which Approach is Best?
The decision between using one app versus multiple apps for note-taking largely depends on your personal preferences and specific needs. If you value simplicity, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, a single app might be the best choice. Apps like Notion, Obsidian, or Evernote offer comprehensive features that can cater to most note-taking needs within one platform.
However, if you require specialised features, value redundancy, and are comfortable managing a more complex system, using multiple apps might be more beneficial. This approach allows you to leverage the unique strengths of different tools, ensuring that you have the best possible solution for each specific task. For example, you might use Notion for project management, Logseq for personal knowledge management, and Tana for collaborative work.
Ultimately, the best approach is the one that aligns with your workflow, enhances your productivity, and meets your organisational needs. Experimenting with both methods can provide insights into what works best for you, allowing you to create a note-taking system that is both efficient and effective.
My personal thought is: one app > multiple apps.
Thank you very much for reading and if you have any comments or a different point of view, I would love to hear it.