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  • State of the Apps 2023

    Cortex by Myke Hurley and CGP Grey is one of my favorite podcasts and I eagerly look forward to each episode. Every year, in the penultimate episode of the year, they talk about the most important apps and services they currently use. And then, the always worth reading Mere Civilian also recently wrote an article under that theme. Last year, I actually wanted to do the same, but then didn’t for reasons I don’t remember. This year, however, the time has come. Which apps do I use every day? What has changed in the last year? And where do I see potential for new apps in my life? Let’s go!

    I see two trends in my app usage over the past year: on the one hand, I’ve returned to a few core apps that form the absolute backbone of my workflow. On the other hand, there was some real movement for the first time in a while. I discovered a few new apps that absolutely have the potential to be more than just brief love affairs. But one after the other.

    Note: I have been a very satisfied customer of Setapp for several years. Setapp is probably already a household name to many, but I’ll explain it briefly anyway. Setapp is basically an app subscription where you pay $9.99 a month and get access to a huge range of high quality apps. Examples are BetterTouchTool, Bartender, MarginNote, or Ulysses. I want to write another longer article on this as well. For now, it suffices to say that I mark apps I get through Setapp with a star in this post. If you feel like supporting me for my work and trying out Setapp, feel free to register via my link: Register for Setapp. I will then receive a small commission. Thank you very much!

    Browser

    For 11 1/2 months, the browser category was clearly in the first column: Apple’s default browser Safari was set. And why not? It’s a damn good browser. It’s integrated with the operating system, consumes few resources, is optimized for security and has recently added tab groups. So you can store certain websites in a group and preserve them for later. Especially when you work in different contexts, this is quite practical. Everything is fine, you might think.

    But then I got a mail from the Browser Company. This is the company behind Arc, a new browser based on Chrome. I had put myself on the waiting list for the beta a few weeks before, and now the time had come. And I have to say that I really like Arc. It’s definitely a browser for power users. Very keyboard oriented. Many good ideas. I particularily like that you can create so called Easels which basically are web canvasses to collect all kinds of website snippets in one place. Here you can see my Easel/collection for some of the books I’d like to read in 2023:

    It would lead too far, if I would explain all this here. For that I would simply refer to the page of Arc itself. Arc is certainly not for everyone, but if you like to try a new app, you should give Arc a chance. I have an invitation code here that works five times. So if you are fast enough, you can start right away: https://arc.net/gift/e560c538. All codes have already been used, sorry! There are five new codes, woohoo: https://arc.net/gift/cc0eb3fe.

    E-Mails

    Here I went the opposite way. I started the year with Mailmate, at least on the Mac. Mailmate is a damn good, very classic mail app that gets to the essentials, but does it very well. The problem is that it’s developed by a single indie developer, and the update pace isn’t terribly fast. Still, I was quite pleased. With the latest versions of macOS and iOS, however, Apple has done quite a bit for its own app Mail, including a much better search and a send-later feature. These innovations brought me back to Apple Mail, simply because it’s easier to use the same app on all platforms.

    Writing and Thinking

    Obsidian. I don’t need to say much more than that. My love for Obsidian should be known if you look around a bit on the blog here. I use Obsidian for all my work. I take notes, write texts, think in Obsidian. Both for my work as a research assistant, as a PhD student and also for the blog. I hope to write a post this year explaining my Obsidian configuration. The last update on this was quite a while ago and even though much has stayed the same, some things have changed. One important detail is that this year I moved to making Obsidian my task manager. I abandoned OmniFocus for it, as I wrote about in this article. My experiments with alternative task managers were very short-lived and eventually I ended up with Obsidian here as well. I’ll hopefully write an article about that soon as well.

    File Management

    Again, there is a simple answer and that is DevonThink. I have described the reasons in this post: My newfound love for DevonThink.

    Literature Management

    Nothing works without Zotero. Everything that is scientific literature ends up there. My library is organized in folders, so it’s very traditional. However, I have moved away from storing the PDFs in Zotero as well. They are now all in Devonthink. There, I copy the item link and add it to the respective entry in Zotero (right click on the entry > Add Attachment > Attach Link to URI) and I have a hyperlink to the file in Devonthink. I like this better because Devonthink is where my files are for me. Other applications like Zotero only use this resource by linking to it. Easy linkability is the key here.

    Reading

    I have to differentiate here. I use different apps depending on the use case. For a long time now, I no longer get my news via social media, but via RSS subscriptions. My app of choice for a long time was Reeder, but for about half a year now it’s been NetNewsWire. The reason is that I like NetNewsWire’s simple design very much and especially the RSS engine behind it is extremely good. I have subscribed to quite a few feeds and yet the updating is extremely fast.

    But that is only for receiving articles. I rarely actually read texts in NetNewsWire. Generally, I send articles I want to read to my read-later app. That was Matter for a long time. A few weeks ago, however, I finally got into the beta of Readwise Reader and here I feel I’ve arrived completely. I’ve been using Readwise (the web service) for a long time and I can’t imagine my workflow without it, because Readwise keeps everything together in the background, as you can read here: Readwise – My new Information Hub?. The Reader is a fantastic addition to my workflow, especially because it allows me to read and mark web articles. The highlights then go via Readwise directly into my Obsidian Vault. It couldn’t be easier. If you want to have a trial month, you can do so via my referral link. This will give you and me a free month.

    But then there is the not inconsiderable amount of literature that I am reading for my PhD or for work. If it’s just to get a quick impression of the usefulness of a text, I just do that with PDF Expert. I still have an old license and don’t pay any subscription fees. That’s also quite enough for me and I’ll use the app until it falls apart. But when it comes to really getting through text and making it usable for my own work, MarginNote is the app of choice. MarginNote allows me in a fairly unique way to read multiple documents, mark them up, and rearrange parts of them so that I build up a tapestry of knowledge that I can then use again for my own writing. This is something that classic PDF readers can’t do, but that I need for scientific work. This is another topic I hope to cover in the coming year. For a long time I used LiquidText for this purpose, but recently I was no longer in agreement with the direction of development and MarginNote simply fits better overall.

    For literature that I simply read for recreation, I use either the Kindle app or Apple’s own Books app. Depending on where I bought the book.

    Grab Bag

    Hookmark*

    First and foremost here is Hookmark, which until recently was just called Hook. Hookmark is a little helper, but it is very useful for me, because you can link any files with it. Most often I use it for mails. I open a mail, invoke Hookmark and copy a Markdown link to this mail. I then paste the link into a project note in Obsidian, for example, and can quickly and easily access that mail again. It’s the same principle as with the links in Zotero to files in DevonThink. I’m all about speed and simplicity. Of course, I could just search for the mail, but it’s much more convenient to click on a link in a note.

    Transloader*

    I couldn’t live without Transloader anymore. With Transloader I can open a link on my iPhone or iPad and send it to my Mac. There the link opens automatically the next time I log into my MacBook. I find that incredibly handy because I’m always thinking of things while I’m on the go or I’m searching for something on DuckDuckGo and want to take a closer look at it later. Of course, I could use DevonThink for that, or even a Readlater app. But somehow it’s all too cumbersome for me, and knowing that I’ll just see it again automatically when I sit down at my Mac is fantastic.

    Timery

    I’ve already written about Timery here and nothing has changed since then. The app is fantastic and has only gotten better with the latest update. Now there is also an app for the Apple Watch, which is very handy when you don’t have a device at hand, but a timer is still running.

    Mela

    Last but not least, an app that has nothing to do with productivity, but is all the more important for my well-being: Mela. Mela is a recipe app from Silvio Rizzi, the developer of Reeder. I love this app because it is simply a perfectly formed piece of software. You pay once and then you can import all sorts of recipes from various sources, categorize them and customize them with ease. Plus there is a special cooking mode that customizes the interface and many other conveniences. I love to cook and Mela is just the right companion for that.

    The tools fit

    I feel like I’m in a good place when it comes to apps. Over the years, I’ve been eliminating more and more construction sites in my workflow. Obsidian has certainly played the biggest part in that. In fact, the last major gap was the question of which read-later app I use. Here the answer seems to be found with Readwise Reader. I was only surprised to switch to Arc and thus a new browser. At least for now. We’ll see if this switch becomes permanent, or if I go back to Safari sooner or later. In any case, I’m looking forward to working with my tools again in 2023, because one thing is clear anyway: You have to do the work yourself, no matter how good the tools are.

  • How to use Focus Modes on Apple’s devices

    So, I’ve written about how Focus modes really could be a first step towards user profiles on the iPad a couple of weeks ago. In this article, however, I barely talked about how to set them up. That’s why I’d like to give a short how-to and also show my own focus modes to get you an idea of what is possible.

    —

    How to set up focus modes on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

    (This guide has been developed for macOS. The process on iPad and iPhone, however, is just about the same, so the guide should be easily applicable to all of Apple’s devices. If I have overlooked something, please [tell me](mailto:[email protected]).

    1. Open the Settings app
    2. Go to Focus
    3. Tap on Add Focus.
    4. There, you have a couple of pre-configured filters, as well as the possibility to add a custom one. For getting to know the feature, you want to make sure to click/tap *Custom*.
    5. There, you have to enter a name for your new focus mode, choose a color, and a glyph.
    6. When you click *Okay*, you’ll be presented with the actual configuration screen. This screen is split up into three sections: Notifications, Schedule, and Focus Filters.
      • Let’s get started with Notifications. Here, you can decide which people, and what apps, are allowed to send you notifications when a particular focus mode is active. For people, you can either allow certain people, or silence them. The second section then deals with calls. The first setting allows you to determine whether everyone, only people you put on the allow list one step above, favorites, or contacts can call you in this focus mode. The second setting will let you set whether a second call from the same caller will come through, even if they are not in the defined group, or not.
      • Moving on to Schedule. Here, you can set time-, location, or app-based triggers on when to activate a certain focus mode. I, for one, have my reading focus mode to be activated whenever I open one of my reading apps. More on that later on.
      • Focus Filters are a really nice, and potentially powerful addition to Focus. It basically gives app developers the possibility to tie in the Focus feature so that you can configure what a certain app shows you whenever you turn on a focus mode. For example, you could (de)activate your work mailbox when you are in your leisure focus mode, or vice versa. Currently, not that many developers take advantage of this feature, but I am quite optimistic that this will change in the future.
    7. If you ever want to delete one of your modes, you can do so at the very bottom of each focus mode. Back in the main menu, you can adjust two further settings: The first of them being if you intend to share focus modes across all of your Apple devices. What that means is that if you create a focus mode on your iPhone, it will also show up on your iPad, or Mac, respectively. However, it also means that focus modes will be activated across all of your devices, once you do it on one of them. If you don’t like that behavior, just turn it off. The last setting lets you customize, whether other people can see that you have notifications silenced, or not. I am not sure about how many apps this really support. iMessage does for sure. Other people won’t be able to see the name of your focus mode or anything else, just that you have notifications silenced. This can be set on a per-focus basis.
    8. Optional (on iPhone, and iPad): Customize Screens. On your iPhone, you can choose between three screens to customize: your iPhone’s lock screen, the home screen pages that should be displayed, and (if you own one) an Apple Watch watch face.
    Some screenshots to illustrate the process

    What focus modes do I use?

    I am a heavy focus user, so it should come at no surprise that I configured quite a lot: seven to be precise (not counting good, old *Do Not Disturb*): Driving, Fitness, Reading, Sleep, Travel, Weekend, and Work. *Driving* is automatically configured by Apple, as it is a system feature. It does nothing fancy, except turning off all notifications while driving. All the other modes are custom-made, and to give you a better idea of what they entail, I’ll summarize them in the table below:









    Focus Mode






    		NotificationsLock Screen Style + WidgetsNo. of Home Screens + which appsWatch FaceScheduleFocus Filters
    FitnessSpouse + Workout-related appsGreen Color Gradient / Activity Rings, Step Count1, only Workout-related appsno changeEvery time when I start a workout on Apple Watch–
    ReadingSpouse + Find MyOrange Color Gradient / no widgets1, only reading appssame face, different colorsEvery time, I open a reading app like Kindle, or Apple BooksNoir: Set Sepia Theme
    SleepNoneBlack / no widgets1, only Sleep-related apps like Clock, Dark Noise, or Booksnight watch face with big numbersTime-based, 11pm-06:30am–
    TravelSpouse + Family, no limit on appsWeather style / Activity Rings, Batteries, Flighty1, only Travel-related apps like Flighty, Maps, Wallet, ticket appsno changeManually–
    WeekendNo limitsPhoto Rotation / no widgetsno changeno changeWeekends from 6:30 am to 11:00 pm–
    WorkSpouse + a couple of work-related appsWeather style / Calendar widget, shortcut to Obsidian Inboxno changeSolar Dial Watch FaceWeekdays from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm–

    I hope this short article helps you to use Apple’s Focus Mode feature, which has become significantly better with the most recent OS updates. They are already pretty useful, and will most likely become even more so with future iterations of iOS/macOS.

  • Apple’s iPad lineup is a mess – Where is the journey heading?

    Apple’s iPad lineup is a mess – Where is the journey heading?

    Last Tuesday Apple updated its iPad lineup. In addition to the entry-level iPad, which is now in its 10th generation, the two iPad Pros were also updated. But anyone who now thinks that this presents the iPad product category in a good light is mistaken. On the contrary: Apple makes strange decisions that confuse users and simply do not make sense. Furthermore, models are neglected, which raises many questions.

    Little love for the pros

    Let’s start with the update for the iPad Pros, which are still available in the 11″ and 12.9″ sizes. Here, the few rumors that existed in the run-up were even undercut. Among other things, it had been speculated that the Pro line could get a kind of Magsafe connector, possibly at the back of the iPads. That turned out to be hot air. Instead, basically only the processor was changed: from M1 it went up one iteration to M2. However, the processor was already so good before that the vast majority of users never even scratched the surface of its full capabilities – let alone got into real trouble due to performance limitations. Thus, it is of course a nice update, but not a reason that would necessarily justify a new purchase. And then there is the tiresome topic of display technology. In the last iteration, the big 12.9 iPad Pro got a mini-LED display, which which should lead to way better color quality and brightness levels. The small sibling stayed with the old regular LED technology. Now, of course, it was expected that Apple would use the refresh as a chance to establish parity here. Fiddlesticks! Even after the „update“, the small iPad Pro still has the old display technology. This is really incomprehensible and not acceptable.

    An entry-level iPad that is simply too expensive

    After I have dealt with my great disappointment about the lack of updates for the Pros, I want to turn to nicer things. The standard iPad, which is now on the market in its tenth version, has received an update that deserves the name.

    First of all, there are the externals. The iPad 10 now has the same design as all other current iPads. That means flattened edges, a narrower display border, and no more home button. Instead, there is now Touch ID in the frame, as we already know from the iPad Air. The new colors are also striking: Where there was only Space Grey and Silver before, there are now Silver, Yellow, Pink and Blue. This is great and absolutely welcome, because the iPad 10 no longer looks like a relic from a bygone era. Especially because the inner workings have also been modernized. The iPad 10 now has the A14 Bionic processor and the camera has 12, instead of 8, megapixels, the Lighting connector has been replaced by USB-C and there is a 5G option. All in all, it is a well-rounded device.

    Apple did not stop there, however, and also gave the iPad 10 a brand-new keyboard that should make many mobile work enthusiasts happy. This keyboard has just about everything you could want in an iPad keyboard. It is modular, so you can also just use the back as a cover. At the same time, it has nice keys, a row of function keys (!), a trackpad, and a kickstand in the back to prop up the iPad. Personally, I would not have expected Apple to launch such a product.

    So all is well with the iPad 10? Not at all. Unfortunately. Considering that this is supposed to be Apple’s entry-level iPad, one question comes to mind: Who is actually going to pay this? A quick calculation: I’m a student in my first semester and am looking for a device for the lecture hall and the library. I primarily want to read lecture notes and edit PDFs. The iPad 10 should be perfect for that. Actually, I would like to take the model with 256GB, but then still decide for the one with 64GB. Only Wifi, no cellular. But it would have to be an Apple Pencil and the new Magic Keyboard Folio keyboard. That adds up to an incredible $ 797. If you try to buy the same combo in the European Union, things get even worse. Way worse. The final price tag will show € 997! Three euros more and the sound barrier of one thousand euros would be broken. That’s insane! If you want an Apple entry-level iPad with pen and keyboard, you’ll pay almost 1,000€. Which pupil, which student, which occasional user is willing (or able) to spend so much money? This is where Apple should urgently act. In my eyes, it should be possible to get a package of iPad, pen and keyboard for around 500-600€. We are currently miles away from that. I haven’t even mentioned that the iPad 10 only supports the first-generation Apple Pencil – despite the new design. So you don’t even get the latest technology, but an accessory that was introduced in 2015.

    Outlook: What would a compelling iPad lineup look like?

    This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that the entire lineup doesn’t make sense. Why the iPad Air still exists, for example, is a big mystery. Of course, the Air does a few things better than the iPad 10. The display, for example, is much better, so there are not two opinions. Overall, however, you have to look for the differences with a magnifying glass, as a look at Apple’s comparison page shows.

    And on the other side, the new Magic Keyboard Folio keyboard is only available for the iPad 10. Why, Apple?

    iPads have not become bad products overnight. On the contrary, iPads are fantastic tablets that can be enjoyed for years. But the product lineup makes no sense and is confusing. The Pros haven’t gotten significant updates in a long time, the Air is pretty much, well, up in the air, and the supposedly entry-level iPad is too expensive for the purpose. If I could wish for something, that would be a true entry-level iPad for well under €500, an iPad in the middle (e.g. the Air) that is clearly different from the cheapest iPad, and preferably up to three Pro iPads that are then available in different sizes (e.g. 11, 13 and 15 inches). Add to that a simple, inexpensive keyboard and one that costs more but comes with significantly more features, as well as the Apple Pencil, of course. That would be a comprehensible and yet differentiated lineup.

    Photo by Daniel Korpai on Unsplash

  • Are Focus Modes actually iPad Profiles?

    Again and again, I hear the demand that iPads should have user profiles, as we know them from the Mac. As you know, you can create user accounts there so that several people can use one and the same Mac. This is not possible on the iPad. And it might be even more useful here, since an iPad is usually not a device that is in constant use. It would be obvious, for example, that a family shares an iPad. At the moment, only schools have the option to create multiple users per iPad.

    And no, Apple has not introduced profiles with iPadOS 14. But maybe they will come through the back door? Last year we got a new focus functionality. Where for years you could only choose between Do not disturb and the normal mode, it is now possible to create and configure additional focus modes. Among other things, you can set which people can reach you and which apps are allowed to notify you. This year, the feature was then both simplified and expanded. And with that, we might be on our way to a feature that could almost be creatively repurposed for multi-user profiles.

    The same iPad, hardly recognizable.

    Not only can you determine which apps and contacts you want to hear from, but you can also configure the homescreen, for example. You can also add an app to multiple homescreens, which makes it possible to determine individually and per focus (or per user) which apps appear there and which do not. This is great for thematic focuses, such as a reading focus, which I like to use. When I activate this, all notifications are deactivated, because I don’t want to be disturbed while reading. Beyond that, I also activate a special homescreen that otherwise remains invisible. There you can find all the reading apps that I normally use: Apple Books, Kindle, apps from libraries and newspapers.

    Screenshot of Reading Focus Mode in Settings App on iPad

    With the new iOS and iPadOS, however, so-called focus filters are now added. And they potentially take the whole system to a new level. These focus filters make it possible to filter content in apps. Currently, this primarily applies to some applications from Apple itself. In the Calendar app, various calendars can be shown and hidden, in Mail the same goes for certain mail accounts and in Safari it is possible to filter tab groups. And even though only a few third-party apps use this functionality so far, I’m optimistic that this will change soon. Currently, for example, the well-known writing app Drafts is a pioneer in this regard. For Drafts, you can set which workspace you want to see and which actions are displayed, among other things.

    I realize that a true multi-user mode would be something else, admittedly. For example, there is no password protection here, so there is nothing to stop me from simply disabling one focus and enabling another. And there’s still a lot of room to make more device settings configurable. It’s an interesting move, though, as Apple has shown in recent years that personalization and automation (in the form of shortcuts) are becoming increasingly important. So maybe we’ll soon be at a point where our iPads are suddenly multi-user devices.

  • Philosophical reflections on paperless work

    Philosophical reflections on paperless work

    The new semester starts soon in Germany and also in the USA it is time to get back to school. I would like to take this opportunity to explain what paperless studying or working means to me. What are my concerns, what advantages do I see, and what objections do I have? You could also see this article as my core beliefs in this area. Let’s dive in!

    The default for me is digital. This means that 99% of my work is now done digitally, with the only major exception currently being mail that reaches me in analog form. That doesn’t mean that I have to do everything digitally. For example, I often read physical books. And I think that’s a good thing. At least as long as it’s recreational literature. As soon as I want to work with it, I really try to avoid physical copies, because I can’t simply mark or copy passages. In short: When it comes to work, I curse every piece of analogy. In my free time, it’s a different story.

    Advantages of paperless work

    What do I see as the biggest advantages of a paperless way of working? I see four points in the first place.

    • Searchability / retrievability: Whether an integrated search function, folders, tags, or more recently graphs: All of these ordering and search principles are difficult or impossible to replicate in analog. And yet, for thousands of years, mankind has had to organize knowledge in analog form, and has done so. The existence of libraries is the best proof. And yes, of course there are sophisticated systems for organizing knowledge in analog form. But only in the digital world it is possible to quickly search through huge volumes of data or text, or to analyze them with artificial intelligence. And there’s nothing at all wrong with taking proven concepts for organizing analog data, transferring it to the digital world, and thus combining the best of both worlds.
    • Shareability: My second point is the shareability of digital goods. They don’t become less when you share them, they become more. What an ingenious feature, if you let it roll off your tongue. Of course, people are currently working everywhere to artificially limit or eliminate this incredible advantage. But in general this advantage remains, of course. And anyone who has ever stood in front of the shelf in the university library, only to find that someone else has already borrowed the last copy of the book relevant for the exam, will be happy when he:she finds out that the library has also purchased the eBook version.
    • Space savings and transportability: In my eyes, this is a point that should not be underestimated. The amount of books that used to require entire libraries can now be carried around in your pocket. And even if it’s just for a visit to the university seminar, it’s of course much more pleasant to have just one tablet instead of a pile of paper. And finally, you can’t forget anything at home if everything is in the cloud.
    • New workflows become possible: Perhaps the most important point, and one that I often see given too little consideration. Working digitally also means that certain boundaries suddenly no longer apply. Data can be manipulated and presented in a completely different way than it would ever be with physical works. But we need to consider this fact even more when we develop our tools. It’s great, of course, if you can mark up passages of text with a PDF reader. But basically, that’s just the digital equivalent of an analog action. It only gets fascinating when you go beyond that. Apps like LiquidText or MarginNote are worth mentioning in this regard. These apps do more than what would be possible with paper, and thus expand the space for thought and action. They take a known concept, implement it digitally, and then go a step further to take advantage of the digital opportunities to create a thinking tool that would not be possible in an analog format. In my eyes, Obsidian is also such a thinking tool, which expands our possibilities.

    What about the environment?

    Let’s move on to a topic that is much more controversial: environmental protection. Do we gain more because we save vast amounts of paper, or are the positive effects eaten up again because so much more electricity is suddenly consumed? In addition, there are rare earths that have to be mined and electronic waste that accumulates en masse. And even if sensational news about the huge consumption of streaming etc. was probably a bit exaggerated, it remains undisputed that the Internet and digital services consume an enormous amount of energy. Here’s an interesting study by the International Energy Agency if you want to take a closer look.

    We haven’t even talked about the e-waste mentioned at the beginning. In my eyes, the only solution is to consistently use green energy, recycling and the smart placement of server farms. These should, for example, be located primarily where it is already cold, so as not to require unnecessarily high cooling requirements. I realize that this brings further problems and that short distances from the server to the clients are quite important. But that doesn’t help. Then we just have to work on making this factor less important. At least we are seeing some movement among the big tech companies: Apple wants to become completely climate-neutral by 2030, including its supply chain and production, Google even wants to achieve zero carbon by 2030, Amazon „only“ net zero by 2040.

    Further problems: Haptics, hoarding and the everlasting search for the perfect system

    Then a completely different topic: haptics, sensation, directness. There is something satisfying about quickly flipping through a book or attaching sticky notes. For many, it’s certainly more intuitive than attaching bookmarks in a PDF, and I can understand that. There’s just something about flipping back and forth through a book and comparing notes. That’s why I’m a big fan of alternatives to the classic laptop, especially tablets with a stylus.

    Another problem is digital hoarding. It is of course much easier to collect vast amounts of material in digital than in analog. With just a few clicks, you can download entire libraries, which you then never use productively. So you need ways and means to actually deal with the collected material. What is needed here is self-restraint, then routines to productively process collected knowledge, and finally tools to make the collected knowledge accessible and retrievable again.

    Everyone has to work on self-restraint for themselves. I don’t have a good tip for that. But I do for everything else. It is very useful to always take notes directly on other people‘ texts, lectures, etc., in order to deal with the text. Only if you yourself try to comprehend unfamiliar knowledge, you will be able to really absorb it and understand it in the end, so that you can then deal with it critically. The many new tools that have come onto the market in the last two years or so are ideal for combining knowledge. For me, of course, it’s Obsidian. Links, Backlinks, the Graph View and various other plugins are a great help to not only organize my knowledge, but also to put it in relation to each other. I don’t think I could write my PhD as effectively as I currently do if I didn’t have these tools at my disposal.

    And that brings us right to the point and the last problem: the productivity trap. With all the nice apps, it’s easy to lose focus. I know this only too well from my own experience, that you suddenly spend hours on the new app and completely forget about the actual work. It’s also a good way to trick yourself, because it feels like work, but doesn’t really get you anywhere. At least not in the sense you intended. If you want to know what I mean, you can watch a video by August Bradley about his Notion System. I’ll leave it uncommented at this point. If you want to read more about it, you can do so in this article of mine that I published a good year and a half ago: Tool or Process?.

    What it’s really all about

    It’s about finding a way that suits you personally, is fun, makes your tasks easier, and doesn’t cost more (in the broadest sense) than it saves. It’s not about frantically doing everything digitally just to be “consistent“. But of course digital tools also have great value without making everything better than their analog equivalents. The conclusion from these considerations should be that we shouldn’t try too hard to simply copy analog ways of working into the digital world. Instead, we need to find our own ways to take advantage of the special opportunities. Liquid Text or Obsidian are incredibly powerful in this regard. They exemplify this approach because they bring possibilities to the work that would be impossible to implement in analog form.

    Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

  • How I use visualization to make sense of my notes in Obsidian

    How I use visualization to make sense of my notes in Obsidian

    Obsidian is an incredibly powerful tool. However, it can be difficult at times, to get a sense of all the information in your vault. This is where visualization comes into play. In this two-part series, I’d like to talk about two plugins that help me greatly in working with my data visually: the Kanban plugin by MG Meyers, and Excalibrain by Zsolt Viczián.

    (mehr …)
  • Apple’s WWDC 2022: What does it bring for students and researchers?

    Apple’s WWDC 2022: What does it bring for students and researchers?

    Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference keynote is always one of the most interesting dates in my tech year. I love to see what awaits us in the next iteration of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS, respectively. This Monday, it was that time again.

    (mehr …)
  • Inbox Zero is the path to insanity

    Inbox Zero is the path to insanity

    The idea of ‘Inbox Zero’ is compelling. The promise goes like this: Just clean out your inbox every day and your productivity will soar. And, to a certain degree, this is true in my opinion. It is a good idea to pursue the goal of an empty inbox. By splitting up your mail into different categories and define ways on how to handle them, you can break up the vast number of mails we face every day. I probably should write about my process at some point. But not today. Today, I’d like to write about the underlying motivation of Inbox Zero: Control.

    Inbox Zero makes us feel on top of things.

    But that’s only true as long as we can keep up the pace. Because the problem with Inbox Zero is that it never stops. Inbox Zero doesn’t forgive breaks, doesn’t forgive downtime, doesn’t know vacation. So I argue that, in the long run, Inbox Zero tends to achieve the opposite of what we’re aiming for. It becomes an ever-increasing burden to work on everything anew every day.

    This becomes especially clear when we apply the principle to areas other than just email, as more than a few probably do. Read Later apps like Instapaper are a particularly fatal case. Who doesn’t know it? You collect article after article in the firm belief that one day you’ll read it all. The day will come when the article collection is empty. But that day never comes. Because you always find more articles that sound exciting than you can read. And so the pile gets bigger and bigger. And with it also the bad conscience. On top of that, that’s just reading. We[^1] have been talking for years now about concepts like the Zettelkasten and why it’s so important not only to consume content, but also to work with it, to write notes. When is that supposed to happen, for crying out loud? Who has that kind of time? In the end, completionism destroys you.

    What is a suitable solution?

    I think there can only be one sensible solution: Acceptance. That’s hard, especially if you’re the kind of person who is constantly working on their productivity and having fun doing it. But it just doesn’t work. If you receive (a lot of) e-mails, you simply have to live with the fact that something might slip through. And otherwise reduce where possible. I will probably write a separate article about this soon.

    When it comes to articles or books that should be read, only a radical change in mindset helps. You simply can’t look at reading lists and Read Later apps as a to-do list anymore, but as a reservoir. A reservoir of never-ending, exciting texts. A bit like streaming providers. It’s not like anyone plans to binge-watch the entirety of Netflix.

    I know it’s hard. But it’s the only way if you don’t want to go insane.

    I would like to thank Eleanor Konik for the inspiration for this article. She’s wonderful anyway, and I highly recommend her Obsidian Roundup newsletter to anyone interested in Obsidian. And if you also appreciate entertaining info on obscure topics, her second newsletter ‚The Iceberg‘ is a great place to go!

    Photo by Thiébaud Faix on Unsplash

  • The iPad Buying Guide (April 2022)

    The iPad Buying Guide (April 2022)

    One of the most important questions that arises for paperless studying is that of reading and note-taking. The iPad is generally a good solution for this. In this article, I have a look at all currently available iPad models and answer the question: Which iPad should I buy for university?

    The obvious solution: laptops

    But first, let’s take a quick look at the obvious solution: laptops. If you look into any lecture hall, you will see many, many MacBooks (usually MacBook Airs), supplemented by one or the other Samsung device, rarely Lenovos or others.

    That makes sense, since most people still prefer laptops, as tablets are not „real“ computers. However, it is exactly the other way around when it comes to note-taking. You can take notes very quickly with the right practice, but it becomes immediately more problematic when annotating slides. If you want to add a graphic or a diagram, you are quickly at a loss. Before you have recreated such elements with mouse and keyboard, the professor has long since moved on to the next topic. It is therefore worthwhile to think about whether the laptop is still the most suitable solution for lectures, or whether a tablet or convertible would make more sense.

    However, I would like to say one thing: If the decision is laptop or tablet, I would still go for the laptop. There are certainly cases where you could get by with just a tablet. As a rule, however, a classic laptop is still the more universal solution and those who have to decide for one or the other should probably rather prefer the solution with which everything is at least feasible. So, the following sections are aimed at all those who either still have a computer at home anyway, or at least somehow still have access to a classic computer when they need one.

    It would lead too far to make an extensive laptop comparison here, which is why I would like to leave it at pointing out my own current laptop: The [M1 MacBook Air*][2] from last year. Since Apple builds its own processor, the MacBook has an almost ridiculously long battery life, is really fast and since Apple’s hardware usually ages very well, you can definitely cover your whole time at the university with it (yes, Bachelor and Master). And at currently $1,149.00 for the model with 512GB SSD (in Apple’s education store), you can definitely consider this investment. In any case, I am extremely satisfied.

    The better solution: A tablet with keyboard and pen.

    When it comes to diagrams/graphics/drawings, it turns out that not everything was worse in the past. With a little practice, almost everyone can get a usable diagram on paper in no time.

    To be effective in this respect even without paper, I therefore recommend a combination of tablet, keyboard and corresponding stylus. This combination has all the advantages: With a (Bluetooth) keyboard, you can take notes just as quickly as with a laptop keyboard. The pen allows drawing or direct handwritten notes and everything is directly digital, as it should be.

    Which iPad should it be?

    So it’s explicitly only about which iPad I would recommend for university. However, years of experience show me that you can do a lot right with Apple’s tablets. They’re fast as hell, come with a variety of great apps out of the box, feature top-notch build quality, and thus maintain their value – in part because they get software updates for many years. Plus, high-quality apps like GoodNotes or LumaFusion are usually developed for iPadOS first and Android or Windows second – and sometimes not at all. This isn’t meant to be an advertising block for Apple, but in the tablet market, they’ve simply been leading the way for years in my eyes.

    So what is my current recommendation? The answer is somewhat differentiated. Apple currently has [four models on offer][5]: the iPad without a name suffix (9th generation, subsequently iPad 9) with a 10.2-inch display, the iPad Air (5th generation and 10.9 inches), the iPad Mini (6th generation, 8.3 inches) and the iPad Pro (5th generation, 11 or 12.9 inches). All models except the iPad 9 support the second generation pencil. However, even though the Pencil 2 does a lot better than its predecessor, both are great for digital note-taking and drawing, so the models do not differ too much in this respect.

    Display size as an important decision

    The most important difference is the screen size. Here you have to know (or best try out in the store) which display size you prefer. The normal iPad and the iPad Air are most likely to be in the usual iPad size here. If you want a large device that also allows you to relax and display two documents at the same time, you have to go for the Pro. At the other end of the continuum is the Mini, which is more of a digital notepad, but might be interesting for that very reason.

    In terms of performance, there is more than enough leeway in all versions. The iPad 9 is the most likely to fall behind, since it „only“ features the A13 chip, which is from 2019. However, if you do not use the iPad for editing and exporting huge video files, this is not a problem at all.

    The Mini, on the other hand, has the newer A15 chip, and the Air and Pro models even have the same M1 processor, that can also be found in the MacBook Air. So, Apple does not show any weakness when it comes to the processor, and you will have fun with every model in this respect.

    How much storage is necessary?

    Once you have decided on a size, you should consider well how many gigabytes of internal storage you need. My rule of thumb here would be that 64 GB can work, and it becomes comfortable starting at 128 GB. Just take a look at your smartphone and see how much internal storage you have. That should be a good indicator. iPad 9 just got an overhaul in terms of storage tiers and features a 64 GB option (329 $) and one with 256 GB (479 $). With the Mini, you can also choose between 64 GB for 499 $ or 256 GB (649 $) and with the Air as well (64 GB for 500 $ or 256 GB for 749 $). The two Pro models then come with the largest selection. Here you can choose between 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB and even 2 TB.

    Finally, you still have to know if you need LTE or if Wi-Fi is enough. Wi-Fi will probably be enough for most users, but only those who are really on the road a lot should consider LTE.

    An external keyboard is actually a must

    After we have taken care of the inner values, we will now look at the accessories. The question of the stylus is quickly answered. The second-generation Pencil is used for the Air and Pro, and the first-generation Pencil for the 8 and Mini. If you want to save a bit and do not need all functions, you can also take a look at the Logitech Crayon*. The only difference between the Apple Pencil and the Crayon is the pressure sensitivity. The Apple Pencil can detect how much you press down when writing or drawing, but the Crayon cannot. Therefore, it only costs 69 $ and not 99 $ (Gen. 1) or 129 $ (Gen. 2) (All prices as of 2022-04-26). Both versions of the Pencil can also be found cheaper if you search for them at Amazon* or other online retailers.

    It gets more confusing with a possible keyboard. In my experience, it is very helpful to have a keyboard for the iPad as well, since it makes writing so much easier. Here, the basic decision would have to be made whether you want a keyboard from Apple or one of the many variants from third-party suppliers like Logitech. It is impossible to make a recommendation due to the large number of products. Personally, I would stick to one of the big and established manufacturers like Microsoft or Logitech. Another trusted brand in this space is Brydge.

    If you prefer a very inexpensive solution, the [1 BY ONE Bluetooth Keyboard*][7] might be a good option for you. I have on at home and think that it is actually a pretty decent keyboard for the prince. Just note that the 1 BY ONE can’t be integrated with an iPad, so you need an iPad cover in order to prop it up. Logitech’s Slim Folio Pro* might be interesting for those who like to have a keyboard and case in one.

    Apple’s (expensive) solution

    The second option is of course to use Apple’s own solution. What comes into question here again depends on the selected iPad. Apple currently offers three models: the Smart Keyboard, the Smart Keyboard Folio and the Magic Keyboard.

    Smart Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio are more or less the same product, except that the former is compatible with the old iPad design, which the iPad 9 still has. The Folio is then the choice for all iPads with new designs (flat edges, narrower borders), i.e. the iPad Pro and iPad Air. However, Apple’s keyboards are not a cheap affair. The Smart Keyboard currently costs 159 $ in the Apple Store, the Folio even 179 $. For that, typing on it is really fun. But of course, you can also get that for much less money.

    If all that is not enough, you can buy the Magic Keyboard for a whopping 299 $. For that, you get a pretty sophisticated „hover mechanism“ to attach the iPad to the keyboard and – much more important – a trackpad. Since that will probably only be interesting for very few people at this price, I will leave it at this point.

    For many, the view should probably go to third-party providers like Logitech, Brydge, or 1 BY ONE for reasons of rationality, anyway.

    Digital note-taking: the iPad as a convincing solution.

    This article was only about iPads, Android or Microsoft tablets or convertibles were not considered due to my lack of experience. This is not ideal, but I can say in good conscience that you won’t go wrong with an iPad in any case. Without advertising it unnecessarily: In the tablet market, Apple sells the most devices for a reason. They are simply very, very good, durable and not that expensive – at least compared to the competition.

    But which iPad would I recommend? If it’s just about having a companion device, for example to annotate slides in the lecture, or to read texts for the seminar, then probably the iPad 9 with 256 GB storage for currently 479 $. You get a superbly manufactured tablet with a still fast processor and the option to use it with keyboard and pen.

    If you want a bit more of everything, including modern design, a larger color selection, larger display and faster processor (M1, baby!), you can go up a notch to the iPad Air. However, since the price for 256 GB of storage is already 749 $, I think the premium is only justified if you really have the money to spare and can get real value out of one of the features or want the new design.

    iPad Mini and Pro as edge cases

    That leaves the iPad Pro and the Mini. Let’s start with the second one. I can’t really recommend the Mini to anyone unless you absolutely want a very expensive notebook. Don’t get me wrong, the Mini is exciting in its own way. However, since it’s so darn small (8.3″), you can hardly edit slides or PDFs on it in a meaningful way, which rather disqualifies it for everyday university use. Since the 256 GB version also costs a whopping 649 $, it will probably be an option for very few people.

    That leaves the Pro. Who is it for? I think for those who only want to work with the iPad and want the absolute best that Apple is currently offering. From M1 chip, to LiDAR sensor, to 12MP camera, to 5G, this tablet really has it all on board. And then, of course, there are those who would like a really big iPad. You can’t get the 12.9″ of the big iPad Pro on any other tablet. However, even the smallest storage version (128 GB) costs 1099 $. And that is probably not within the realm of possibility for most students.

    To help you decide, here is an overview of the four current models. By the way, you should always look at providers like [MacTrade][10] to see if you can get a discount. These are often available for students, especially at the start of the semester.

    Modell Displaygröße (in Zoll) Prozessor Stift / Tastatur Speicher Preis (in $)  
    iPad Mini 8.3 A15 Pencil 2. Gen / Bluetooth Tastaturen 64GB 499  
    iPad Mini 8.3 A15 Pencil 2. Gen / Bluetooth Tastaturen 256GB 649  
    iPad 9 10.2 A13 Pencil 1. Gen / Smart Keyboard 64GB 329  
    iPad 9 10.2 A13 Pencil 1. Gen / Smart Keyboard 256GB 479  
    iPad Air 10.9 M1 Pencil 2. Gen / Magic Keyboard o. Smart Keyboard Folio 64GB 599  
    iPad Air 10.9 M1 Pencil 2. Gen / Magic Keyboard o. Smart Keyboard Folio 256GB 749  
    iPad Pro 11 M1 Pencil 2. Gen / Magic Keyboard o. Smart Keyboard Folio 128GB 799  
    iPad Pro 11 M1 Pencil 2. Gen / Magic Keyboard o. Smart Keyboard Folio 256GB 899  
    iPad Pro 11 M1 Pencil 2. Gen / Magic Keyboard o. Smart Keyboard Folio 512GB 1099  
    iPad Pro 11 M1 Pencil 2. Gen / Magic Keyboard o. Smart Keyboard Folio 1TB 1499  
    iPad Pro 11 M1 Pencil 2. Gen / Magic Keyboard o. Smart Keyboard Folio 2TB 1899  
    iPad Pro 12.9 M1 Pencil 2. Gen / Magic Keyboard o. Smart Keyboard Folio 128GB 1099  
    iPad Pro 12.9 M1 Pencil 2. Gen / Magic Keyboard o. Smart Keyboard Folio 256GB 1199  
    iPad Pro 12.9 M1 Pencil 2. Gen / Magic Keyboard o. Smart Keyboard Folio 512GB 1399  
    iPad Pro 12.9 M1 Pencil 2. Gen / Magic Keyboard o. Smart Keyboard Folio 1TB 1799  
    iPad Pro 12.9 M1 Pencil 2. Gen / Magic Keyboard o. Smart 2TB 2199  

    Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

    Links marked with an asterisk * are affiliate links. With a purchase I profit by a small commission without the product becoming more expensive for you. Thus, it is a wonderful way to support my work.

  • Farewell, OmniFocus, farewell!

    Farewell, OmniFocus, farewell!

    For ages, I’ve been a devout OmniFocus user. Even more so after reading Kourosh Dini’s excellent book Creating Flow with OmniFocus. OmniFocus was an integral part of my productivity system. Most days, OmniFocus’ familiar interface was the first thing in the morning and the last in the evening on my computer screen. One could say, it was the most important app in my life.

    However, sometimes it feels like a company is moving in a direction you don’t want to follow anymore. I had this feeling first when OmniFocus introduced its built-in automation engine. Yes, it is an incredible achievement from a technical standpoint. However – how many users need this on even a semiregular basis? It seems to me that this is only used by such a tiny fraction of the user base that it feels more like being developed for themselves and probably a handful of extreme automation power users. Don’t get me wrong, no offense against extreme automation power users. I just think that they have left an approach which is useful to most of their users. I am not certain if this is something that serves them well in the future.

    The stroke that broke the camel’s back, though, was the ongoing beta for the new iPad/iPhone version. It is true that OmniFocus looks quite dated and that a new approach is urgently needed. And they delivered on this front: the new design looks way more modern than the old one. And yet, I really don’t like it. OmniFocus always had a busy interface, and I am fine with that. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have used it for years in the first place. Unfortunately, the new version tries to look modern, not be modern. It feels like they try to implement a modern interface by using Swift UI, while sticking to too much cruft from all those years.

    Redundancy is not a good design principle

    It also became more complicated than it has been before. In my eyes, the old design and way of handling things was way more intuitive. Instead of simplifying things, they added complexity and visual overload. For example, why do we need two inspector views, one inline and one as a separate pane? This does not just feel redundant, it is redundant. And except for safety concerns, redundancy is not a great design principle. Also, the new way of displaying Perspectives is not a good fit, in my opinion. I used to use a lot of them because Perspectives are one of the most useful features in OmniFocus. In the new version though, Perspectives are stuck to a scrollable strip, hiding a fair amount of them. Especially on the iPhone, where this strip is located horizontally at the bottom of the screen, most of my Perspectives are not instantly accessible. The list goes on, but I stop at this point.

    I tried to force myself getting used to it and to like it for a couple of months, but to no avail. Finally, and with a heavy heart, I decided to quit OmniFocus. I considered several potential successors and landed on GoodTask, a highly customizable client for Apple’s Reminders app. I certainly will write about my experiences and use case at some point. Oh, and don’t get me wrong: I might return at some point, just as I have done with DevonThink. But for now, I have to leave my dear old friend OmniFocus behind. I wish them luck.

    Photo by Jonathan Farber on Unsplash