Papierlos Studieren

Kategorie: Top Posts

  • Eine neue Ära für Papierlos Studieren / A new beginning for this blog

    Eine neue Ära für Papierlos Studieren / A new beginning for this blog

     
    English below

    Es ist jetzt ziemlich genau 4 Jahre her, dass ich den ersten Artikel auf diesem Blog veröffentlicht habe. Ich wollte damals einfach eine Möglichkeit haben, über eine Leidenschaft von mir zu schreiben: Digitale Produktivität, Apps, Workflows, Technik-Kram. Und da ich schon einige Jahre Erfahrung mit einem politischen Blog gesammelt hatte (Blog | Buch), war es naheliegend, wieder einen Blog zu starten. Seitdem sind 145 Artikel und ein Buch hinzugekommen. Zugleich hatte und habe ich mehr Erfolg damit, als ich je gedacht hätte. Monat für Monat lesen mehrere Zehntausend Menschen meine Artikel und es hat sich die ein oder andere spannende Gelegenheit ergeben. Ich war Podcast-Gast, habe Vorträge gehalten, Seminare gegeben und Artikel geschrieben. Nicht zuletzt habe ich spannenden Leute kennengelernt, die zum Teil Gastbeiträge hier veröffentlicht haben. (Apropos: Wenn du gern einen Gastbeitrab bei mir veröffentlichen möchtest, schreib mir unter [email protected]).

    Im letzten Jahr liefen die Dinge dann zunächst mal langsamer. Aus privaten (sehr erfreulichen) Gründen. Nachdem ich mich an die neue Situation gewöhnt hatte und alles langsam wieder normal(er) wurde, stellte ich mir die Frage, wie es mit dem Blog weitergehen soll. Vor allem auch, an welche Zielgruppe er sich richten soll. Student war ich schließlich schon eine Weile nicht mehr. Gleichzeitig hatte ich vor einiger Zeit begonnen, meine Beiträge auch auf Englisch zu veröffentlichen. Ich hatte dafür ein Plugin genutzt, was quasi eine zweite, englischsprachige Version meiner Seite erzeugt, inkl. eigener Domain. Jedoch war das immer sehr mühsam. Wenn ich einen Artikel fertig geschrieben, überarbeitet und schlussendlich veröffentlicht habe, möchte ich mich nicht nochmal ran setzen, um alles auch noch zu übersetzen und erneut in den WordPress-Editor zu klöppeln. Zugleich war ich, vor allem durch mein Interesse an Obsidian, immer öfter in englischsprachigen Kontexten unterwegs.

    Ich habe daher den Entschluss getroffen, nur noch auf Englisch zu schreiben. Der Grund dafür ist einfach: Ich möchte mit einer größeren Community interagieren. Da ist natürlich zum einen die US-Community. Schon jetzt kommen 40% meiner Besucher:innen aus den USA. Aber das ist eben nicht alles. Auch die komplette europäische, asiatische, afrikanische und südamerikanische Community spricht wahrscheinlicher Englisch als Deutsch. Und von daher ist es für mich nur folgerichtig, nun auf Englisch umzustellen. Eine Seite in zwei Sprachen mit Content zu versorgen, ist für mich nicht nachhaltig möglich und zieht auch eine Reihe technischer Schwierigkeiten nach sich. Also so. Mir ist klar, dass ich dadurch auch Leser:innen verlieren werde. Ich habe in den vergangenen Jahren auch immer wieder Zuschriften älterer Leser:innen bekommen, die nun möglicherweise keinen Zugang mehr finden. Das tut mir leid und ich würde es gern vermeiden. Letztendlich habe ich aber die Entscheidung getroffen, dass es so besser für die Zukunft des Blogs und mich ist. Inhaltlich werde ich mich weiterhin mit den Dingen befassen, die auch in der Vergangenheit hier zu finden waren: (Kritische) Gedanken zu Produktivität, Apps für Wissensarbeiter:innen, passende Workflows und ein bisschen (zu viel) Apple.

    Natürlich werden alle bisher erschienen Artikel zugänglich bleiben. Neue Artikel erscheinen aber nur noch auf Englisch. Wer aber eine Frage hat, kann mir nach wie vor gern auf Deutsch schreiben. Auch Anfragen für persönliche Beratungen kann man mir gern stellen und dann auf Deutsch abhalten. In erster Linie freue ich mich jetzt aber auf das, was da kommt. Der Blog wird von nun an übrigens auch unter neuem Namen firmieren: Aus https://papierlos-studieren.net wird https://go-paperless.net. Die alte Adresse wird noch eine Weile auf die neue verweisen und somit erreichbar sein, also keine Sorge. Und damit auf die nächsten vier, fünf, wer weiß wie viele Jahre!

    Du hast Gedanken zur Neuausrichtung des Blogs? Willst einen Gastbeitrag schreiben? Mich als Dozent oder Vortragsredner buchen? Oder brauchst persönliche Beratung für mehr digitale Produktivität? Dann schreib mir eine Mail: [email protected]!

    A new beginning for this blog

    It’s been pretty much exactly 4 years since I published the first article on this blog. At the time, I just wanted a way to write about a passion of mine: Digital productivity, apps, workflows, tech stuff. And since I already had a few years of experience with a political blog (Blog | book), it was obvious to start a blog again. Since then, 145 articles and a book have been added. At the same time, I have had and continue to have more success with it than I ever thought I would. Month after month, tens of thousands of people read my articles and one or two exciting opportunities have arisen. I’ve been a podcast guest, given talks, seminars, and written articles. Last but not least, I’ve met exciting people, some of whom have published guest posts here. (Speaking of which: If you would like to publish a guest post on my site, write me at [email protected]).

    So here’s a big thank you to my readers and everyone who has worked with me over the years. In the last year, things went slower at first. For private (very happy) reasons. After I got used to the new situation and everything slowly got back to normal, I asked myself how to continue with the blog. Above all, to which target group it should be directed. After all, I hadn’t been a student for a while. At the same time, some time ago, I had started to publish my posts in English as well. I had used a plugin, which creates a second, English version of my site, including its own domain. However, this was always very tedious. If I have written an article, revised and finally published, I do not want to sit down again to translate everything and put it back into the WordPress editor. At the same time, driven mainly by my interest in Obsidian, I found myself more and more in English-speaking contexts.

    I therefore made the decision to write only in English. The reason is simple: I want to interact with a larger community. There is of course the US community. Already, 40% of my visitors come from the USA. But that’s not all. The entire European, Asian, African and South American community is more likely to speak English than German. And so it is only logical for me to switch to English now. Providing a site with content in two languages is not sustainable for me and also entails a number of technical difficulties. So there you go. It is clear to me that I will also lose readers. In recent years, I have also received letters from older readers who may no longer be able to access the site. I am sorry about that and would like to avoid it. But in the end I decided that it is better for the future of the blog and for me. In terms of content, I will continue to deal with the things that have been here in the past: (Critical) thoughts on productivity, apps for knowledge workers, matching workflows and a bit (too much) Apple.

    Of course, all previously published articles will remain accessible. But new articles will only be published in English. But if you have a question, you are still welcome to write me in German. Also, requests for personal consultations can be sent to me and then will be held in German. But first and foremost, I am looking forward to what is coming. By the way, from now on the blog will also operate under a new name: https://papierlos-studieren.net becomes https://go-paperless.net. The old address will still point to the new one for a while, so don’t worry. And so here’s to the next four, five, who knows how many years!

    Got thoughts on the blog’s new direction? Want to write a guest post? Book me as a lecturer or speaker? Or need personal advice for more digital productivity? Then email me: [email protected]!

  • My newfound love for DevonThink

    My newfound love for DevonThink

    I had turned my back on DevonThink for a long time: too complicated, constant problems with iCloud, and often just overkill. Recently, however, the app has become a permanent part of my setup again. What has changed?

    Some time ago, I had a series on Devonthink here on the blog, in which I introduced and also evaluated the program. At that time, I used it as my digital archive, where I really stored everything: from scientific papers to electricity bills.

    Over time, the frustrations have accumulated, especially because I had problems with the iCloud sync again and again. Whether this is primarily due to iCloud or to Devonthink, I don’t know. The fact was that it annoyed me. Also, I didn’t like the fact that my documents were in a database, adding a layer of complexity. If I want to do something with the document that Devonthink can’t do, I have to export it first. Kind of cumbersome.

    I then tried various things, including the excellent Notebooks app, or even just solving everything with normal folders in the Finder. And yet, I am currently using DevonThink again. Why?

    3 reasons for DevonThink

    The first reason is the built-in Artificial Intelligence that helps me sort files. Since I have such an extensive filing system, it was extremely annoying when I had to first find the (sometimes deeply nested) folder for each document. DevonThink helps me tremendously here because it suggests the right folder for an amazingly large number of documents.

    The other way is also plausible, especially in an academic context. The AI can also find similar documents. So you could open a paper and then see which papers with similar topics you still have in your database. I use this relatively rarely, but it doesn’t have to be the same for everyone.

    The second reason is directly related to the first. [DevonThink 3][2] has the possibility to create Smart Folders as well as Smart Rules. Smart Folders are saved searches that put all files into a folder that match the search query. I like to use this for individual projects when I need to pull documents together from different folders. An example would be my tax return, where I then create a Smart Folder that bundles all documents that are tagged Paperless, are from the past year, are of the PDF file type, and have the word Bill in the title. This way, I quickly have all the documents I need for my business expenses at my fingertips.

    DevonThink – powerful, but also complex (Source: DEVONtechnologies)

    Smart Rules, on the other hand, I hardly use at the moment. One can define rule sets that automatically perform file operations. For example, you can rename an invoice that is always the same according to a fixed scheme and then move it to the correct folder. Those who know Hazel will understand the principle directly. I haven’t used this much so far, mainly because I like to look at my files manually to avoid miscategorization. Smart Rules are an extremely powerful tool, though, and I’m glad DevonThink can do it. I also think I’ll be using it more in the future. After all, you don’t have to use every feature right away just because it’s potentially possible.

    But the most important reason that brought me back to DevonThink was a very small one: archiving emails. It sounds trivial, but I just haven’t found a good solution for storing old emails and keeping them searchable. Simply leaving everything in my mail account is not an option for me in this regard. I want to have critical emails reliably retrievable on my computer, as I look up things in old messages on a daily basis. With DevonThink I can import emails either by drag & drop or simply by keyboard shortcut directly from my mail program MailMate. In DevonThink the mails are then stored in eml format, are displayed well rendered and are searchable. Together with the aforementioned AI and Smart Folders, this is an unbeatable combination for me.

    Bypass annoying problems

    That leaves the problems and quirks that originally scared me away from DevonThink, most notably the sync via iCloud. After having problems with an unreliable iCloud sync right back in the beginning, I decided to just let it go. No more iCloud sync for me! Instead, I now use Bonjour to sync my devices. This involves my MacBook communicating directly with my iPad and iPhone. It’s blazing fast and extremely reliable since everything happens on the local network.

    I’ve also moved to solving as much as possible directly in DevonThink. This is especially true for the iPad and PDFs that I read there. There is unfortunately a long-standing bug in the interaction between DevonThink to Go and my PDF editor of choice, PDF Expert, which results in markups not being transferred back to the PDF. So on the iPad, I now simply use the built-in annotation option, which is usually perfectly adequate.

    Conclusion: Only use what you need

    What is my conclusion from this back and forth? First and foremost, I guess, that you don’t always have to use everything an app can do at once. Especially not with a functionality monster like DevonThink. Instead, you should take a cautious approach here and orient yourself to your own needs. Not everything that is theoretically possible is also useful. You can still look at further features when you reach your limits. You shouldn’t artificially create needs where there really aren’t any.

    And secondly, my experience with DevonThink shows me that you should not work against the program. If a feature is buggy, you should just not use it instead of constantly making a fuss about it.

    Since I’ve been following these two pieces of advice, my frustration with DevonThink has been minimized, whereas the daily benefits are still there. And soon I’ll be looking into Smart Rules!

    Reproduced by permission of DEVONtechnologies

  • How I use Twitter, Readwise, and Obsidian to keep myself updated on the war in Ukraine

    How I use Twitter, Readwise, and Obsidian to keep myself updated on the war in Ukraine

    I don’t want to say too many words about the terrible things that are going on in Ukraine right now. This is the wrong place for that. But the war there prompted me to inform myself very thoroughly about various topics, such as the history of the war, the situation in Crimea or the Donbass, or military-strategic considerations, so that I can better assess the situation there. As a political scientist, I also have a professional interest in this regard. Twitter has become an enormously important source for me.

    You can say whatever you want about Twitter, but there are also a lot of very smart people there that I would never meet otherwise. On Twitter, they write easily accessible long threads about their expertise, and for me, these are enormously helpful entry points. Now, Twitter is not designed for the consumption of long texts. Long threads are not particularly comfortable to read, let alone process.

    Readwise and Obsidian in concert

    To solve this problem, I use the Twitter bot from Readwise, which I wrote about before. I just have to write the comment @Readwiseio save thread below a tweet, and the bot captures the thread. Since I have my Twitter account put into my Readwise account, that’s where the thread goes.

    So much for the import. But it gets really exciting with the export function of Readwise. Here, I have installed the official Readwise plugin in Obsidian, so that new highlights are imported directly to Obsidian. There I also read the thread, because I can use parts of it directly for my own notes or compare and relate sources. In connection with my Obsidian Set-Up this works flawlessly and automated, so exactly the way you want it. Twitter is an important source of information for me, and in combination with Readwise and Obsidian I can also work with it productively.

    If you want to try Readwise, feel free to use this link for that. We will both get a free month.

  • My 8 favourite Obsidian plugins (2)

    My 8 favourite Obsidian plugins (2)

    Obsidian benefits greatly from its strong plugin infrastructure. I have picked four of my favourite Obsidian plugins for this article.

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  • Meine 8 liebsten Obsidian Plugins (2)

    Meine 8 liebsten Obsidian Plugins (2)

    Obsidian profitiert extrem von seiner starken Plugin-Infrastruktur. Ich habe für diesen Artikel vier meiner liebsten Obsidian Plugins herausgesucht.

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  • Custom paper types and covers in GoodNotes

    Custom paper types and covers in GoodNotes

    GoodNotes is the app par excellence for me when I want to take handwritten notes. There are many reasons for this. The thoughtful design of the app, for example, or the consistent ongoing development and maintenance of the app. I have already written a lot about this in my review of the latest full version. One of the best features for me, however, is the ability to personalize my digital notebooks.

    This personalization works in two ways: on the one hand you can change the cover, on the other hand you can change the type of paper you write on. Changing the cover is primarily cosmetic, of course, but it can also be useful. If you have many notebooks, you can find what you are looking for at a glance.

    If you have many notebooks, different covers make it easier to find them quickly

    The practical added value of the actual pages is indisputable. Grades are difficult to write down on check paper, and a corresponding template is also invaluable for a lab report.

    GoodNotes comes with a lot of features right out of the box. All you have to do is create a new notebook. There you can change both: Cover and paper. You can choose between nine categories for the cover: Simple, Colored, Black/White, Cover, Light, Celebration, Brown, Plain, and Pattern, each with several variations. All in all, that’s a remarkable 56 options (if I haven’t lost count).

    For paper, there are four categories: Conventional, Writing Paper, Planning, and Music. Conventional has paper types like dotted or squared, writing paper has Cornell notes or a classic writing pad. Planning, on the other hand, has templates for monthly or weekly planners, as well as to-do lists, and under Music you will of course find various types of music paper. In addition, the color (white/yellow/dark) and the format (standard, A7-A3, letter and tabloid format) can also be customized for the paper types.

    That’s quite a lot of options that can be used to cover a lot of possibilities. And if you change your mind in the meantime, that’s no problem either. All you have to do is click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Change template. Now you can change the paper and cover of existing notebooks.

    Simply change paper or cover of already existing notebooks by tapping on Change Template (Vorlage wechseln in German)

    Your own template in just a few steps

    But what if that’s not enough? Possibly because you want to write on just that one type of paper that GoodNotes doesn’t have? Or the lab report requires a certain template? Or you are a sales representative of a company and have to write in a certain template? This is not a problem either. GoodNotes has a feature that allows you to add your own templates.

    To do this, first go back to the overview page and then click on the small cogwheel at the top right. There you will find the item Notebook Templates. In the header there is a plus symbol that allows you to create a new subgroup, for example My Templates. Once this group is created, you can import new templates, either from the Photos or the Files app.

    Notizbuch-Vorlagen = Notebook Templates

    So one possible workflow would be to scan a real piece of paper with a scanning app like Prizmo or Scanner Pro from Readdle. This is a better option than just taking a photo, as it ensures you have a high-resolution and optimized template. After that, you can import the template into GoodNotes and write on it from now on. With covers, of course, you can do the same and get the cover that you find particularly nice.

    Really a great functionality, and by the way also a great way to redesign GoodNotes according to your own wishes.

  • The Paperless Guide (2) – Making sense of lecture notes

    The Paperless Guide (2) – Making sense of lecture notes

    Lecture notes are a funny thing: They are incredibly practical, because you don’t have to write everything down frantically. On the other hand, they also tempt you not to really learn – but only to pretend to learn.

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  • The Paperless Guide (1) – Which device?

    The Paperless Guide (1) – Which device?

    The semester starts and, as in every year, many are at university for the first time. Suddenly, you are facing questions that you never had before. So that the start is not a hurdle, at least in technical terms, I would like to give a few brief tips in this series of articles to make everyday study easier. The first article is about which device is the right one for everyday study.

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  • Save web pages as Markdown file – with MarkDownload

    Save web pages as Markdown file – with MarkDownload

    MarkDownload is a browser extension that allows you to download websites as Markdown files. This is a great solution, especially for articles that you want to work on more intensively.

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  • My 8 favourite Obsidian plugins (1)

    My 8 favourite Obsidian plugins (1)

    Obsidian is also so great because you can extend it almost at will with plugins. In this two-parter, I present my 8 favorite plugins and show how I make Obsidian my perfect writing environment!

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