I do know. I do know what you are most likely pondering at this level. Out of the lots of and hundreds of note-taking apps flooding the web (with new ones dropping day by day), why on earth would I choose Discord? Whereas I am going to clarify beneath, to present you some context, I am a note-taking aficionado. I’ve tried every part from minimalist note-taking apps to spending hours customizing a Notion workspace to utilizing AI-powered instruments like NotebookLM to deal with my note-taking.
I am additionally a scholar, and whereas I’ve come to favor typed notes for sure programs, my main entails lots of math-based programs, and I discover that handwritten notes are higher for that. So, I exploit both my e-ink note-taking pill or my iPad and GoodNotes for handwritten notes. However for years, I have been making an attempt to determine a dependable system for fast, on a regular basis digital notes. And in any case that looking, the reply turned out to be sitting in my taskbar the entire time: Discord.
Why use Discord for note-taking, anyway?
It sounds unusual, I do know
Picture Credit score: DIA TV / Shutterstock / DiscordCredit: DIA TV/Shutterstock/Discord
Discord is an app that stays open on my laptop all day. I exploit it for examine teams, communities, and to remain on prime of tech updates. Through the use of it for notes, the friction of needing to open yet one more app each time I wish to jot one thing down goes away. The method of jotting one thing down is prompt too. Identical to sending somebody a Slack or textual content message, all it’s essential do is kind the message and hit Enter.
The largest profit in my eyes, although, is that Discord is all over the place. It is out there on desktop, browser, and telephones and tablets. It syncs immediately, which signifies that I can jot one thing down on my cellphone whereas I am commuting to varsity, and it is proper there on my laptop computer once I sit down. A variety of note-taking apps change between 5 and fifteen {dollars} only for syncing, so having an app that syncs flawlessly for utterly free is a win!
Now, you is likely to be tempted to inform me that each trendy note-taking app has cell apps now. Sadly, lots of them do not translate effectively to cell. Notion’s app, for example, is notoriously sluggish. By the point it hundreds and also you navigate to the suitable web page, the thought you wished to seize is half gone. Discord’s cell app, then again, is one thing I am already utilizing all through the day. Pulling it up and firing off a fast notice feels no totally different from replying to a pal.
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Moreover, I’ve all the time been the type of one who messages themselves. You already know the kind — sending your self hyperlinks on WhatsApp, DMing your self concepts on Instagram, voice-noting your self article ideas at 4 AM. For years, my very own chat was principally my unofficial notes app. So utilizing Discord for a similar objective does not really feel like some bizarre productiveness hack. It looks like a pure extension of one thing I used to be already doing, simply with far more group.
I am additionally bored with overengineered instruments. I am bored with instruments making an attempt to do every part without delay. Job administration, databases, calendars, AI assistants, and a dozen different issues I by no means requested for. Discord, although, is not a productiveness suite. What might they presumably add that might get in the best way of merely writing issues down? There aren’t any templates to select from, no databases to configure, no advanced settings to tweak each time you wish to jot one thing down.
It is refreshingly dumb in the easiest way attainable, and that is precisely what retains me coming again to it. And naturally, it is utterly free. No storage tiers, no premium options locked behind a paywall, no improve to Professional to unlock greater than three notebooks nonsense.
The setup is definitely ridiculously easy
Easier than you’d assume
In case you already use Discord in any capability, likelihood is you have already discovered what my present setup appears like. I merely created a non-public server for myself and added related channels and classes to it. I’ve 4 classes in my server: Basic, Private, Work, and School. Underneath every class, I’ve channels for particular forms of notes. Underneath Work, for instance, I’ve channels like #article-ideas, #meeting-notes, #links-to-revisit, #article-feedback, #pending-tests, and some others. Underneath School, I’ve channels for particular person programs and one for deadlines.
The fantastic thing about that is that the construction is not set in stone. Once I want a brand new channel, I simply create one in seconds. Transferring on, the threads characteristic is what retains this whole system from turning into chaos. Say I drop a hyperlink in #article-ideas and later get some extra ideas surrounding it. As an alternative of flooding the channel with follow-up messages, I simply begin a thread on that message. All the things associated to that one concept stays neatly contained inside its personal thread, whereas the primary channel stays clear and scannable. It is principally the equal of getting sub-pages in Notion, besides with out the infinite nesting that makes you overlook the place you set issues.
I’ve additionally added bots to reinforce this setup! As an illustration, I’ve a reminder bot to nudge me about deadlines. If I’ve an task or article due and drop a notice about it in my server, I can set a reminder proper there within the channel. I additionally added a to-do bot that lets me create fast checklists inside channels.
I would not suggest dropping personal or delicate notes in there
I would suggest being cautious with what you share within the server, even if it is personal. On the finish of the day, there’s all the time the possibility that your account or Discord’s servers could possibly be compromised, and your personal information might find yourself uncovered or accessible to others.
