Inside the Toolkit: PKM App Essentials
A compilation of application features that form the ideal conditions for exploring ideas through contemplation and writing.
Over the past year and a half, I've spent most of my leisure time exploring networked note-taking apps and tools for thought. I've become somewhat attuned to the promises that the apps in this category proclaim and quickly came to the realisation that an "all in one workspace" would not help me to nurture my mind in the way that I envisioned.
The following is a compilation of application features that form the ideal conditions for actually exploring ideas through contemplation and writing as opposed to just collecting them.
Lord Samadani: I find books so captivating. I have a collection of over 1,000 myself.
Eloise (sarcastically): Nothing a book loves more than to be collected!
— Bridgerton
Under these conditions, I gift myself the best chance possible to learn and explore deeper. A reminder that PKM for me is about self exploration through ideas and is better reflected by the term PIE: personal interest exploration. It’s less knowledge management and more rabbit holing as a hobby.
The Must-Haves
Joy
I realized early on that I wanted to enjoy using the apps in my toolkit. I think we all have things that we use for their function regardless of aesthetic or quality. For me, I don’t care for clothing or jewelry. Of course, I’m not a nudist. What I mean is that I’m not interested in fashion or personal style. I despise shopping for clothes and own one pair of earrings—no necklaces, bracelets, rings, or anything else of the sort. Someone else may find this preposterous; indeed, my mother certainly does. But when it comes to my digital ecosystem, I value beauty.
The main factor that determines my affinity for an app is its aesthetic—the feel, vibe, and beauty. I think there's a reason why people pay for and use certain apps over others. Yes, functionality and user fit are important, but I can’t be the only one who recognizes the difference in aesthetic between Craft and Obsidian. Obsidian is great (and I love Obsidian’s principles and do use it for specific use cases), but it is not easy or beautiful to use. I have seen some beautiful Obsidian vaults but the road to get there is more winding than I desire.
I often feel like a shallow human being whenever I express this to someone, almost uttering these sentiments in hushed tones, but alas, beauty does matter to me.
Now, as I am not yet a millionaire, there are indeed financial tradeoffs that must be made. After all, the pretty tools do tend to come with a price tag. For example, I would love to use mymind as my core bookmark manager but if I’m going to pay for beauty (and I do have a budget), I rather it be put to use in my core notes app as opposed to a repository of bookmarks.
I want to be clear that beauty does not always trump function, and there is a significant case for the reverse (function > form). I believe this comes down to personal preference, even when money is not a factor. Neither side is the "right" one. For most of us, this is just how we’ve found ourselves. The joy I experience when using a visually appealing app is near euphoric, yet I have 3 of the same gym tops in the same colour that I’ve worn for the past year, and it really doesn’t bother me. The most important thing here is self awareness, so that we make the best decisions for our own practice.
Backlinks
The humble backlink is the foundation of networked note-taking and rabbit holing. Without it, connecting notes becomes a hassle, and researching ideas online is nearly impossible. Analogous to footnotes in physical books and card IDs in a zettelkasten, backlinks are the breadcrumbs of digital exploration and are without a doubt essential.
Mobile App
It is 6:13 am on July 2nd, and I am writing this article on my phone from bed in Capacities. I’ve noticed that without mobile access to my notes, my PKM practice becomes a distant memory. I do a lot of reading and note linking away from my desktop, such as in between sets at the gym or in bed before sleep. This is a big must-have for me and the main reason I started using Capacities. I can’t recommend the mobile app enough!
The Nice-to-Haves
Offline Access
No one likes having their writing flow interrupted by a dip in internet connection. As someone without mobile data, I appreciate being able to access my notes while commuting or during a power outage.
This is the main reason I tried to make Obsidian work in the past: I loved the freedom that came with not being tethered to an internet connection. But when I assess my current reality, offline access isn't a must-have for the following reasons:
I work from home and have WiFi access for most of the day.
I'm an introverted homebody, so even when I'm not working, I'm likely to be… at home. If I'm out with family or friends, I try to be as present as possible with them.
I rarely experience power outages, but if I did, offline access would certainly be essential.
Daily Notes
The majority of PKM apps currently have a daily notes feature. I’m on the fence about this one. Some days I use it a lot; other days, not so much. In Tana, the daily node is the quickest place to add new notes on desktop. However, since I started using Capacities, I rarely use it and prefer creating a new note from the sidebar. Overall, it’s convenient for me but not indispensable.
Graph View
How can one not enjoy a good graph view?
I envy Obsidian users and their fancy graph timelapses! As a visual learner, seeing my notes in a connected web is instantly appealing. That said, I've used Tana since October 2022 with no graph view, and last I checked, I'm alive and well. Even though I like visualizing my notes in this way, I don't need it to make connections. It's definitely a bonus though.
Web Extension
When done right, web extensions can make capturing ideas fast and easy. I want to be able to highlight text and quotes and add them directly to my PKM base with the appropriate tags/object type. I don’t want a collection of web links to read later; that’s what my bookmark manager is for. I want to save words, phrases, and quotes that spark interest so I can explore them in more detail when time permits.
The Unnecessary
Task and Calendar Integration
There was a time when I tried the “everything in one app” approach and thought I needed task and calendar management alongside my notes. I’ve since realized that my brain works better with some segmentation. I like opening a tool and knowing exactly what I’m using it for. When everything is in the same place, I find it difficult to switch from a “get stuff done, be efficient” mindset to a “this is leisure, have fun, explore at your own pace” way of thinking.
I love that my task management system has its own home and that my calendar is just that - a calendar. This is probably just personal preference, but I’ve really come to love having these systems separate.
Artificial Intelligence
I personally do not need AI in my practice at the moment. I’m sure that with how rapidly things are progressing in this sphere, there will be benefits to its use in the future. But as of now, I want to be the captain of my travels online. This doesn't mean I’m anti-AI. I use it for work and have grown very partial to Claude.
The biggest use case for AI that I would enjoy right now is the ability to automatically show related notes. I’ve tried this feature in Obsidian via the Smart Connections plugin, in Mem via MemAI, and in research tools like Unriddle. While these all do what they’re supposed to (find notes similar to a selected one), my conclusion is that the feature is currently isolated in tools that I don’t particularly enjoy using. If I am to use this feature in my workspace, it must be in a tool that is the home base for my notes. Since this isn’t a must-have feature for my workflow, I’ll wait until it’s available in either Tana or Capacities.
Let’s continue the conversation:
I appreciate you taking the time to read my babbles.
What are your tool must-haves when it comes to your PKM/PIE practice?
I love these. This is your best writing yet. I just sounds so naturally, like it you right there in the page. Keep going!
No for the challenge: my must haves?
- Voice transcription. This has become extremely important to me. It get me through periods of executive disfunction where I can't pull myself together to explain my thoughts in writing.
- AI - I'm so surprised to say that but it's true for the same reason as above. When I'm going through periods of high-autism and I can't get myself together I can spit an bunch of fragments into voice transcription and then ask the AI to find the logic in what I'm saying. This gives me a skeleton to react to and allows me to keep creating durin periods where in the past I wuold just have to walk away for a few weeks or months.
- Daily Pages - it's all about not having to think about where I'm going to put something. It saves me so much debating time.
- Infinite canvas - this has really because useful for deep thinking. Breaking ideas into pieces is something I've always done but can use my actual whiteboard less often.
- Backlinks - same reasons as you
- Excellent Search!
- Good Typography - I need to be able to read my notes clearly and sometimes at a glance. This requires a font that displays bold and italics clearly. (Right now this is my least favorite thing about Tana and Reflect Notes.)