Switching all Management of Personal and Business Data to Logseq
I posted this elsewhere (today), but I felt it deserved its own discussion thread, so I have kicked off that discussion here.
Recently, I've been looking for a solution to more fully integrate my ZK with my daily journaling, planning, and task management. I came close to finding that in NotePlan, which I loved and have used for about three years. It did a great job of integrating everything except my ZK, which I maintained in The Archive. The hump there was that NotePlan used a somewhat different file format from The Archive (both used text files, but in different ways). I was slowly trying to build up steam to write a Python script to convert from one format to the other, and due to other priorities, I didn't get to it.
I came across Logseq (recommended by someone on this forum) and have been test-driving it for several months. It does an even better job of integrating all the information I listed above. I have been so happy with Logseq that I have:
- Switched from NotePlan to Logseq to manage all daily journalling, planning and task management (about a month ago).
- Bit the bullet and spent a day of concentrated effort to write and test a couple of Python scripts, to the extent that I have converted all of my The Archive files to a format that can be used directly in Logseq. This was significantly helped by the fact that I was using @Will 's keyboard maestro macros to create zettels in The Archive, and thus, they all have a standard format/layout.
- Combined the two databases.
- Test-drove the combined database over the past few days and have been very happy with the results.
So, Logseq is now my "go-to" app for all my information management. For me, it has a couple of advantages over NotePlan and The Archive:
- Fully integrated management of all my personal data and most work data (except highly technical information related to specific projects) in one app/database. Highly technical information is kept in a separate Logseq database.
- Focus on daily journalling—In Logseq, many of your random ideas and musings go into your daily journal (and are then tagged and/or linked to other pages). This is a different way of working that took some getting used to, but I now really like it. It reduces the friction of getting information into your system by a surprisingly large amount.
- Ability to link to specific paragraphs or bullet points in your zettel rather than just the entire zettel.
- Strong outlining tools, which I found improved my focus in writing zettels and made moving information around within and between zettels relatively easy. This improved both the logic and brevity of what I was writing.
- A mobile app that fully syncs with my computer so I can work on either device seamlessly. Whenever I want to capture some information, I pull out my phone, open Logseq and enter that information into my daily log. It is satisfyingly simple and effective.
This solution may not be for everyone, and who knows? One day, I may change my mind again. But I'm not a person who continually fiddles with software and apps, and I have not decided to switch to Logseq lightly. I've taken the time to learn how it works and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses before making the switch.
Having said all that, I really like The Archive and respect @ctietze and @Sascha for their work on the app and this forum. I will continue to support both enthusiastically.
If anyone wants to know what changes I made to bring my The Archive files into Logseq, just ask. I'd be happy to respond.
Howdy, Stranger!
Comments
I'm happy that you're happy with Logseq. As for me, I still don't trust its software architecture, as I mentioned in June. I think most of Logseq's advantages that you list can still be accomplished with text files, a well-designed workflow, and a good selection of editor apps, providing better interoperability. So, you're right that it's not for everyone, but it's good to know about your success with Logseq.
@Andy, I'm sure you've mentioned this elsewhere, but which editor apps do you use?
I don't want to recommend any particular apps here. There are various good ones. I do appreciate, however, that sometimes switching to a new app can help revolutionize one's process, and I'm happy that Logseq did that for @GeoEng51 in this case.
The workflow issues that @GeoEng51 mentioned in his advantage no. 2 above reminded me of the discussion "Current process: CHURN file" (December 2023), where @mediapathic proposed a weekly file instead of a daily file. A daily journal is not necessarily the best solution, and in any case one doesn't need Logseq to have such a process.
Ahh.
I understand others had problems, like losing data. This may be from early beta versions of Logseq. I am using version 0.10.9 (still beta, but quite far along) and have had no issues at all, including syncing. However, I do backup all my files every hour using TimeMachine.
I wonder if you can get the friction level down as low as in a well-designed, single focus app like Logseq? If you can, more power to you
@GeoEng51 said:
Lucky you
I work from a Windows computer and an Android smartphone, so I use Syncthing to syncronise my journals and ZK. I had conflict with Logseq, while I don't have any with other editors.
So, right now I use Zettel Notes and Markor on my smartphone and Sublime Text on PC. I can add custom shortcuts icons on my homescreen on smartphone, Markor allows me to keep the screen awaken to follow for example my recipes.
@Loni, Did you try Logseq's own syncing capability? I use Dropbox a lot and was tempted to sync that way, but I thought I should probably go with the system designed to sync Logseq files from the computer to the mobile app.
I thought about this synchronisation, but between a free of cost system without any external server implied with Syncthing and a paid system with a server, I choosed the free one with a local sharing protocol from a privacy and monetary point of view.
While I really, really love a lot of things about Logseq and it suits me a lot for working, it appears that sync is a crucial feature that I really need to go smooth because I'm often on the go. I wrote ~40 notes from my smartphone in August, even if I was sick as hell the first week, just sick the second one and being at home only six days. I'll be back to this good software when it will be more stable.
Lately, when I use ZettelNotes, it adds strikethroughs to every sentence. My Zettels become unrecognizable, and I have to spend time recovering them. But other than that, it's great.
GitHub. Erdős #2. Problems worthy of attack / prove their worth by hitting back. -- Piet Hein. Alter ego: Erel Dogg (not the first). CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thank you !
Yes it is, and it has also limits (while your strikethroughs sentences were an exotic bugs ^^) > @ZettelDistraction said:
Thank you for your feedback with this strange... feature! Seems like an interesting case of Android Poltergeist. I'm jealous
For my uses, it has many usefull features like creating a file with ID and name, and I can choose to display only the name file without the id, or only the biggest tilte of the note, the filters options, the saving researches, and creating custom "icon shortcut" for files on the main screen.
@GeoEng51 I liked NotePlan too, but when I tried it a couple of times it did not quite fit the way I wanted to do things, and like you I felt the need to have "everything under one roof", so to speak. For a while now I have used Obsidian as the program in which I do most things. Since it was launched it has turned into a kind of software mastodon (no, not that one) with a huge amount of support. I just looked, and I see that there are 1,880 plugins available for it. It also integrates with various other programs (like Todoist, for example). There is even a plugin that permits some integration with DEVONthink, which is a program I use a lot. For those who like visual representations there is a plugin for Excalidraw and a sort of whiteboard. I also very much like the DayPlanner plugin, which sort of mimics the timeline you have in NotePlan (see the attached screenshot).
I'm not suggesting that anyone should rush off and change their way of working -- just trying to add something to the information available here.
Cheers!
Hi @MartinBB
Thanks for your recent post and the screenshot for the DayPlanner in Obsidian.
I've been taking a Logseq course by Dario da Silva (called Logseq Mastery). He mentions that he sometimes looks at his Logseq database using Obsidian, (apparently Obsidian can read the Logseq data files directly). I've downloaded and installed Obsidian on my Mac, intending to try that out (on a copy of my database, of course).
I haven't got to that yet, but I will do so soon, thanks to your nudge
@GeoEng51 If you want to ease your way into understanding Obsidian, you could do worse than watching some of the videos by Nicole van der Hoeven. Plugins like Dataview, Full Calendar, Projects, Templater and DB Folder are capable of turning a fairly simple program into something much more sophisticated, and it would be a pity not to have some idea of those capabilities. Nicole makes some of the clearest video explanations I've seen. Bryan Jenks also has a very sophisticated setup for his research, and his videos show -- sometimes at very great length -- what can be done with the app and the plugins.
I now find myself wondering if I should investigate Logseq a bit further. I did try it briefly a while ago, but I seem to remember that it didn't do what I could do in Obsidian.
Cheers!
Now I am wondering whether to try Absurdian again, despite the investment of work to customize Zettlr. Most of the customization concerns Pandoc, with a couple macros to start things off in Zettlr. Increasingly, I write outside the ZK, which I use to save the offal. My principal concerns aren't technical, but scholarship, the impossibility of knowledge-free advancement in any subject (excluding those lacking a Wissenschaft), recording and citing sources, and, if the wisdom of autocorrect merits serious consideration, soybeans.
GitHub. Erdős #2. Problems worthy of attack / prove their worth by hitting back. -- Piet Hein. Alter ego: Erel Dogg (not the first). CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thanks, Martin! I will definitely do that as I want to learn more about Obsidian.
Ironically, I steered clear of Obsidian because I thought it did too much
Logseq gave me a perfect balance of "all-in-one" and simplicity. I really like their focus on the daily journal as a starting point for capturing information. It seemed foreign at first, but after using it a while, I really like the low friction method of getting "stuff" into my ZK.
I have my daily journal page open much of the time in Obsidian. I have it set up so that I can see the day's tasks in a collapsible section, and I also have the Day Planner in the side bar, which shows me appointments in my calendars.
I find that capturing "stuff" is quick enough for me -- opening a particular note in Obsidian is very fast, but there is also a Quick Add plugin that one can use. But some of the time I just jot things down in Drafts app and decide where to put them later.
I suppose one of the things I like about Obsidian is that there are various tools that allow you to work with your notes (refactor them, move them, link to them) and also to display them in different ways. I like having an overview of associated items that is not just a list (which I find a bit mesmerising if there are many items). The Excalibrain plugin is mind-boggling, though I don't use it much. The Excalidraw plugin is something I use more, though I've only scratched the surface of what it can do.
Excalibrain?? With a name like that, I'll have to check it out
That's the new name I have for it Thank you. I tried it and got so hung up on the apps and plugins and bells and whistles and floops. Working with Absurdian I felt like I was Doctor Who, working with a REALLY complicated Tardis. I got lost in the levers, buttons, boops and beeps.
I stopped using Tiddlywiki for the same reason (if you're into wikis both feather wiki and zim are excellent).
No I think logseq is like my dog's forever home, just as simple or complicated as I want it. And I made a beautiful theme with awesome styler...
@ZettelDistraction How did you get over the tab jiggle dance in Zettlr- its the reason I abadoned it for Ghost Writer.
The tab jiggle dance? I have never seen this in Zettlr, but if my tabs or typing did a jiggle dance in Zettlr, I would never leave the house.
GitHub. Erdős #2. Problems worthy of attack / prove their worth by hitting back. -- Piet Hein. Alter ego: Erel Dogg (not the first). CC BY-SA 4.0.
Logseq team want to release DB version in next couple of months which will adress most of the issues (and lack of current updates are caused by development of DB version)
They want DB mode to be interchangable with .md (current) mode. That is you would be able switching between DB and .md anytime (or use them simultaneously iirc)
Hi - could you please explain what you mean by DB version?
Everything will be in database (every bullet etc) instead of .md files.
It should make it faster and more reliable
You can play with demo here - https://logseq-db-demo.pages.dev/
Some progress related to DB version - https://trello.com/b/8txSM12G/logseq-roadmap
For instance, will be easier to keep metadata to each bullet; supertags (classes) will be out of the box (e.g. you can assign certain tag to the bullet and it will receive predefiend properties; it will be more reliable etc.
Also they want to make it be accessible everywhere (web, local, mobile etc, local-first), they want to make collaboration features. I think they will charge for sync and collaboration and hosting through their own servers, but there will be an option to self host everything for free
WIP DB branch can be found here - https://github.com/logseq/logseq/pull/9858
@Ydkd Thanks for the extra info!
Hmm I fear for its future; slightly.
@Valdus Can you elaborate?
Author at Zettelkasten.de • https://christiantietze.de/
When apps start to offer web or accessable from everywhere, that’s usually when it goes profit- hungry.
Selfishly, I like it kept in md files. I can read it with anything.
Joplin's team did offer a service for synchronisation from an external server, just like Logseq's team wants to do, and they keep things reasonnable. Maybe it will be the case for Logseq
I pray, if not, the search will continue. If only feather wiki had backlinks!
I'm with you on this point; I'd like all of my data in markdown files. I wouldn't be very open to switching to a "database" version of Logseq unless it provided an option to export the entire database into a "markdown file" version.
Fortunately, I can open my logseq database in Obsidian, and if I rearrange some folders and adjust links, can also open it in The Archive. So one can always recover or backtrack, if necessary.
Dang wish the Archive had a windows version.
Since I call my logs and journals The Archive, I wonder if they would get along.