Why I Ditched Notion for Obsidian

Hey there! Ever feel like you’re stuck in a rut with the tools you use? That was me with Notion. Don’t get me wrong—I genuinely loved Notion for a while. It was like that trusty old notebook filled with everything from my weekend plans to my loftiest dreams. But as time passed, I realized it just wasn’t working for me anymore. Let me walk you through why I made a big switch to something way cooler—Obsidian!

The Slowdown with Notion

I am a second brain super user. So I need something that I can organize every aspect of my entire life inside of. Now imagine trying to sprint through molasses. That’s how it felt using Notion after a while. It started lagging, hard. Plus, it was ANOTHER friggin’ subscription, and needing an internet connection just to access my notes? Not ideal. Also, as someone who cares about that stuff, the closed-source nature of Notion was a huge bummer. And, cybersecurity? Let’s just say I wasn’t thrilled about how secure my data felt.

Enter Obsidian: My Literal Obsession

Then, Obsidian came into my life—totally free and fully customizable. Everything is stored locally on my device, which means I can dive into my notes whether I’m wi-fi hacking in a car or sitting at my desk. Open source? Check. This means I can mess around with the code, making Obsidian fit my needs like a glove.

Okay, so here’s the main reason I’m so obsessed- it’s a powerhouse for handling heaps of information. It’s tailor-made for those of us (lookin’ at you, neurodivergents 😅) who love to see our thoughts organized in a slick, efficient way. The community plugins? Absolute game changers. They let me add all sorts of functionalities I never even knew I needed.

My Favorite Features: All About Visuals and Sharing

One feature I can’t get enough of is Obsidian’s publish feature, perfect for my personal wiki. It’s like having a little slice of the internet all to myself, where I can stash all my creations and curations.

My favorite tech career pro tip is to start a second brain the ✨MOMENT✨ you start learning in tech so you can organize the information and it can grow and evolve with you.

Always make guides the first time you master a task, do future you favors constantly.

This has the added bonus of acting as a portfolio and proof of your knowledge that cannot be replaced by AI or other candidates when you need to stand apart from the crowd when job searching.

And the graph view? Sure, it’s not the most practical feature, but watching my thoughts connect in a visual web is just plain fun—it’s like seeing my brain’s wiring laid out in front of me!

Notion Who?

I still pop into Notion for quick trackers or structured tasks—it’s got its perks. Also most creators give away notion templates with their courses, so I hoard them there. But for everything else, Obsidian is my go-to. It’s like having a digital tool that not only gets me but also grows with me.

So, Why Make the Switch?

Switching to Obsidian was a breath of fresh air. It’s given me the freedom to explore, the security to trust my Life Operating System, and the power to customize every little detail. If you’re feeling boxed in by your current tools, why not leap into something that sparks your curiosity and lets your creativity run wild?

I highly recommend testing out Obsidian, especially if you feel like you’re outgrowing Notion and need a more powerful tool. Trust me, once you see what you can do with it, there’s no going back.