How I Take Notes Through My Terminal Instead of Notion

For years, I’ve been obsessed with finding the best way to capture notes—whether for personal journaling, learning, or work as a software engineer.

I started with physical notebooks and bullet journaling. It worked for a while, but it was slow, tiring on my hands, and inconvenient if I missed a week. Switching to Notion felt like a big upgrade: digital, accessible anywhere, and harder to lose.

Still, something was missing. Notion added friction—too much clicking, loading, and overhead. I wanted a system that was fast, lightweight, and accessible directly from my workflow. In short, I wanted a second brain where I could instantly capture ideas, learning notes, and references without breaking focus.

That’s when I discovered a terminal-first approach, inspired by productivity-focused developers like James Scholz and Mischa (DevOps engineer).

My Tech Stack

• Neovim (NVIM): for quick, distraction-free editing directly in the terminal.
• Obsidian: for syncing, linking, and visualizing notes across devices.

This setup gives me the best of both worlds: speed and simplicity in the terminal, plus powerful graph and search features in Obsidian.

My Note-Taking Method

I use the Zettelkasten system, built around linking small, atomic notes together. Instead of long, cluttered pages, I write short notes that connect—building a network of knowledge over time.

This makes it easier to:

• Capture ideas quickly
• Discover connections later
• Grow a personal knowledge base that feels alive

Structure

1. Daily Log – A running journal for the day.
2. Rough Notes – Quick ideas or brainstorms that may not become permanent.
3. Source Notes – Summaries of what I’m learning, rewritten in my own words.
4. Main Notes – Connections and deeper explanations, almost like writing my own mini-papers.
5. Indexes – A personal “mini-Wikipedia” that ties source and main notes together.

This layered structure keeps my notes organized while allowing flexibility. I can jot ideas quickly, then refine and connect them later.

Why It Works for Me

• Speed: I can take notes without leaving my coding environment.
• Portability: Obsidian syncs everything across devices.
• Scalability: The Zettelkasten method ensures notes don’t get lost—they build on each other.

It’s minimal, powerful, and integrates naturally into how I already work.