I only bought DT a few months ago so Iām very much a newbie, but my thought process may be helpful to other people considering how to corral their personal libraries and data into some sort of system so I thought Iād share my thought process.
My problem:
-
I had files spread across multiple systems, because my employers use A, B and C, I use Y, app Z only uses its native system, etc, etc. I initially started looking for a better way because there were too many places to look and it was getting frustrating.
-
I read a lot and make diligent notes, but had no system for storing these in a useful manner. I also take a lot of screengrabs, which get filed in a very ad-hoc manner.
-
I try to save articles Iāve read online that I like, but had no good system for doing this. Several times in the last year Iāve wasted hours trying to find an article āI know I saved somewhereā for someone.
-
My vocation requires me to be well-read, abreast of developments and able to find citations/data within a reasonable timeframe. The simple truth is that sometimes I know Iāve read that āusing alpha can lead to development of betaā, but I donāt know where Iāve read it, or how to find it again. Google can be very irritating with this, finding thousands of results that mention alpha and beta, and not the one you know youāve read in the last year
My demands:
-
Iām being demanding, but itās 2022 and I want just a few apps that do it all for me. I do not want 20 different apps that I have to learn, who all do one thing really well. Iām sorry but life is short
-
Life is also expensive. Iām not paying subscriptions for 20+ apps. In fact, I want to avoid ongoing subscriptions wherever possible. I remember the good old days when you bought a piece of software and it was yours to own on your computer. Iām not getting tied into a system I might not like in a few years.
-
I am fed up with the proliferation of native cloud services. I have a computer with its own hard-drive, and Iām not storing my personal data in some warehouse in California that I have to pay for the privilege of using (I tried Evernote a few times but this was my main sticking point).
The solution:
To me, Devonthink was the only solution. It meets all of my demands, and addresses most of my problems. It was a one-off cost, files are stored natively on my Mac so there are no proprietary issues and access isnāt dependent on internet, it can handle all the types of files I use in one system and it plays well with others when it canāt handle them itself (e.g. Word). The search function is superb, it can save web articles to pdf (the saving and filing of these alone wouldāve made it worth it in my book), and everything is finally coming into one place.
It has been a huge amount of work for me to move everything into one system. However, I had that work regardless of what software I chose, and if in future I do decide to leave DT, all those files are on my Mac.
The cost was eye-watering, but as it replaces multiple apps AND saves me time, it pays for itself very quickly. E.g.
-
Pocket Premium (for saving offline web content) - Ā£35.99 yearly
-
Evernote Personal (web clippings, notes etc) - Ā£71.88 AND a monthly size limit
-
I pay an annual sub for a personal email address. Now that Iām archiving emails on DT (with much better search functions!), Iāve dropped to the basic pricing as I have no need for GBs for space.
-
I have both iCloud and Dropbox subscriptions (because some apps needed one or the other) but I will be dropping to the free Dropbox now I donāt have loads of files in it: Ā£95.98 per year. Iāve not decided what to do about iCloud yet as I have a family sharing, so thatās not considered replaced yet.
You can see how DT can quickly pay for itself just in tech costs, and Iām not trying very hard (these are off the top of my head, and doesnāt include note-taking apps Iāve experimented with, etc.).
Yes, you have to learn a lot with DT and I know nothing about it really, but what I have learnt has been rewarding. Iāve now written two scripts of my own, learnt Markdown and my work is easier than ever as I can find files easily, which allows me to spend time on the things my employers actually pay me for (using that info, not looking for it!).
P.S. my filing system would make people cry, but it doesnāt matter. I have a couple of top level folders and Iām consistent with my file naming. DT does the rest.