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Jun 5, 2022
Treating Notion and Evernote Pain Points
The doctor is in! Notion and Evernote leaving you feeling fatigued, stressed, or otherwise not at peak health? To accompany the launch of our newly-overhauled imports feature which allows you to reliably transfer your notes from Notion, Evernote, and Markdown into Mem, here's our rundown of some of the most common ailments suffered by Notion and Evernote users - and how to treat them with Mem.
Complaint 🤒:
"I just started using Notion and I don't know where to begin... I want to just start capturing knowledge, but I feel like there's so much to learn before I can start using the app!"
Diagnosis 👩⚕️:
With its barrage of features and endless customization options, the barrier to entry with Notion is pretty high, which could explain the pain you're experiencing.
Prescription 💊:
Mem is easy and intuitive to use, and you can start capturing notes straight after signing up. Our self-organizing workspace means you can spontaneously record knowledge without worrying about where best to store it, and our frill-free layout and minimal customization options keep you focused on the content of your notes, not their aesthetic trappings.
Complaint 🤒:
"I'm a long-time Notion user, but right now I'm extremely busy, and I don't have the time to keep up with my work and make sure that I'm also properly organizing it in my Notion account. I'm exhausted trying to do both!"
Diagnosis 👩⚕️:
Notion requires a lot of maintenance to keep it working effectively, which can make it challenging to use when you're dealing with knowledge that is always expanding and changing in real-time.
Prescription 💊:
Alleviate fatigue by using an app better suited to spontaneously recording knowledge that is subject to frequent updates and expansions. Mem's self-organizing capabilities mean that when you're pressed for time and deadlines loom, the only thing you need to worry about is getting your own work across the finish line.
Complaint 🤒:
"I travel a lot for work, and I'm not always able to access wifi (e.g., on planes). But I can only seem to access my full Notion knowledge base when I'm connected to the Internet. It's slowing down my pace of work and leaving me struggling to catch up when I do finally have Internet access again".
Diagnosis 👩⚕️:
Without Internet access, Notion can unfortunately only show recently-used cached pages within your account. So, while you might be able to see some of your notes without connecting to the Internet, the app does not provide full and consistent offline support.
Prescription 💊:
Prevent frustration and fits and starts in your workflow when on the move by switching to app with offline support. Mem is fully accessible offline on desktop, meaning you can keep working on and consulting existing notes when your Internet access cuts out or isn't available.
Complaint 🤒:
"I'm spending way too much time trying to find notes using Notion's Search. Even when I know I've saved something in a particular place, it can be impossible to find it later on without trawling through everything I've got saved in my account".
Diagnosis 👩⚕️:
Notion's search capabilities are pretty basic, which is probably causing your trouble. Notion's search engine cannot conduct refined global searches across all databases at once, meaning that if you don't know the database in which a particular piece of knowledge is stored, you'll have to go through and conduct searches in each database serially. Searching for information contained within tables is also unreliable, and keyword searches often fail to return relevant information that does not mention the keyword directly.
Prescription 💊:
Cut out search-induced headaches by switching to an app with more robust retrieval capabilities. Mem's search function is global, returning results across every mem you have created or has been shared with you. Mem X users also have access to our AI-powered Smart Search function, which retrieves results that may not contain the exact search keywords, but are deemed relevant based on semantic and structural characteristics. This allows for more associative and conceptual searching - particularly useful if you're looking for a note for which you don't have effective keywords, like "What was that financial concept I learned about last month?"
Complaint 🤒:
"I've just signed up to Evernote's free plan, but I'm already struggling to use it effectively. I uploaded four audio files, and it's already telling me that I've exceeded my monthly limit for uploads. What's going on?"
Diagnosis 👩⚕️:
The problem you're describing is the result of Evernote's 60MB monthly upload limit for its free plan. Text users might not find this a problem, but if you're working with images, audio, and/or pdfs, you might quickly find yourself stuck with no ability to upload files until the following month. In fact, Evernote's free plan is severely limited compared to other personal knowledge management tools - there's a cap of two devices per account (so if you're using Evernote on your laptop and iPad, you won't be able to use it on mobile), no offline support, and no email forwarding available unless you upgrade to a paid plan.
Prescription 💊:
If you're not able or willing to pay for your knowledge management system, switch to one that offers a free plan with fewer restrictions. Mem's free tier gives users access to fewer AI-powered features, but otherwise functions in the same way as the paid tier, Mem X. Unlike its Evernote counterpart, it's completely feasible to use the Mem free plan on a long-term basis for knowledge management.
Complaint 🤒:
"I use Evernote as part of a team, but we're releasing a new product soon and all of us need to work on the same note at the same time to make sure it's perfect before launch day. It's not working and I can't figure out why!"
Diagnosis 👩⚕️:
Unfortunately, while you can share notes with team members, Evernote doesn't support real-time collaboration on notes, meaning you need to go back and forth between each other via comments to suggest and make changes.
Prescription 💊:
Eliminate back and forth with an app that supports real-time collaboration within notes, like Mem. You can share mems with and edit mems alongside multiple people simultaneously.
Complaint 🤒:
"I'm seeing lots of apps coming out with AI-assisted writing tools, but not Evernote. I'm stuck using ChatGPT, which doesn't always give me the most useful suggestions for my particular context. I'd love a more streamlined way to use AI alongside my knowledge base".
Diagnosis 👩⚕️:
Yep, while Evernote has just announced that they will be launching two AI features -- AI Note Cleanup and AI Search -- the first of those is only in beta and the second doesn't have a fixed launch date yet. The problems you're having with ChatGPT are the result of a couple of things. First, ChatGPT only draws on context provided in the prompt you use, which can make it more trouble than it's worth to use it for highly-specific situations. Second, ChatGPT's training data has a cut-off date of September 2021, meaning that the model doesn't have access to information about any events subsequent to that date.
Prescription 💊:
If you want AI assistance that's integrated with your knowledge base, consider Mem X, the paid tier of the Mem app. With Mem X, AI isn't just a bolt-on but the core of the product experience. Mem X users have access to the following AI-powered features:
Similar mems in the right-hand sidebar of each mem that surfaces relevant past mems
After connecting your email, AI auto-summarization of long email threads
"Mems you may have missed" in your right-hand sidebar in home if you're collaborating in a team of 4 or more people
Smart search in search (e.g., searching NFT company will return results about "OpenSea"
Letting you interface directly with the powerful generative AI supporting our app, Smart Write and Edit helps you craft highly personalized writing that draws on the specific contents, voice, and style of your knowledge base. By combining cutting-edge AI with the information stored in your Mem account, Smart Write and Edit can assist you in generating and editing content that reflects your unique knowledge and style.
Complaint 🤒:
"I know I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I just find Evernote's interface very old-fashioned, aesthetically-speaking. Sometimes I get distracted by the background clutter and constant pop-ups. I wish there was a way to take notes with fewer distractions!"
Diagnosis 👩⚕️:
Evernote was founded over twenty years ago, so it's as old as the dinosaurs in terms of digital workspaces. That explains why the interface might feel clunky or old-fashioned compared to apps released more recently.
Prescription 💊:
Most apps released in the last five years have slicker designs than Evernote, but if you're also looking to be distracted by less visual clutter, Mem offers Focus mode for those times when you need to buckle down for some uninterrupted work. In Focus mode, only the note you are currently working in is shown, and the rest of the app interface is hidden. It's available to all Mem users by selecting your personal profile icon and then selecting Settings.
