From research to writing: how Notion, Obsidian, or xTiles can help content writers
What does a good modern article look like? Is it an essay? A piece of fiction? Or is it a systematic process?
In the modern-day and age, we need to write a lot. The internet is jammed with information. As a result, many articles are SEO- and marketing-oriented. Their goal is to rank higher than their competitors and to allure their customers.
Writing has essentially become a machine for engaging and retaining users.
Which tools do writers use?
Article writing is no longer about making things up. Nowadays, writers have to compile collected data instead of writing articles linearly, elaborating their train of thought from start to end. It is almost like stitching scattered pieces of cloth together.
While doing research, writers harness a lot of rudimentary data that they can process in many different ways. This is convenient since it enables you to arrange pieces of information, identify the key points, and outline a correct structure early on.
Why is it important to organize your research?
Your result depends on the quality of the data collected. Finding relevant and trustworthy information is just one of the many challenges that writers face. They also need to organize the data and decide which tools to use, as these choices will significantly impact the result.
Information comes in many shapes and sizes, including notes, quotes, links, and pictures, meaning that it is essential for you to organize them. A tool must have essential built-in functions for systemizing information, including grouping, prioritizing, and sorting.
Why is it important to have a bird’s eye view?
To make sure that the result is exceptional, you need to carefully analyze, compare and pick the right data. Oftentimes, we make decisions by labeling info and handpicking 3–5% of information that will be used in the future.
To simplify the process, you need to ensure that you can see and analyze information simultaneously on your laptop or desktop. This approach will help you store everything in your head, improve your analysis and results, relax your brain and save time.
Modern tools for better writing
Notion
Notion is one of the best tools for organizing information. No longer a classic text editor, it has a wide array of features for organizing full-fledged knowledge bases with tables, Kanbans, and other advanced components.
Notion’s classic linear format, however, precludes its users from organizing the chain of collecting and processing information in a truly effective manner. It is tailored to handling knowledge bases, not active processing of data.
Difficulties may also arise when choosing context since it does not suffice to open one document in Notion in order to carry out research, process info, and create the Masterfile.
Creating a dedicated workspace is hardly necessary. Especially since collaboration in Notion is not free of charge: you will need to pay for each separate workspace.
Obsidian
Obsidian is a hipster product that has many interesting, unique features for linking information.
It is perfect for collecting and processing information and is likewise suitable for ensuring the research-writing flow.
However, its complicated and dated interface is the product’s major disadvantage, making it difficult for its users to navigate it. Therefore, I assume that its developers intentionally focused on the product’s functionality, disregarding the UI.
The offline data storage is also a nuisance since users cannot collaborate in the cloud or share data.
xTiles
I would also like to mention xTiles, a new app that I deem promising. It is yet to conquer the market, but it does seem to be a curious beast.
The app’s landing has a line that reads, “if Notion and Miro had a baby”, which I think is very accurate. xTiles’ documents merge the functionality of a note-taking app and whiteboard. It also has Spreadsheets-like tabs, making it easy to collect info.
Since the product is card-based, organizing data on the page becomes flexible, enabling you to create a layout that works for you. In Notion, for instance, it is quite challenging.
The tabs allow organizing the header’s structure, serving as an alternative to the classic pages.
The tabs and cards enable you to organize data in the big picture mode, which helps you analyze the collected data faster.
The search function is also remarkable. I have never seen such a visually appealing card-based layout where the context is immediately visible.
At the moment, xTiles lacks a tagging system and does not allow exporting data. However, these features might soon become available as the tool is still very new.
