Several months ago I started using nvALT and Simplenote as a portable electronic notebook. Both apps are easy to use and offer near ubiquitous access to my stuff. Today, that combo is my Great Database of Everything, from reference emails to post ideas and driving directions.
I have the same setup going on my machines. nvALT is a great little app, and with Simplenote syncing, I’ve got my notes and files on my phone and on the web. The two sync perfectly and quickly with each other.
Like Dave, I organize my notes — all 121 of them — by subject. For example, freelance notes all start with the prefix “Freelance- ” followed by the name of the client. This makes looking for all of my clients easy and reliable.
nvALT has become my personal database, as it has for many. Because it works so well and fits so neatly into my workflow, just about everything I do lives in there — my journal, work projects, freelance notes, information on oddball hobbies and more.
nvALT has an option to make the app store its data as plain text files. I’ve got it set to store these files in my Dropbox folder as an additional safety net. Plain text files are exactly the sort of thing I like. They are small, easy to use, and can be opened on just about any platform. My data is future-proofed. Can you imagine having stored this type of data in WordPerfect?