Markdown Files, Not Apps

Files, not apps. I’m convinced this is the best way to work in the future.

I write down almost everything important in my life: lists, ideas, plans, code, and articles. They form my extended memory. They are a record of what I’ve done, and who I’ve been. That’s why I only use markdown files.

Traditional document and note-taking apps like Word, Evernote, and Notion create data silos and vendor lock-in, limiting your ability to freely move and process information.

I discovered this the hard way when I tried to move between different ecosystems like Evernote and Apple Notes. Sure, there was a way to export my data. But it was a mess. Things broke, attachments went missing, and I spent hours converting, reformatting, and importing.

Markdown is simple

Markdown files solve these challenges through their fundamental simplicity. Any text editor can open and edit them, eliminating dependency on specific applications or platforms. They have all the basic formatting you need for headlines, bullets, lists, and even basic tables.

Markdown is portable

If you use Evernote or Notion, for example, you are helpless without them. If they go out of business you are trapped and have to move your files to another format. You will outlive those companies. I’ve already outlived a few note-taking companies.

I can work with markdown files on any device, forever. I can access them with any text editor I want. This makes them remarkably long-lived. Proprietary formats come and go, but markdown’s open, plain text nature ensures it will likely outlast me. This makes it the ideal format for building a personal knowledge base.

Markdown works offline

There are times when I want to be offline and unreachable, but would still like to jot ideas down in a format that is easily searchable. Working offline is an amazing productivity boost. Why give that up for an online database?

Markdown is ready for AI

This is a use case I wouldn’t have imagined a few years. But it’s the main reason I’m convinced markdown files are the future. Since markdown is just text, AI systems can easily process and analyze your notes.

For example, I can easily grab my “Ideal Customer Profile.md” file and throw it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or whatever I’m using at the moment to work with it. I can add my messaging framework, and immediately start brainstorming marketing copy.

I can run a local LLM, point it at a folder of my markdown files, and then interact with my notes by asking questions. It’s like a personal assistant built on everything I’ve learned and experienced.

Conclusion

Everything I write is human readable, and yet actionable with apps and tools. I always have my files available locally, and backups are just making a copy of the folder and putting it somewhere safe.

Markdown is simple, portable, independent, and free — exactly how I want to live.