When I imported my notes from Evernote, I wasn’t entirely sure how I wanted my properties, folders, and other Obsidian settings to be. Long story short, I ended up with a backlog of hundreds of notes that I’m still reorganizing — and I’ll probably be doing this for a long, long time.

It’s a lot of work, but it has never felt like a burden. From the very first note, it brought me so much joy that I keep looking for excuses to go back to it. These are my memories. Every single time I work on one of those notes — even the ones with just a couple of words — it makes me smile or shed a tear. Either way, being able to revisit a moment so vividly is absolutely fantastic. That’s why, whenever I have some free time, I immediately dive back in.

Which brings me to Tip Number 1: Write down your experiences.

It doesn’t have to be fancy. A single sentence will do, as long as it’s sincere. Trust me. Just do it! One day, you’ll have so much joy returning to these moments.

Here’s a note I wrote in Evernote about my conversation with the immigration officer in Atlanta while heading to the 2013 Evernote Conference in San Francisco. For those who never used the app back then, that was probably peak Evernote. Everyone knew about it, even the people who didn’t use it.

— What’s the purpose of your visit?
— I’m going to a conference.
— What conference?
— The Evernote Conference.
— What’s that?
— You don’t know what Evernote is?

My face was probably so honestly surprised that he actually wanted to know more about it. That automatically triggered an explanation about everything you could do with the elephant app. I was such an enthusiast that I’m pretty sure, at some point, the guy was thinking, “Oh god, enough. Just go. Here’s your stamp.”

2026-03-25 10.59 Evernote Conference 2013 badge.jpg

This is basically the entire note. The title is “At the immigration in Atlanta.” There’s also a picture of my wife and me having a coffee while waiting to board for San Francisco. Reading that simple note brought back so many memories of those days.

Use paper if that’s your thing, but date it. Also, make sure to include the city and the time; those details help trigger so many other memories. If you want to make it even cooler, include a picture or two and the geolocation. I absolutely love seeing all my notes on a map. But remember, it’s not about the complications. It’s about memories. Actually creating the habit of writing is the most important part. If you are not a journal person, try a blog to help you kick-start the process.

This leads to Tip Number 2: If you use an app, make sure you can export your notes.

Export a some notes and make sure you can actually use them somewhere else. The last thing you want is your memories being used as a way to trap you. Apps and online services come and go. You have to own your data. If you end up choosing Obsidian and would like some inspiration, you can check my setup here.

And talking about memories, yesterday a friend asked me about regrets and feelings related to Evernote. What I told him is this: I have no regrets and no hard feelings whatsoever. Evernote was such a significant part of my life, and it also helped me keep all these memories that I now have the pleasure to revisit in Obsidian. There’s no other way to put it — I’ll be forever thankful.