A lot of productivity systems become almost useless once you try to move your data somewhere else. You can spend as much time as you want trying to set up intricate knowledge hubs and project management systems, only for all of it to be stuck in proprietary formats and features that don’t translate well outside a specific app.

Given that I love trying out new productivity tools, this has happened to me a frustrating number of times. That’s why Markdown started becoming the primary format in my entire productivity system. Not only is it a simple language, but it’s universal and plays well with most of my apps, so I’m not confined to any particular toolkit.

Markdown allows me to switch tools and context without having to convert anything, and everything stays super lightweight and readable. It’s just a reliable way of getting my work into and out of my apps.

What is Markdown?

A simple format with massive compatibility

Markdown is a lightweight markup language that lets you add formatting to plain text using a simple set of symbols instead of complex tags. You simply write your content in a normal text editor and use characters like # for headings, * for bullets, [ and ] for links, and triple backticks for code blocks. The same file can then be rendered into HTML, PDF, and other formats without losing those structures.

Markdown was created in 2004 by John Gruber with the help of Aaron Swartz with a specific goal: that people should be able to write formatted documents in plain text that’s still easy to read in its raw form, but can also be converted to HTML. This is why Markdown documents look clean even before they’re converted, unlike heavier markups like HTML or XML.

The simplicity of Markdown is part of what made it spread so widely. Early on, platforms like GitHub adopted it as the default format for README files, and it quickly became the standard for documentation, blogs, forums, and collaboration tools.

Why I rely on Markdown

Practical benefits and use cases

The biggest benefit of Markdown is portability. A Markdown file is just universal plain text, so it’s not tied to any specific app, platform, or company. I can open the same .md file in Obsidian, Zettlr, VSCode, Windows Notepad, and more, and on any device or OS I want.

The content stays intact completely - headers remain enlarged, checklists remain interactive, and links don’t break. Even apps that don’t render Markdown with a live preview retain all the source text. This alone makes Markdown ideal for long-term notes and projects, because it’s future-proof.

Markdown is also fast to write; I don’t have to switch between mouse and keyboard to get the format I need; I can add headers, lists, and code blocks as I type. This lets me keep the momentum going, which creates more of a distraction-free space ideal for long sessions of focused writing.

Another major benefit is tool interoperability. Most modern note-taking and writing tools support Markdown natively. So I can draft in one app, edit in another, and preview and publish elsewhere without worrying about conversion. It’s also why Markdown works so well in mixed stacks, and why I managed to keep my text stack flexible.

Markdown also scales really well. I use it for quick scratch notes as well as long drafts and knowledge bases. Combined with tools that have folders, links, and tags, Markdown becomes a solid foundation for my PKM systems. Ultimately, Markdown is super flexible, gives me simple structure, will be around forever, and is compatible with most tools. Plus, I own my files.

My Markdown tools

The apps I use with my Markdown documents

The top tool I use with my Markdown documents is Obsidian. This is because, for one, Obsidian creates and saves your notes in Markdown by default. It also previews external Markdown docs with all the formatting intact. Even if you don’t care to set up any complicated project management systems, it’s one of my top recommendations for plain text and Markdown writing, alongside Joplin. Plus, neither app collects personal data, and both store everything locally by default.

Another tool I have to mention is Windows Notepad. This is where most of my scribbling and quick notes happen. And although I usually save those files as plain text, it reads and renders Markdown perfectly fine. As for online tools, although Microsoft Loop can’t export in Markdown, it does accept and render Markdown syntax. However, Dillinger is also an excellent browser-based option, and is built to receive, create, and export Markdown files.

And lastly are AI tools. I mainly use NotebookLM and Perplexity as part of my research and note-taking process - both of them accept Markdown files as sources. Unfortunately, NotebookLM doesn’t export .md files, but I just copy the rich text responses into an Obsidian page, which automatically converts it to Markdown and retains the formatting. Perplexity does export entire threads as Markdown files, which I also keep in my Obsidian vault for further exploration.

Markdown just works

Markdown keeps my entire note-taking, writing, and research process flexible and structured. Not to mention, it’s portable, non-proprietary, highly compatible, and future-proof. It doesn’t matter how much I switch up my productivity toolkit, my Markdown documents will remain relevant and intact.