Yes, I kept switching. And before you close this tab, let me explain why this failure led to something better — a system that finally clicked with how my brain actually works.

The Problem With "Just Notes"

When I started using Obsidian as my daily driver, something felt off. The workflow wasn't fluid. I kept hitting resistance, like trying to fit square pegs into round holes. After weeks of frustration, I finally sat down to figure out why.

For me, a note can't just be "a note." That's like calling everything in your house "a thing." A glass is a glass. A knife is a knife. Each has its own properties, its own purpose. When everything is just "a note," my brain gets confused. I need structure. I need types.

With types, I don't need to think about where the note needs to go, since it's already a thing and can be grouped with other things of the same type. Like sorting laundry — socks go with socks, shirts with shirts. You don't decide where things go, and you immediately know what each item is for just by looking at it.

For example, a Meeting type automatically has attendees, date/time, and maybe a URL for a Zoom call. A Person type has contact info, relationships, and organizations. The structure guides what information belongs there and makes everything self-organizing and queryable. So I don't need folders.

The Search for Object-Based Thinking

This realization sent me on another journey through the app ecosystem:

Capacities: The European Solution

First, I discovered Capacities, a German app that immediately made sense. Every entry is an object. A daily note is a Daily. A meeting note is a Meeting. A place note is a Place. Simple, elegant, and exactly what I needed.

Starting with Capacities felt natural. But then...

Tana: The Power of Supertags

I found Tana and its supertags feature — a way to turn any node into a structured object. Plus, I genuinely love outliners. Tana felt like the perfect app.

Until the familiar questions crept back: What about privacy? Local-first? Freedom from "the cloud"?

Back to Obsidian (But Different This Time)

If you have ADHD, you're probably nodding along right now. If you don't, you're probably wondering how anyone can switch apps this many times. Both reactions are valid.

But here's where it gets interesting: I started connecting dots.

What if I could replicate the object-based system in Obsidian? The app I already own, that stores files locally, that's private by default and based on Markdown that will work decades from now?

I wasn't the first person to think this way. I discovered that Kepano (Obsidian's CEO) uses a similar approach in his own vault.

The turning point came when I realized: thinking in objects instead of folders just feels easy to me. After experiencing how Tana's outliner and object system worked, I couldn't unsee it. I didn't need a complex folder hierarchy. I needed types that naturally organize themselves. That's when I knew I had to build this.

Introducing ProjectO26

In the last days of 2025, I had an idea. I started building what I'm calling ProjectO26 — an Obsidian vault built around object-based thinking that I'll use as a year-long experiment throughout all of 2026. The name was created with the help of my friend Vlad Campos.

The core concept is simple: every note has a type. That type determines:

• What properties it has
• How it connects to other types
• What queries and views display it

ProjectO26 draws inspiration from:

• Kepano's Obsidian vault structure (you can read more in his blog post How I use Obsidian)
• Capacities' object-first approach
• Tana's flexibility with supertags
• Database thinking applied to note-taking

The Journey Continues

Was switching apps multiple times wasteful? Maybe. But each app taught me something about what I actually needed. Capacities showed me the power of objects. Tana demonstrated the flexibility of structured data. And Obsidian gave me the foundation to build it all myself.

So no, I didn't stop switching apps. But this year, I'm committing to something different: a full year with ProjectO26. No switching. No new apps. Just building, refining, and documenting what works.

ProjectO26 isn't just another note-taking system. It's a year-long experiment to build the system I've been trying to find by jumping between apps. Follow along to see if it actually works.

Curious how it works? Next post I'll break down the architecture. Throughout 2026, I'll share the templates, structures, and lessons learned as they evolve.

Over the last few years, I've tested so many that I can barely remember them all: Evernote, Workflowy, Roam Research, Logseq, Mem.ai, Standard Notes, Notesnook, Apple Notes, Reflect, Obsidian... and many more.

All of these apps have amazing features, but none of them solved my problems by themselves. They all had limitations because they force you to use the app the way the creators want you to use it. And that's the main issue.

Finally, I understood something important: my problem wasn't about what a note-taking app can do, but rather about what it can't do.

Every time I found an issue with something I wanted to do, my first thought was: "Maybe there's another app that can do this better." This became a pattern. I was always searching for the perfect app instead of committing to one and making it work for me.

For someone with ADHD like me, this constant search for the "perfect" tool became a distraction from actually using the tool to get things done.

I Finally Found a Solution

Since my biggest issue was constantly switching apps, I had to create a hard rule for myself.

We all know no note-taking app is perfect (even the YouTubers who claim theirs is). So my first step was simple: choose one and stick with it.

I chose Obsidian because:

• It's multiplatform
• It's very private (files are on my filesystem)
• It's easy to use with AI (I know it's strange to say this after mentioning privacy)
• It's very customizable
• It's from a small company with good goals and intentions

After choosing Obsidian, I made a commitment with myself: I can't change my note-taking app for the next 2 months. This hard rule means that when an issue comes up, I have to deal with it instead of jumping to another app.

It's already been 2 weeks, and I'm still going strong using Obsidian. I've even changed my task management from Todoist to Obsidian using the Kanban Board Plugin.

Starting Simple

The last step was to start very simple and small.

For that, I asked Claude AI for help. This tool can read my vault (with my control) and help me create a system and workflow that works specifically for me. This is the first time I'm not copying someone else's system - I'm building one created by me, with the help of AI. Everything now is simple and evolves with my needs.

It's been amazing, and I believe I've finally solved my struggles with note-taking apps. The solution wasn't finding the perfect app - it was committing to one and building a system that works for me.

In this path to more freedom one thing that is keeping in my mind (and in my YouTube feed) is the privacy. YouTube channels like The Hated One and Techlore made me thinking more about this and one thing that started to make total sense to me is avoid some of the big companies.

I don’t want to be extreme, but I want to gradually reduce my connection to companies like Meta, X, Microsoft, Apple, Google and some of the new ones emerging with the AI era. I also have the desire to stop using Meta's services completely, because day after day I get more screwed with their rules and motives.

But this is something that will take time and seems like a long-term plan. As I said, I don’t want to be extreme! I’m connected with people through some services provided by companies like WhatsApp, which belongs to Meta, but that I use to communicate with friends and family. Also I use a lot Instagram to share things with my partner. So to leave all this services I need a plan to guarantee I don’t break completely my connection with people I love.

So my plan (kind off) is to start small and without a timeline.

Some changes I’m already implementing other are on my backlog. Here is my checklist (that is not fixed and can change a lot)

Email

• Email aliases - for login on social media, services, etc (Addy.io)
• Custom domain (Hey mail - not the most private but I least if from a small company that made a different product)

Web Surfing

• Use a VPN service (probably Mulland)
• Use a more secure Browser (I’m using Zen Browser, but something like Brave may be an option)
• Get closer to the project Ladybird browser (a completely new browser that is not based on chromium, firefox or safari)

Social Media

• Leave all Meta services (Instagram, Threads, Facebook, WhatsApp)
• Use more social media from the Fediverse like: Mastodon, Bluesky and Pixelfed
• Hide all my personal information on X (or even delete completely my account)

Notes and Passwords

• Use Obsidian with theirs Sync service instead of iCloud (as I’m doing now).
• Delete my account from a long list of apps I have tested but I don’t want to use like Notion, Evernote, …
• I have been using 1Password for more than six years, but I'm considering whether I should switch to a more secure service.

The more polemic topic

• Leave my iPhone and start using an Android with a more secure distribution, possibly one that doesn't include Google Services by default.

I don’t want to call this a plan because it’s something evolving and changing with my experiences and learning.

I’m going to make some updates to it in the next few months. Stay tuned.

Until now, I have focused on limiting my use of tech to my laptop. Recently, I’ve been considering going further - not just reducing my computer time, but also my phone usage. A kind of tech-detox.

It's not easy. I don't use my phone as little as I'd like, but I'm working on it.

Next year, I want to not only avoid my computers but also to be more intentional about using my phone solely for its intended purpose. I aim to cut down on social media and focus more on being present.

Now that vacations are over, I'm back at work and back at my computer. I do miss it a little, but this is exactly what was meant to happen. I love tinkering with tech, coding, watching videos, testing apps, and building things. However, I also enjoyed the break, and I really want to maintain that balance moving forward.

1. You save some money.
2. You enjoy it more in the end.

Recently, I needed an external SSD drive. I checked the usual options: plenty of models, all good enough for my needs - but also overpriced, and, to my taste, kind of ugly.

So, I went for another route: buying an SSD separately and pairing it with an enclosure of my choice.

After watching a bunch of YouTube videos, I learned that this approach has its trade-offs. One compromise is that it might use a bit more power from my MacBook Pro or my new MacBook Air. But the benefits? Complete freedom to choose the SSD I want and the box I like.

I ended up with a Crucial P310 1TB SSD and a beautiful SABRENT square metal enclosure with a good cooling system. The total price was less than a pre-built external SSD - and I got the satisfaction of putting the pieces together myself.

Another advantage: future upgrades are simple. I can swap the enclosure, replace the SSD, or even get one that holds two drives. I started with 1TB, but expanding will be easy.

Sure, it’s not waterproof or dustproof like a prebuilt option. But it’s a solution I like, and something I "assembled" with my own hands.

This is just one (not so amazing) example, but it reminded me of an important lesson: building something yourself can be just as rewarding as using it.

I liked the simplicity of micro.blog, but I was looking for something even more minimalist - a platform focused entirely on writing, clarity, and intention. And the Bear Blog manifesto really resonates with me.

Bear Blog is fast, lightweight, Markdown-based, and has just enough customization. The interface is clean and distraction-free - exactly what I need.
It doesn’t have full newsletter integration, but you can still subscribe at log.ivomota.com/subscribe and you will get updates from me.

Migrating posts was simple.
I also took this moment to rename the blog to Ivo’s Log - because this isn’t really a blog in the traditional sense. It’s more like a log: a record of thoughts, tech experiments, and small moments from my life.

Everything now lives under a cleaner URL. The old one (micro.ivomota.com) still works but redirects here.

It’s a small change, but it feels right.
I’ll keep writing here — one small log at a time.

It’s true! My most recent purchase was an Apple device — even after saying:

I want to have more freedom using my technology.
I want the ability to change plans without so much friction.
I want to have fun again!

It may sound like I’m contradicting myself. But let me explain — and maybe you’ll see that it actually makes perfect sense.

The plan was never to ditch Apple completely. The plan was to have more flexibility and freedom in my tech life. That includes making decisions that serve me now, not locking myself into rigid ideas just to stay consistent (I change my mind often).

I work as a software engineer, and in my work, I use a 16” MacBook Pro M3 with 32 GB of RAM (a pretty fast machine). I've been using MacOS professionally for over 10 year, and I just like it. Normally, I used my work computer also as my personal computer, but in recent years I have been changing my mind and started thinking about having my own machine for my projects and personal things. It's obvious that I spend most of my time on my work machine, so I do a lot of personal things there.

But over time, I started feeling the need for a separate machine, something truly mine for personal projects. Since I have a lot of configurations and software that runs on Mac, with sync it is very easy to just have another machine like the one I use every day. And as much as I want to experiment with Linux (for example), I also need a machine that supports my current workflow without friction.

So I made a conscious choice — not based on brand loyalty, but on what works best for me right now. Also, the M4 MacBook Air 13 is light, fast, efficient, and beautiful!

I don’t want to be stuck in the Apple ecosystem forever, but I also don’t want to reject it just to prove a point. That would be just another form of dogma — and I’m trying to move away from that.

The big difference is that now I’m keeping my setup more modular. I’m not going all-in. I’m leaving space for change, curiosity, and experimentation — like using cross-platform or web-based software whenever possible

So yes, I bought an Apple device. And I still stand by my plan.

So maybe we don’t really have plans — we have ideas. And ideas evolve as we grow and move forward.

But this time, I really do have a plan (or at least, an idea). The idea is to change my entire technology foundation.

For over 15 years, I’ve been gradually moving everything into the Apple ecosystem. I think it started around 2010 (maybe earlier — I can't quite remember), when I bought a MacBook for my Electrical and Computer Engineering studies. Before that, I was using an LG laptop with dual-boot Windows/Linux. I tried many Linux distros, but when I switched to Mac OS X, everything changed. The experience was just... smooth. The OS, the machine — even the battery life was impressive back then.

In 2016, I got my first iPhone — the iPhone 6s — and that’s when the real magic happened. macOS and iOS worked so well together.

Since then, I never seriously considered leaving the Apple ecosystem. Everything just worked. I loved using my MacBook Pro, my iPhone, and my iPad Mini. But lately, Apple seems to be slowing down. Their software feels stagnant and boring. Nothing feels exciting anymore.

And this year, some questions started flashing through my mind:

• What if I could enjoy using my machines again?
• What if I wanted to go back to Android or Linux one day — would that even be possible?
• Could I make switching easier?

So, a new plan started to form.

I want to have more freedom using my technology. I want the ability to change plans without so much friction. I want to share this process and how plans change.
I want to have fun again!

That’s the plan.