My experiment using my iPad as my notebook has gone pretty well so far. If anything, I’m probably more convinced that it is the right solution for my use cases and preferences.
Something, happened today though, that might change mi mind should it reoccur.
This morning I was gearing up for a summer day at my desk of working on research and course prep. Thoughts began to rattle around about an article manuscript I am reviewing for a journal. I needed to capture them, or at least get them out of my head, so that I could refer to them later this week and also better focus on the task at hand–research notes I was preparing to take.
I grabbed my Apple Pencil and let the ideas flow into the daily notes section of my digital planner. One idea led to another, and I quickly filled up the space. No big deal. I had anticipated this scenario. I’d just copy the text and paste it into my notebook. My ideas about the article would be waiting there for me when I was ready to revisit them later this week.
I used the lasso tool, selected the text, and tapped cut. I navigated to a fresh page in my notebook and tapped paste. Easy peasy. Job done. I could go about my business. Thank you, Goodnotes.
After a few hours of creating research notecards the old-fashioned way, I had cause to return to my digital notebook. To my chagrin, the notes I had pasted earlier had vanished. The heading I had jotted was still there, but the notes I had pasted were not.
The horror! The agony!
I quickly went back to my planner to see if by some stroke of luck they were still there. Nope. I investigated undo options in Goodnotes and scrolled through clipboard history. Nothing.
I’m not sure what happened. This is the first time I have lost notes in Goodnotes. I was sad because I had felt the brief notetaking session had produced some important insights about the article manuscript that would help support my recommendation to the editor.
I guess I’ll file this under the live and learn category and move on. I just hope it doesn’t happen again.

