When it comes to taking notes, I’m still very much old school. I have a small notebook always in my purse, and I really like taking paper notes when I’m at press events, wine tastings, or just trying to make vacation plans with friends. While I really enjoy taking those paper notes, there always comes a time where I want those paper notes to be digital. Brill is an app that can help.

Windows / Mac: I confess, I’m not as well-versed in Markdown as I should be, but the awesome, free note-taking app Notable makes me want to learn its intricacies. The app, available for both Windows and Mac, is a full-fledged note-taking experience that’s leagues better than any default apps you’ll ever find on your system.

You just have to learn Markdown to make the most of it, but that sounds a lot worse than it actually is.

Hi! You didn’t come here to avoid studying, did you? Well, at least you’ll learn how to study better when you’re done with this little break. These are Lifehacker’s most popular study tips from the last five years.

As I mentioned earlier today, Mozilla rolled out two new apps the other day as part of its Test Pilot program: One for syncing passwords between your Firefox browser and your iOS device (and soon, Android), and another app (and extension) for synchronising notes between your Firefox browser and an Android device.

iOS: You know what's easy? Sending your friend an audio file via iPhone text message. You know what isn't easy? Listening to that audio file via iPhone text message. Well, there's a better way.

When out and about, I used to put all my ideas into a pocket notebook. Then I switched to emailing myself from my phone. Then I tried the Notes app. Now I put them in Wunderlist, a to-do app. It's not my favourite to-do app — Microsoft even released another app to replace it — because I use my favourite to-do app for my actual to-dos. No, this is my sidecar and it's a much better way to jot down random notes than using a text app.

You've got an iPad in your bag, a Surface Pro on your desk, and you're still writing your notes on loose-leaf paper? Don't be an animal. It's 2018, and it's high time for you to ditch the paper and embrace the future of note-taking, a future that lets you do so much more with every jot and scribble.

Every now and then, you have to write something longhand for someone else to read: A note, a notice, a birthday card. If you're like the many people we've gotten notes or notices or birthday cards from, it sometimes comes out illegible. We've presented many methods for improving your handwriting, but before you try them, just try slowing the hell down.

iOS: iOS 11's new built-in document scanning feature is both a time-saver and a convenient way to capture information. It makes it easy to attach real-world documents to your digital musings without leaving one app for another. It won't replace any dedicated document scanning apps, but it's a great alternative to buying a document scanning app if all you want is a signature-ready document you can export anywhere.

Hi Lifehacker, I'm a self-employed tradesman and struggle to keep good records of the work I've done and when. Obviously a physical diary would do the job but it would be great to have something that syncs with google calendar and allows photos to be added. Any recommendations?

I’ve been a long time user of Evernote. For the last three or four years, I’ve been a paying customer as I need to sync my notes to multiple devices including two computers, a phone and a tablet. But the Windows 10 experience, on a tablet, is poor. Why is that?

Windows/Mac/Linux: When it comes to notes apps, you have a seemingly endless trail of options, but it's rare to find one that's cross-platform, supports the Evernote-style of rich notes, and works without needing an account somewhere. Collate is just that.

Mac: Since the influx of fancier notes apps like Evernote, OneNote or even Simplenote, the art of the disposable scratchpad has disappeared a little. The aptly named Scratchpad brings that idea back to the Mac.

Web: Not all notes are text, and while most of the big note-taking apps, like Evernote or OneNote, can handle images, they're not really made for them. Milanote feels like it is.

Android/iOS/Mac: You have a ton of options for notes apps, including heavyweights like Evernote and OneNote. Zoho Notebook takes the same catch-all approach as Evernote and OneNote, but has a few design ideas of its own.

iOS: There is no shortage of apps for writing down your thoughts, but many writing and note-taking apps suffer from feature bloat that impedes the actual writing. Just Open & Type forgoes the unnecessary stuff and lives up to its name.

iOS: One of the biggest complaints about Evernote has been its cluttered interface that tends to make it hard to just pop in and make a quick note. Today, the iPhone version of Evernote is making an attempt to fix that with a refresh of its interface.

Mac: You can access your Kindle highlights from your Kindle itself, the apps or the web app, but none of those are particularly handy, especially if you use your Kindle for research. Knotes makes it easier to access those notes right from your Mac.

iOS/Mac: There's certainly no shortage of notes app out there, but Bear's an app that manages to toe the line between a few different popular styles, and might suit you if you need more features than plain text offers, but not as much as something like Evernote.