{"id":11099,"date":"2026-09-02T19:33:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T02:33:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/?p=11099"},"modified":"2026-09-02T19:33:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T02:33:14","slug":"bye-bye-evernote-its-been-real","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/2026\/09\/bye-bye-evernote-its-been-real\/","title":{"rendered":"Bye-bye Evernote &#8211; It&#8217;s Been Real"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"580\" height=\"327\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-enjqZyPBD4?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>In early August, Evernote, a note-taking application that I&#8217;ve been using since 2008, announced a 40% price increase. Well, that was it!\u00a0 The final straw.<\/p>\n<p>So I&#8217;m now mourning a breakup with one of the most important and significant research tools that I&#8217;ve used for nearly two decades.<\/p>\n<p>But what changed?\u00a0 \u00a0Sure, the price hike to $249 per year was the final straw, but there were already significant problems happening that added friction and struggle and made it necessary to let Evernote go.<\/p>\n<h4>Bye-bye Features I would never use<\/h4>\n<p>First, back in the fall of 2025, new features started to roll out.\u00a0 They added a bunch of business features that I would never use.\u00a0 I&#8217;m a solo author and a one-person business. There&#8217;s no need for advanced project sharing options, team communications, or even meeting templates.<\/p>\n<p>Second, they had deprecated my older laptop.\u00a0 I could no longer update the software to use the application on my portable computer.\u00a0 Essentially, I could no longer work on my computer at coffee shops, on trips, or even in the comfort of my own home.\u00a0 My computer was just too old.\u00a0 Still functional, but not worthy of an Evernote update.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11102\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/2026\/09\/bye-bye-evernote-its-been-real\/attachment\/3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/3.png?fit=851%2C315&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"851,315\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"3\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/3.png?fit=300%2C111&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/3.png?fit=580%2C215&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11102\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/3.png?resize=580%2C215&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"580\" height=\"215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/3.png?w=851&amp;ssl=1 851w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/3.png?resize=300%2C111&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/3.png?resize=150%2C56&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/3.png?resize=768%2C284&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And finally, the AI features &#8220;broke&#8221; the search functionality I relied on to find my work.\u00a0 I treated my Evernote system like a collection of buckets that I would drop data into, and then use search to bring it back up using keyword search terms.<\/p>\n<h4>Bye-bye AI interference<\/h4>\n<p>However, AI believes it knows more than I do, so it wouldn&#8217;t delve past the four years of research.\u00a0 Older images, notes, and information were just not getting searched.\u00a0 Just because I put a picture into the database in 2016 doesn&#8217;t mean that it&#8217;s less relevant to me today!<\/p>\n<p>But also, AI made it impossible for me to write paragraphs in my own voice at the top of the notes.\u00a0 Specialty language was getting &#8220;dumbed down.&#8221;\u00a0 Arabic, Turkish, and even Italian and German words were getting auto-translated for me.\u00a0 No, I really did say &#8220;Assiut,&#8221; not &#8220;Assault.&#8221;\u00a0 Yes, I did mean &#8220;Tabla,&#8221; not &#8220;Table.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11103\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/2026\/09\/bye-bye-evernote-its-been-real\/attachment\/1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1.png?fit=851%2C315&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"851,315\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1.png?fit=300%2C111&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1.png?fit=580%2C215&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11103\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1.png?resize=580%2C215&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"580\" height=\"215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1.png?w=851&amp;ssl=1 851w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1.png?resize=300%2C111&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1.png?resize=150%2C56&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1.png?resize=768%2C284&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>Digital Packing to Relocate my Knowledge Base<\/h4>\n<p>Ultimately, I had to make a decision: drop everything and get my database moved onto my own local hard drive.\u00a0 It took me about 40 hours of time to merge and combine notes, update title formatting, and delete outdated information that I was never going to use.\u00a0 Do I really need &#8220;The Top Five Drugstore Red Lipsticks of 2004?&#8221;\u00a0 Probably not.<\/p>\n<p>The job had to be completed by Sept. 7th. This deadline was the day after my birthday!\u00a0 \u00a0So I spent two weeks in August assessing, deleting, retitling, and downloading my research database.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11105\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/2026\/09\/bye-bye-evernote-its-been-real\/attachment\/2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2.png?fit=851%2C315&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"851,315\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2.png?fit=300%2C111&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2.png?fit=580%2C215&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11105\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2.png?resize=580%2C215&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"580\" height=\"215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2.png?w=851&amp;ssl=1 851w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2.png?resize=300%2C111&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2.png?resize=150%2C56&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2.png?resize=768%2C284&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>Hello Obsidian<\/h4>\n<p>So what&#8217;s next?\u00a0 \u00a0I&#8217;ve downloaded <a href=\"https:\/\/obsidian.md\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Obsidian,<\/a> and I&#8217;m going to spend some quality time learning this new local note-taking and knowledge management system.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s going to take me a while to get everything settled, learn the new system, and build new techniques to go with my established habit of note-taking.<\/p>\n<p>But boy, that wasn&#8217;t how I planned to spend my August!<br \/>\nCheers to a new research season, a fresh application, and many more future hours of research!<\/p>\n<p>Now back to the drawing board!<br \/>\n~ Dawn Devine ~ Davina<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/2026\/09\/bye-bye-evernote-its-been-real\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" src=\"\" class=\"alignleft wp-post-image tfe\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" \/><\/a><p>In early August, Evernote, a note-taking application that I&#8217;ve been using since 2008, announced a 40% price increase. Well, that was it!\u00a0 The final straw. So I&#8217;m now mourning a breakup with one of the most important and significant research tools that I&#8217;ve used for nearly two decades. But what changed?\u00a0 \u00a0Sure, the price hike [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2YZtR-2T1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11099"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11106,"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11099\/revisions\/11106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}