The Perfect Neovim Note Takers Setup


Hi friends,

Are you tired of juggling multiple apps for note-taking and writing?

Many of us struggle to find a seamless system that combines powerful text editing with effective note organization. While popular note-taking apps offer fancy features, they often fall short for those who prefer a keyboard-centric, or should I say Vim-centric workflow.

Most people resort to using dedicated note-taking applications like Obsidian, Notion, or even Apple notes.

These tools are great for casual users, but they can feel clunky and limiting for power users who already write at the speed of thought using Vim or Nvim.

The constant context switching between your coding environment and note-taking app can disrupt your flow and productivity.

But what if your favorite text editor could double as a powerful note-taking tool? Neovim, coupled with a suite of markdown-enhancing plugins, makes an incredible writing environment, especially for Markdown-based note takers.

Here’s how you can transform Neovim into a markdown powerhouse:

  1. Markdown Preview: Install the ‘markdown-preview’ plugin to render your markdown in real-time in your browser. No more guessing how your notes will look!
  2. Render Markdown Nvim: Use ‘redner-markdown-nvim’ to add visual flair to your markdown files right in Neovim. Enjoy colored headings, icons for code blocks, and beautifully rendered tables and checkboxes. You also get rendered callouts, and other features out of the box, making Markdown editing an absolute pleasure.
  3. Obsidian Integration: If you’re an Obsidian user, the ‘obsidian-nvim’ plugin lets you seamlessly work with your Obsidian vault in Neovim. You can work with and configure templates, jump to links, set hotkeys and maintain frontmatter as you used to in Obsidian, but from Neovim instead.
  4. Command-line Rendering: For quick previews without leaving the terminal, try ‘glow’, a command-line tool that renders markdown beautifully.
  5. Web Publishing: Want to share your notes with the world? Use Quartz to easily turn your markdown files into a sleek, interconnected website. Share your notes system or a personal blog with ease.

By leveraging these tools, you can create a note-taking environment that’s fast, flexible, and fully customizable. You’ll have the power of Neovim’s text editing capabilities combined with rich markdown support, all without leaving your familiar development environment.

This setup isn’t just about taking notes; it’s about creating a seamless workflow where your ideas can flow freely from thought to document to publication.

Whether you’re a developer, writer, or researcher, this Neovim-based system can adapt to your needs, growing with you as your note-taking habits evolve.

Thanks for reading, see ya next week!

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help you:

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