Markdown is a simple, standardized way to use plain-text characters as a way to “style” your text.

If you add a # at the beginning it becomes a heading, so # This is a Heading Level 1 becomes

This is a Heading Level 1

## this is a heading level 2

this is a heading level 2

and it keeps going from there up to ##### (5) layers of headings.

Then there’s bullet points (a.k.a unordered list), those are pretty straight forward - just use a hyphen

• just use a hyphen
• here’s another

If you just use those two markdown concepts to organize your notes better, it makes a world of difference.

And the standardization allows your text to transport between multiple platforms powerfully. You can generate mindmaps, slide decks, and more. After nearly a decade of using Markdown as the primary way I take any kind of notes, information, or data in. Trust me, it pays off.

It becomes even more valuable with generative AI (ChatGPT), because you’re communicating simply with the AI in an organized format.