Inside View: Bernie's Knowledge Management Tools #PKM

by Bernie Goldbach in Clonmel

FOR THE PAST THREE MONTHS I have wanted to identify the core tools I use to manage and curate my personal knowledge management PKM system.

TL;DR Readwise, Instapaper, Mem, and Obsidian are my key PKM services.

I'm also breaking down some of the core skills that our creative graduates drop into by spotlighting some of the tools and techniques I use when working with those skills. As expected, there are several AI tools that can help streamline selected processes.

Email Management: I scan my emails for actionable items and often (1) copy and paste high priority content directly into Mem.ai and (2) add notes to specific email contacts inside my Zoho CRM. I also use Microsoft Copilot inside Outlook to filter and organise emails. I have an email deficit (e.g., I need to streamline email better)., helping you focus on the most important messages. They can also provide reminders for follow-ups and automate responses.
News Aggregation: Both Feedly (nicely designed) and Inoreader (quicker for me to scroll through) curate content based on my interests. Leo, the AI inside Feedly, is helpful but it needs to be curated.
Brand Media Monitoring: The most powerful brand monitoring tool I use is AHREFS. Other colleagues use tools like Hootsuite and Buffer to schedule posts, track performance, and monitor conversations across multiple social media platforms.
Content Creation: I am very impressed by the AI hooks offered by the pro version of Canva. Its templates make my boring content more compelling. Canva generates short and sweet pieces of content.
Intellectual Property Management: I am looking into AI tools like Seal and Anaqua to help manage and analyse intellectual property portfolios. I teach a Law module and complete patent analysis as a lab task but we're only using manual search strings to cross-check patent filings.
Task Management: I used to use Trello's Kanban to prioritise tasks because its clear focus helps beginners. Now I use Kanban boards inside Obsidian and with Airtable to track project timelines.
Data Analysis: PowerBI offers quick data analysis of large blocks of content, providing visual insights that helping me make data-driven decisions.

All of these tools work only if they slot into your workflow and help you meet specific needs. I believe you need to try out a different software and see which ones work best for you. It also helps to know that the tool you use has a collaborative functionality without paying for the enterprise version.