So you just unwrapped your brand new reMarkable 2 and turned it on? What should you do next to maximize this amazing tool? Read on and we’ll cover setting up your tablet, establishing connections, and getting the right kit to make reMarkable a part of your effective life.
Affiliate
Why listen to me about a new reMarkable 2?
I’ve been using the reMarkable 2 in my personal and professional lives since early 2021. Between personal experimentation and research, I’ve found many tools and shortcuts to make it the keystone of my productivity approach.
Step 1 – Setup your new reMarkable 2 tablet
After powering up your reMarkable tablet and establishing an account, the next most important tasks will be around basic organization of the device.
Connect to wifi (manage battery)
If you plan to sync, share, or markup / read PDFs, you’ll need a connection to the outside world. This occurs through your WIFI connection. So open Menu (little hamburger) >> settings >> WIFI and then connect to your home WIFI. If you aren’t at home or don’t have a secure WIFI network, you can use a phone hotspot to connect.
One important note is that active WIFI is one of the most taxing capabilities on your battery. To maximize battery life, I shut my WIFI off manually (or through airplane mode) when not in active use.
Setup folders on your reMarkable
Like any organization system, establishing effective segregation between logical tasks or parts of your life is an important starting point. On the reMarkable, the easiest way to do this is with folders and notebooks. My recommendation is to start with folders for your professional life and personal tasks.
To create a new folder, tap the (+) Notebook button at the top of your screen and the provide a descriptive name. You can then start creating notebooks within the folder. The good news is that if you need to move notebook in a folder, it’s a very easy process. To do this, tap and hold the notebook (from the folder view), which will bring up the menu which includes ‘Move.’ You can also move multiple notebooks by selecting other notebooks from this menu.
Establish tags
Tags are really helpful for finding similar types of notebooks that are distributed across your reMarkable. This can be important as the reMarkable search function is a bit limited. By tagging notebooks you will have these tags available to quickly filter down to.
To establish tags, you can either create tags to use in any note book (Menu >> Tags >> (+) tag) or inside a notebook you can create a tag which will become available and searchable (Side menu >> Tags icon >> (+) New Tag).
Learn reMarkable key functions
Beyond writing, there are a couple of key functions that are critical to your user experience on the reMarkable.
- Search
- Erase
- Share
- Layers
- Copy / cut / paste
- Gestures (check out this great pdf detailing the various hand gesture actions)
Create or add templates for reMarkable
Now that the reMarkable is becoming more popular, many people are making digital planners setup specifically for the platform. They are generally PDFs with formatting and hyperlinks to make them more useful (like Digital Planner Boutique). You can add them to your device just like any other PDF (details below). If you long click on the PDF template, you can copy it so that you can keep an unwritten version on your device as well.
Step 2 – Setup connections for reMarkable
In my opinion, connections are what turn the reMarkable from good to amazing. Connections are needed to populate your device with PDFs, send signed copies of documents, and backup your notes. All of the above occurs through the reMarkable Connect service. If you’ve just gotten a reMarkable, you should have a couple months of free service to test this out. Once you have an account established (should happen in the setup phase), you can start on the below tasks.
Install reMarkable Connect applications
- Desktop – reMarkable has published desktop applications for both Mac and PC. You can download these via the reMarkable website or MacOS App Store. These applications are important for a couple of key tasks – easy file sharing to your device, looking at notes (and editing typed text – new in v3.8), performing handwriting conversion, and performing screen share.
- Mobile app – the reMarkable iOS app is great for sharing PDFs directly from your phone, as well as for organizing notes. Its not a daily user for me, but it is very convenient when traveling to get documents onto your reMarkable. To install the app, navigate to the Apple App Store and install reMarkable Connect
- reMarkable Connect website – nothing to install here as it’s accessed from your web browser, but it’s worth adding a bookmark because you’ll be using it often (especially if you can’t install the desktop app or Powerpoint add-in on your work computer)
Read with reMarkable for Chrome
Read with reMarkable is an extension that can be installed in the Google Chrome browser that allows users to capture webcontent and read it later on your reMarkable device. I think this is a bit like the Evernote “Clip to Evernote” capability for saving content. To install “Read with reMarkable”, you’ll need to navigate to the Google Chrome Web Store and install the “Read on reMarkable” extension to your browser instance.
Connection to cloud applications (Dropbox, Google Drive)
Step 3 – Get the right accessories for your new reMarkable tablet
The reMarkable is about minimalism and focus, but you’ll still need some key pieces of kit to ensure a positive experience.
EMR pens / stylus for reMarkable
If you bought a reMarkable without a Marker or Marker Plus, this should be your absolutely first purchase. The products by reMarkable are great, though on the expensive side of things.
If you had a primary EMR stylus, you should consider at least a backup stylus (two is one, one is none rule). I’m a big fan of the Staedtler Noris Digital Jumbo as a backup or even daily stylus. It has a built in eraser and the writing feel is a bit smoother than the reMarkable Marker series. At a minimum, I keep one of these in my briefcase to use each day or as a backup for my Marker Plus. There are a number of other EMR pens to consider (which all work with the reMarkable).
Replacement nibs for reMarkable Marker Stylus
Nibs are the portion of an EMR stylus that interacts with the reMarkable Screen and provides the paper feel of the reMarkable 2. They wear down over time (thanks friction) and need to be replaced. I replace my tip about monthly and that keeps it fresh enough to not cause problems. Your reMarkable shipped with replacement nibs (learn how to perform the replacement here), so you’ll eventually need to order some additional ones. I like either the OEM nibs or these nibs from Amazon.
NOTE: don’t fall for the “permanent” metal nibs. They’ll wear on your screen and I don’t recommend them.
Case / cover for reMarkable tablet( + Type Folio)
If you didn’t purchase (or receive) a case for your reMarkable tablet, I’d HIGHLY recommend getting one. I love how thin the tablet is, but adding some protection is essential to being able to use it for years to come. I recommend the KuRoKo Slim cover as a basic and affordable cover (<$30 on Amazon) as its stylish, slim, and features a stylus pocket for pens that don’t have a magnet. We also reviewed a number of other reMarkable cover options.
If you are considering adding the ability to type on your reMarkable, you’ll need to upgrade to the Type Folio case from reMarkable. As of today, it’s the only keyboard that’s compatible with the reMarkable device and software. Full review of the Type Folio.
Charging cable for reMarkable 2
The reMarkable 2 uses a USB-C port to accomplish charging as well as data transfer (through a computer. Your device should have come with a cable, but if you are looking for a spare or backup, I recommend the Amazon Basics USB-C cable.
Step 4 – Continue learning about your reMarkable tablet
Subscribe to our Instagram for reMarkable tips and tools – https://www.instagram.com/effectiveexec/
Follow reMarkable on IG – https://www.instagram.com/remarkable/
Follow /remarkable on reddit – https://www.reddit.com/r/RemarkableTablet/
