I use a text editor (usually notepad++) for my notes. Just simple bullet lists. If I need to convey a flow, I’ll use combinations of various brackets and arrows and stuff. Then at some point I go through these notes and format them to a markdown file in Joplin, which gets backed up to the cloud. I haven’t found a simpler way to take notes than this and I feel like folks trying hard to minmax this process are losing the plot.