After leaving my comment a few days ago I was reminded of a web-based note taking system I remembered using years ago called Workflowy, so I went back and checked it out. I learned that they now have a desktop app and it provides a very simple, lightweight workflow for jotting down notes. It feels less bulky than Obsidian and more manageable than the Notepad windows. In fact, right now I only have two Notepad instances open instead of my usual 10 or 15, which maybe is saying something...

We'll see if I stick with it for more than a few days.