For anyone who is a minimalist and a Mac user, try Notational Velocity.

It has an extremely streamlined interface. You type in a title, which will search your notes, or create a new note depending on what action you take. You never have to take your hands off the keyboard as there's a short-cut for everything. Also, if you are entering something while a little heft to it, there's a shortcut to start editing in your favorite text editor.

It syncs nicely with either Dropbox or Simplenote (which is great if you want a cross-platform solution).

I've tried a few other note-takers, but it's the only one I've used consistently. I guess mainly because it's quick, simple, and painless.