Probably not what you want to hear but using KEYNOTES instead of NOTE BLOCKS will make that problem basically go away.

And in it's place you'll have other issues to contend with... everything needs to be a Revit element (no cheating), don't move the element without the keynote (unless you use Attach and don't mind the leader going to "weird" places) or you'll get the dreaded ?, don't lose/misplace the keynote file now or ever (or you'll lose the Keynote Text, though not the Keynote Value), you'll need a unique keynote for every note that's even a little bit different (unless you want to use a separately placed text object or User Keynote), AND you'll have to contend with when to use Element, Material, and User Keynotes (the last is, IMO, no better than grouped text since it has no relationship to the underlying object).

In case you can't tell, I struggle with Keynotes -- if not for me, then definitely for my users. I just had my boss sound surprised when he realized I wanted us to build the model like we would build the building... um, what did you think we were doing here? Up hill battle after 10 years of the company using Revit.

Personally, I'm an MC tagger for model views. The only things they're not good for are the few subcategories that can only be tagged with Keynotes (fascia comes to mind). For drafting views, a mixture of MC tags, and GA note blocks that read from the same file as the Keynotes (just pulled from Excel differently). If/when I can get a content management system and get my staff to use more Detail Items, I'll move away from the GA note blocks.

I made the mistake of showing a team GA note blocks and now I can't get them back into Pandora's box.

We used keynotes for a little while with Keynote Manager. The partners hated it. The numbers changed, you had to navigate through the list of notes, etc.

The partners will never be happy because its not powercadd. They need something "smart" but simple like powercadd but refuse to use simple text. (which I agree with. Never do that.)

GMcDowell you said the MC works like the keynotes as in a txt file?

I think overall the consensus is that the noteblocks work, one partner just hates how slow it is.

It sounds like there really is no other solution currently.

No, the GA note blocks can pull from a TXT file (actually a CSV converted to a TXT IIR). It becomes a Type Catalog at this point. The MC tag pulls from the modeled elements just like a category specific tag. I like MC tags because it's a one-stop shop. It works best, like most things Revit, when the information is pre-populated in your content.

I'm a fan of the note next to the drawing rather than on the side of the sheet so a keyed note isn't something I gravitate towards... not that you have to use "keyed" notes when using Keynotes, mind you.

I literally dont find any of the issues you listed with Keynotes, to be real issues.

Everything needs to be a Revit Element? Good.

Dont move the element without the keynote? This has gotten much betterin the last 2 years, with the leader shoulders now staying put when you have to readjust the keynotes. Even before that, though, it never bothered me.

Dont misplace the keynote file? Seriously? This is a concern? How come you have to worry about people losing the keynote file and not the goddamn model file? Its a FILE. Its on the server, RIGHT NEXT to the model. How can you lose one and not the other? And if you have your head on straight, its backed up anyway.

Unique keynote for different notes: Maybe its just me, but that actually makes sense. Why would i want them to be the same, when they are different?

When to use each, is simple (for me, with my setup, anyway):

Element Keynotes: All Detail Components, and all Components getting called out with "general terms," like "Equipment, Partition, Storefront System, Door, Planting, Bollard," etc).
Material Keynotes: For building assemblies getting detailed in Section, or Plan Detail
User Keynotes: For the special notes that exist many times on drawings but arent actually tied to specific building elements
Material Tag (Item_ Type Tag): Tagging Finishes in Elevations
Item Tag (Item_ Type Tag): Tagging Equipment, Accessories, items with their tag value to refer to a schedule of items in the drawings
GA Note Blocks: Demolition Notes only. (Because they arent going to get tied to item types, and they are so bespoke on every job its easier to type them in canvas).

Frankly, there IS one place Keynotes fall short, and its that we still have to keep different Keynote Tag Types, for different lengths of text prior to the text return. But thats ALSO true for GA's and MC Tags, its just a shortcoming of Revit until they get us real instance Text returns.

Ill make a lot of concessions with teams (well, some), but no way id bail on keynotes. They make everything FLY.

Yeah... I don't think that will work. I have enough trouble trying to get people to model things correctly, and not drawings stuff in 2D...
Also it seems some of our notes aren't always the same. So tagging the element didn't work for us in the past. What we say on the floor plans may differ from what we say on the elevations.

LOL - You're spot on my friend! They're all crappy reasons but they're all things that seem to happen on the regular in the places I've been (well, maybe not losing the Keynote file but certainly trying to use elements across projects with different keynote files and having the notes jacked up as a result - hint - we need a master keynote file folks).

Thanks for the use setup. It helps. What sort of notes are using for things that "exist many times on drawings but aren't actually tied to specific building elements?"

Ouch! That sounds like an RFI waiting to happen! What sort of things would you say in plan differently than you's say in elevation?

I don't really have a for instance right in front of me. But lets say something above that doesn't show on the floor plan but the arch in charge wants to show it.