diff --git a/src/components/NoteEditor.tsx b/src/components/NoteEditor.tsx
index 52e057e..8bff95e 100644
--- a/src/components/NoteEditor.tsx
+++ b/src/components/NoteEditor.tsx
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ export function NoteEditor({ note, onUpdateNote, fontSize, onUnsavedChanges }: N
     content: '',
     editorProps: {
       attributes: {
-        class: 'prose prose-slate max-w-none focus:outline-none p-6',
+        class: 'prose prose-slate max-w-none focus:outline-none p-8',
         style: `font-size: ${fontSize}px`,
       },
     },
diff --git a/src/components/NotesList.tsx b/src/components/NotesList.tsx
index 187758c..7d7c339 100644
--- a/src/components/NotesList.tsx
+++ b/src/components/NotesList.tsx
@@ -80,8 +80,10 @@ export function NotesList({
   };
 
   const getPreview = (content: string) => {
-    const lines = content.split('\n').filter(l => l.trim());
-    return lines.slice(1, 3).join(' ').substring(0, 100);
+    // grab first 100 characters of note's content, remove markdown syntax from the preview
+    const previewContent = content.substring(0, 100);
+    const cleanedPreview = previewContent.replace(/[#*`]/g, '');
+    return cleanedPreview;
   };
 
   return (