notes app tour
I'm overwhelmed but my notes app keeps me sane
In this fast-paced world, I pride myself in staying organised, and I have my humble notes app to thank for it. (I also use a small notebook but it is for another post.) I run about like a silly mess, which I am, but I think I’ve got the most of the bundle covered.
Making lists has become my comfort activity, because putting everything in order brings me so much satisfaction that will last days. I always hated not finding anything as a teen, and I’ve tried so many ways to stay on track, only to abandon former systems. I also abandoned Notion after loving it for years – I still use it now and again for other purposes but my urge to customise everything made me less productive than I wanted to be. I blame my obsession with visual gratification for that.
A friend of mine that I shared my calendar with told me the other day, “Hannah, I’m actually quite impressed how you keep your calendar up to date. I’m too lazy for it.” I simply MUST keep my calendar app with reminders religiously, otherwise I’ll forget about everything the moment anything is ever set. I tend to have chaos in my brain as is, so anything to soothe it is welcome. Maybe there’s something deeper here, but I won’t discuss it now.
Not only am I on my phone or Macbook anyway, the holy Notes app is literally my everything book, my archive of things, and exactly how I stay on top of everything. At first glance, it’s an overwhelming view for anyone, but how does the saying go? You just have to find your order in your own mess? Maybe that’s a German saying. But it proves bloody true here.
I keep anything current in the general Notes folder so I don’t get lost in my many lists. The moment I don’t necessarily need the notes anymore, I move them into folders. All my folders serve as categories and archives. Sometimes they’re like a graveyard of lists, but at least I’ll be able to find them again later.
pinned notes: monthly goals (+ tasks), content editorial list/line-up of the entire year, outfit archive, current month archive (for substack), wish list (without books)
My folders:
tasks: monthly, weekly or random to do lists. because sometimes I have odd days where I do the odd tasks, and often I forget what I need to do. Most of the time it helps me to keep a weekly to-do list just so I can decide in the moments – it gives me more freedom to pick and choose the right moments, instead of getting mad at myself for not being able to cross every task off my daily to-do list. I keep these notes in my general Notes until the day / week / month is over, then move them over to the tasks folder.
goals: monthly and long-term goals (and how to achieve them). Same here – I keep monthly goal notes in my general Notes folder until the month is over and I start on the following month.
ideas: gift ideas, date ideas, event ideas, things to do/see/listen to
lists: my outfit archive (trying to maintain a capsule wardrobe with essentials), watch lists, wish list, reading list, karaoke songs, cat names, make-up essentials, drinks I liked
writing: with sub-folder for each writing project, writing tips and tricks by other people, story ideas, re-written pieces, re-imagined stories and retellings, story name ideas, character name ideas, city names, random chunks of ideas for setting or theme or conflict – anything writing related, tossed! even scrapped ideas.
business: 🤫
studio: with sub-folder for each social media platform that I’m on, content ideas, content planning, strategies and marketing
finances: income, expenses, savings, budgeting for trips, monthly budgeting
data: tickets, contracts, contacts, insurances, deadlines, any other paperwork digitalised or codes I have to find again
therapy: notes I take after therapy and before, my lessons, mantras, any tiny nudge I take from my therapist, mood tracker, cycle tracker (finding out my phases)
journal: for the random notes I write when I put thoughts down in the moment and don’t have my journal at hand
trips: planning trips, outfit planning, activities list, budget, packing lists, places I want to see, group trips
work: sub-folder for each job, meeting notes, tasks and reminders for later meetings, salary and other negotiations
home: wish list for home, interior, list of ingredients & tools, cleaning tools, instructions
meals: recipes
health: GP notes, GP appointments, skincare list, workout and stretch videos, diet plan (due to health reasons)
plants: my plants and how to take care of them, tracking their growth
art: art paintings I like, their title and artist, my own + the original interpretations
articles: articles I enjoyed reading or want to read later
Fellow Notes app enthusiasts, do you prefer list or grid view?
My mind is absolutely blown. As an ADHDer who has set up and abandoned so many organizational systems for my never ending swarm of thoughts, it's never occurred to me that the simplest tool of all may be the best option for me. Thank you for prompting my hyper fixation of the week <3 (though I really hope this one sticks)
Even though a grid is usually more aesthetically pleasing, it can become chaotic when you surpass a certain number of files. All in all, I believe lists are much more effective and efficient.