‘Notes’ Is the iPhone’s Killer App. Yes, Really.
Organize your present and lend a helping hand to your future
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If I let you peek into my iPhone’s Notes app, you’d see a rough exercise plan I follow and ingredients for a recipe I made last week. There are random dates, article ideas, passwords for mystery accounts, books, a failed weekly schedule, and potential holiday destinations for a time when we can travel again. If my phone had a soul, it would be the Notes app. Like my brain, it is a scattering of thoughts, loose organization, and aspirations.
It isn’t complete chaos, however. Despite being loosely structured, it brings balance to my life. Here’s how I use the Notes app to provide satisfaction and clarity to everyday life.
Have an ‘on-the-go’ to-do list
I prefer to handwrite to-do lists in my journal so I can put more detail into my tasks. When I sit down at my laptop for a day’s work, my journal is open, and I can tick off each task as it comes. There are times, however, when a journal isn’t handy.
On a busy day, priorities can change. As much as you try, you can’t plan out every minute of the day. You may be swiftly into your fourth to-do of the day, and you remember you need to buy milk. You get distracted, and your tasks begin to slip from your memory.
Research shows that if you do nothing with new information, you will lose 50% of it within the first hour. On a busy day, unexpected small tasks can easily slip through the gaps. Using the Notes app as your mobile to-do list means you can quickly act on the new information, noting down the new task before jumping back on the productivity train. Then, revisit the Note when you have a minute and log it in your reminders.
If my phone had a soul, it would be the Notes app.
