Saturday, November 22, 2025
HomeGadgetThis free note-taking hack retains my ideas targeted

This free note-taking hack retains my ideas targeted

I hope there are extra folks like me on the market who wrestle to recollect issues. For some cause, I can keep in mind large sports activities moments or minute stats that are not useful in actual time. But, I wrestle to keep in mind every day duties that want finishing and what to purchase on the grocery retailer even when my spouse informed me 5 minutes earlier than I left.

I’ve had to determine a workaround to assist fight my reminiscence lapses. It was turning into too irritating for me to attempt to discover a pencil and paper and hold one thing in my pocket. It simply received too irritating looking for a pencil and paper, or remembering to hold one thing in my pocket. Writing issues down on my hand felt a bit of ridiculous — nobody desires to stroll round with scribbles throughout their palm. I usually have my telephone on me, so I figured that might be a part of the answer. At first, I used the Notes app on my iPhone. I additionally gave Google Preserve a shot. However I discovered I might usually neglect to really open the app and jot issues down.

I simply wished one thing extra environment friendly. Since I take advantage of a MacBook for private stuff and a PC for work, sticking with an app tied to a particular OS wasn’t supreme. So I made a decision to maintain it easy: what’s one factor I verify continually on each my telephone and pc, a number of instances a day? My electronic mail. It turned my saving grace.

I turned a necessity right into a energy

I am pressured to have a look at my electronic mail all day

Note taking in my work Gmail.

Whether or not I am doing work or I am checking my private electronic mail, I am often taking a look at my electronic mail 15-20 instances per day. After I’m working, my electronic mail inbox is at all times open and it hardly ever will get closed on my laptop computer. I get a ton of emails to each my work and private emails daily, so it solely is sensible to have it up.

As I am going about my day, there’s at all times quite a bit on my thoughts. That is why I began counting on one thing that is at all times with me, whether or not I am working or not. I’ve entry to each my work and private emails on my telephone — Gmail for work, the Mail app for private. I’ve simply began utilizing the drafts on both of them for note-taking, which has confirmed to be a secure place for me to retailer my concepts. Gmail does a great job of rapidly saving a draft after a number of seconds of writing.

How I take advantage of each the cell and net variations

First, I prioritize the place I am saving them

The drafts section of my Gmail account.

It is vital for me to both hold each of my electronic mail accounts open or a minimum of know precisely which one a notice belongs in. Whether or not I am jotting down new story concepts for work, remembering merchandise I might wish to overview, or including one thing to my grocery listing, I’ve to ensure it goes into the best place — work or private. I have a tendency to put in writing operating lists as notes, so I am going to begin every draft with a headline or class on the primary line, then both bullet-point or listing every part beneath it.

It makes it straightforward to decipher my notes after not taking a look at them for fairly a while. The wonderful thing about Gmail is that the interface could be very related from the cell app to the net model in a browser. Whereas it is not as expansive within the cell app, it is simple to get to drafts and easy to replace.

Organizing them with a number of tips

It isn’t dishonest if it is throughout all platforms

Starred in the Gmail interface.

If you happen to’re utilizing the Mail app on iPhone, you’ll be able to swipe to the left to flag the e-mail. It’s the similar factor as starring an electronic mail within the Gmail app.

The rationale I take advantage of Gmail drafts to maintain my notes is as a result of typically I am with out my telephone. If that is the case, I can open my laptop computer and save drafts the place they must be. But when I am on the go and haven’t got my laptop computer, I can simply use my telephone and nonetheless entry all these saved drafts with out situation.

To be able to hold them in an orderly vogue, I do a number of issues. Typically, I’ll go right into a notice and make a small change simply to carry it again to the highest of my listing. This helps me manage them higher chronologically, particularly if I wish to make adjustments to them or simply see them on the high of my listing in a extra accessible means.

You too can Star drafts, which you’ll not have identified. Starring an electronic mail in Gmail is straightforward, as you’ll be able to simply click on the star on the left aspect when you’re within the browser model. If you happen to’re on cell within the Gmail app, the star will probably be on the best. From there, you’ll be able to go into the subset menu for Starred and search for your whole emails. Any electronic mail that you simply Star will present up right here, so it does not simply need to be drafts. They’re going to have a crimson Draft label on the left earlier than the topic line exhibits up, serving to you differentiate between starred emails in your inbox versus drafts.

I wish to Star an important lists and drafts whereas retaining ones which may not be as regularly utilized in simply common drafts. It is a easy and efficient approach to hold my ideas contained.

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