I recently celebrated a milestone held dear to all overthinkers and ruminators: 1,000 notes app entries!
In today’s digital world, where technology is increasingly intertwined in our day-to-day and a cellphone can be considered one of Maslow’s needs, a cellphone is a pretty cushy survival device. It can connect you with loved ones, track your health, and even act as a credit card (a plus if you’re like me and constantly forget your wallet).
Yet despite all of that, I gravitate towards the most basic feature that a 21st century smartphone can offer: the notes app. It is quite literally what it’s called — an app to write down notes. Grocery lists, reminders, important dates, basically anything you would put on an IRL sticky tab or scribble on a notebook can be jotted down digitally in the notes app.
I use my notes app for the reasons listed above. But, I also have elevated the app beyond its basic features. The notes app acts as my digital diary, recording every single moment and detail that has happened in my life, thoughts that pop into my mind, ideas for future projects (or future articles, like this one!). I have written a plethora of unfinished short stories, delirious middle-of-the-night poetry, and drafted text messages.Â
As I celebrate this milestone, I’ve begun to wonder what it is about the notes app that makes me so drawn to it. Believe it or not, I do own and regularly use a physical journal. Every night, I take to paper and pen to document the events of my day, writing out through the inner workings of my constantly-noisy mind in my diary. The act of journaling is actually very beneficial for your overall health, and incorporating it into your routine can help implement good habits and a clearer mind.Â
But journaling is a sacred occasion — something I do when at 8 p.m., sitting at my desk in front of a scented candle, listening to a playlist of Lorde and Phoebe Bridgers to unwind from life. I schedule time to journal, take extra care in setting the mood, making sure everything is just right for the proper level of introspection and reflectiveness.Â
The notes app, however, is a more… accessible medium. Instead of setting aside time to sit down and write my feelings, the notes app automatically documents any thought that pops in my head. One note, titled “Dreams,” is an on-going entry documenting every weird dream from the moment I wake up. Another is a list of product ideas I would pitch if I ever go on Shark Tank. My personal favorite is a five minute original rap (which is pinned at the top of my notes app for easy access).Â
Some are less silly than others. One note keeps track of my expenses for the month, a good way to prevent myself from overspending. I jot down important phone numbers and contacts collected in my professional endeavors, which has provided me with a lot of important connections. I’ve used the notes app to draft out difficult texts or responses, allowing me to work through my emotions and get to the crux of my feelings.Â
The immediacy of the notes app gives me a sense of control. The power of documentation is often overlooked, yet continues to be incredibly important in the craziness of life.Â
I know 1,000 notes is excessive, a little insane, and takes up WAY too much storage. But every time I try to delete some entries, I’m reminded of who I was when I wrote them down. Like the pros and cons list I made when I debated if it was worth having a crush on someone (the cons outweighed the pros, but I went for it anyways). Or my “dream schools” note I wrote when I was 15, where UCSB was number two. It’s my personal archive, fully digitized and automatically saved to my iCloud. Every note in the sea of 1,000 captures a piece of my life.Â
Years from now, my children and grandchildren will find and read my handwritten journal entries and immerse themselves in the stories of my life. They’ll marvel at my lore, laugh at my missteps, learn from my mistakes.
But, when they uncover my 1,000+ notes app entries, my children and grandchildren will probably be confused. They’ll question my mantras, be weirded out by my song parodies and original diss tracks, and debate the meaning of unintelligible haikus. They’ll also be able to truly understand me, because despite the bizarre nature of my digital diary, my notes app is the only thing that properly documents my real self.Â
Here’s to another 1,000 notes!
(PS: this article is my 1,001st entry)