How I use flomo, Apple Reminders, Apple Notes, and Inks together

On July 15, 2023, at 14:42, I carefully drafted a tool division chart in flomo: long-term planning in Notion, tasks in iOS Reminders, schedule in Calendar, knowledge base in Obsidian, reading notes in MarginNote, casual thoughts in flomo, read-it-later in Cubox, and daily journal entries in yet another app.

That list contained over ten different tools. Almost every part of my life had a pre-assigned spot.

Back then, I believed that if my system was comprehensive enough, my life would naturally become organized. I later realized that I spent much of my energy deciding where things belonged, while the actual amount of writing and completing tasks hadn’t increased at all.

By March 15, 2025, at 18:54, I wrote a rather harsh note to myself in another entry:

Passionately designing a so-called “personal OKR system” in Notion and Feishu is really just self-deception—all surface work with zero real progress.

(Translated from original Chinese note)

Looking back, I was a bit hard on myself. The apps weren’t at fault; the problem was that I mistook the sense of accomplishment from building a system for actual forward movement.

These days, I no longer try to find an app for every single aspect of life. I capture quick thoughts in flomo, move clear to-dos to Reminders, draft longer pieces in Apple Notes, and open Inks whenever I want to write something as a letter.

Just to be clear: I have no sponsorship or affiliation with flomo, and I use the free version. This isn’t a software review, just a look at how I naturally use these apps.

Deciding based on the next step

In practice, I don’t follow rigid organizational rules. I simply ask myself whether a thought needs further action:

If I jot down a scene I noticed on the bus about an older passenger, it stays in flomo and goes no further. If it’s a specific product bug that needs fixing, it goes into Reminders. If it’s an idea I want to expand into an article, it goes into Notes. Only when I want to write a thought down as a letter do I open Inks.

1. flomo: Capture first, think later

I use flomo for fleeting thoughts—a quick observation, a single phrase, or an idea I haven’t fully worked out yet.

I don’t bother adding titles to my memos, nor do I require them to eventually become tasks or articles. Many entries just sit there untouched, and that’s fine. If it’s just something I don’t want to forget in the moment, dropping it into flomo is the easiest path. I can always search for it later if needed. I wrote more about these habits in How I use flomo to record observations and product ideas.

2. Reminders: For things that actually need doing

To me, “Check the error message for failed letter exports” and “Exporting letters gave me an idea” are completely different things. The first is an actionable task; the second is just a thought.

I put clear actions—like checking, buying, replying, or fixing—into Apple Reminders. My Reminders app currently holds just two things: concrete development tasks and time-sensitive personal errands.

The main reason I use Reminders is simply that it pops back up when needed. While it supports dates, lists, and tags, I rarely build complex categories just to look organized. I also avoid adding “maybe someday” ideas, which only clutter the app until I stop opening it altogether.

3. Apple Notes: Working through unorganized drafts

If a piece of writing needs expanding, editing, or rearranging, I usually put it in Apple Notes.

I mostly use it to develop ideas and draft video scripts from my notes. Apple Notes supports titles, lists, images, and links, but I mostly just use plain blocks of text. Part of it is just habit, and when I need to review a draft with someone else, using the original note is easy enough.

Back on April 16, 2024, I also noted down a thought about this: when you need to send a longer message, writing it out in Notes first gives you time to think through how to frame your words, and whether you actually want to send those words to that person, rather than sending a quick message on impulse in a chat box.

4. Inks: Writing it as a letter

I don’t put casual memos, tasks, or article drafts into Inks.

When I want to write a thought or a moment down as a letter, I open Inks. You can write to yourself or to a specific person, and you don’t necessarily have to share it when you’re done. For more ideas on letter writing, see Letter journaling: try writing your diary as a letter.

In Inks, opening a completed letter shows you the finished text by default. If you ever want to see how you paused or revised while writing, you can tap “Replay” to watch the process. I wrote more about this in When you reread your journal, will you remember changing “definitely” to “maybe”?.

In practice, things stay pretty casual

After using this setup for a while, it mostly comes down to simple habits:

• Fleeting thoughts I don’t want to forget go into flomo.
• Concrete tasks go into Reminders.
• Writing that needs drafting or expanding goes into Notes.
• When I want to write something as a letter, I use Inks.

I also don’t expect every captured thought to lead somewhere. Memos can sit untouched in flomo, completed tasks get checked off in Reminders, and half-written drafts in Notes can be abandoned anytime.

I used to think I needed a master system to manage everything in my life. Now, I realize that isn’t necessary. If a note ends up in the wrong app, it doesn’t matter. I sometimes forget to move a memo, draft a full article directly in Notes, or dump a clear feature idea straight into flomo. Real daily recording rarely fits neatly into a flowchart.

I used to believe that picking the right tools would automatically make my life organized. I don’t see it that way anymore. As long as I don’t forget what needs doing, and can find my notes when I need them, that’s more than enough for me.