Joan Didion once asked, “Why did I write it down?”
American writer and pioneer of New Journalism Joan Didion was a compulsive notebook keeper. She wrote down everything: “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.”
Joan Didion was a compulsive notebook keeper and wrote down everything: she once said she wrote to understand the meaning behind what she was thinking. Image courtesy of the author
What’s Your Notes App Saying About You? Documenting Life’s Chaos Without Judgment
We live in an age where sharing is supremely important. The rise and evolution of social media have led most of us to feel the urge to share our activities at all times.
This wasn’t always the case. Websites like MySpace, Facebook, and even Instagram at first, were not taken as seriously as they are today. People would share whatever they wanted without feeling pressured to look good or show off what they were doing. Now, things have changed. Every feed must be curated, and every post must be signed off on by a close friend.
In an age where our daily lives revolve around sharing everything around us (what we do, who we see, what we’re working on), documenting yourself and your thoughts through the Notes app can be a deeply meditative, almost spiritual practice. It’s an act of self-care—putting your thoughts down somewhere—anywhere—without worrying about the judgment of others. This allows us to organise our thoughts, express our feelings, and gain new perspectives on our lives.
Looking through your Notes app can be a strange trip down a lane of juxtapositions: from grocery lists to nonsensical thoughts. Image courtesy of the author
The Ultimate Test: What’s the Weirdest Thing You’ve Written in Your Notes App?
Even if you don’t use it regularly, opening the Notes app can be a strange trip down a lane of juxtapositions, with some notes being nonsensical (for example, I once found a note that just read, “I want to turn into a psychedelic flower”), while other notes can be deeply pensive.
How Your Notes App Became the Best Secret Diary You Never Knew About
When you want to express your inner thoughts or maybe work through some intense emotions you might be going through, what better place to do so than in a private, almost sacred place?
The Notes app then becomes more than just a tool to keep track of expenses or grocery lists; instead, it transforms into a quasi-journal of sorts.
The Notes app can go beyond just a useful tool to keep track of things in everyday life, it can transform into a quasi-journal and deeply meditative practice. Image courtesy of the author
Journaling IRL vs Notes App: Where Do Your True Thoughts Go?
There seems to be a growing trend in this need for self-documentation. This is not just limited to using apps on our phones but also extends to a more traditional, analogue approach. Journaling is becoming more popular as it allows people to write down their thoughts and ideas without fearing judgment from the masses on social media. This lack of pressure provides a certain mental freedom. You can document your life but do so in a more creative, peaceful manner.
@charinasdiary a completed journals tour while i talk about what i've learned so far! it makes me so happy to see all of my journals, also i'm hoping that @Moleskine will see this, ily moleskine!! #fyp #journal #journaling #journalingcommunity #journalflipthrough #journaltour #completedjournal #journalingideas #crafty #craftygirl #moleskine ♬ оригинальный звук - timaeqq
Journals are becoming very popular, with people not just writing in them but also using them as collage holders, where they piece and paste together elements from their everyday lives.
Journaling then becomes a work of art in itself, something much more valuable than sharing a photo on Instagram or writing a funny tweet for the world to see.
Confessions from the Notes App: What Are You Really Writing Down?
Scrolling through the Notes app can be a healing practice. As you see notes from when you were in a bad place, you can smile, thinking about how you’ve made it to the other side.
You can find humour in looking at a note you wrote to show to a friend at a club when it was too loud to hear each other. You might also question why, in one of your grocery lists, you wrote down that you urgently needed to buy a whole chicken. And so on.
@okiskari Leaving the notes app open and sliding the phone back and forth during meetings is better than texting. #girlsnotesapp #ilovemynotesapp ♬ original sound - Cristian 🤴🏽.
Capturing Your Life One Weird Note at a Time
My latest notes go like this: article ideas, a to-do list, a sappy little story because I fought with my boyfriend, random websites I find cool, passwords (important), a poem by Julio Cortázar I had copied and pasted, and a secret list of gifts for my friends.
Beyond To-Do Lists: Unlock the Magic of Your Notes App
So, if you have already started taking part in this practice, I encourage you to scroll through your Notes app again and see how you document your experiences. And if you’re not someone who writes down everything, I encourage you to start doing it gradually and see if it becomes a quasi-meditative practice for you as well.
Keep track of the fragments of your observations and half-baked poems. Look through them and explore your inner self over time.
Constanza Coscia
Professor, editor and alumna, Milan