Honoring My Stray Thoughts: Things Inside My Notes App
To some, the phone memo or notes app is nothing but just a space for the usual reminders—a board to place a sticky notes for grocery lists. But for writers, artists, sentimentalists, or simply just humans who want mementos, it’s a haven for all sorts of stray thoughts and ideas. Some would fill theirs with poems, concepts, lyrics, and quotes, while some would even make it their diary. From the mundane to the personal things, it’s amazing and beautiful that we utilize this app in different ways.
Not to sound pompous, but as for me, I see myself as an artist—and my phone’s notes app is my exhibition. The rays of my mind refract i in each entry. This is the case for most of us too. There could be a poet hidden in the den of his phone’s memo. There could be a novelist waiting to be discovered. Or a sonata soon to be heard in an opera house. A cradle of thoughts in someone’s pocket—that’s where most masterpieces come from.
As a writer and sentimentalist, I highly honor my stray thoughts and ideas. I do this by utilizing my phone’s notes app or memo. Sometimes I get bewildered by the things I see in it. Although, I get more shocked by the things I create out of them. If I were to count the number of articles, writing, and creative outputs that I have made out of my notes app, it would take years. I believe that it is what this application is for: a perfect stepping stone for a creation.
To elaborate more, here are some things that can be found in my phone’s notes app:
Poems and Proses
I love writing poems. It’s almost peculiar how I could casually write one whenever I’m inspired or in the right mood and moment. Although, I know that anyone who loves writing could just casually do it too.
When I feel something or when I think of striking lines, I immediately get my phone to write it down. I am accustomed to this reflex already. On long bus rides, especially when I’m in the window seat, I get inspired by the things I see in the streets. It’s psychometry but through sight. I imagine or remember moments in places, faces, and things that we pass through. From there, I come up with lines or even stanzas. There’s always just this creative urge inside me to write those down, and I use the notes app on my phone.
I have already written a lot of poems in this setting, and sometimes I submit them to journals and publications. I’m glad that some would get accepted. To think that a creative venture birthed from a stray thought would create something that would also be appreciated by others.
Random Vocabularies
As someone who reads a lot, whether novels, magazines, or just newspapers, I have a knack for writing down random vocabulary that I encounter. This refers to deep words that I haven’t encountered yet or don’t know the meaning of. I would eventually look up the meaning of those words and write them down in the notes app too. Afterward, I use these words for my future write-ups. I mainly do this to widen my vocabulary.
My mother taught me this method when I was young when I was still starting with novels. I used to write it in my notebook, but now that I am older, I use my notes app.
Quotes
As someone who loves consuming media, be it films, TV shows, social media or books, it’s also important for me that I record what transcends and strikes through me. Whenever I encounter a phrase, passage, or quote that makes me feel deep emotions, I automatically write it down in my notes app. The reason? I don’t really know. Maybe I just like to recall and read it again some other time or maybe I just want to treasure the emotions I’ve felt. Or maybe I just want to share the quote with other people too. Sometimes, I also use these quotes as an inspiration for another write-up or output.
Actual Reminders
Of course, a phone memo or notes app is not an application of actual use without actual reminders. Though this is the main purpose of the app, I rarely have actual reminders on my phone. When I have one, it’s usually just short, brief, or in checklist form. The type of memo that I have for this category is mainly for academic tasks and requirements. I list down tasks along with deadlines and cross them off when I finish them. There’s a refreshing feeling of relief and accomplishment in crossing out a task in your memo.
Drafts / Practice Messages
Do you know that feeling when you’re too anxious in messaging your boss or professor? I get those feelings too. When I am bound to message someone important, I usually compose what I would say first. I do this in my notes app. I play dialogues in my mind and anticipate what they would say. In doing so, I also prepare the responses that I would say. I list it all in my memo. I call these drafts or practice messages. About half of the content in my memo is these things.
Believe it or not, it actually works. It shakes off the nerves and adds confidence to your statements. I even use some of the messages as templates.
Spontaneous Thoughts and Feelings
This one, I would vouch for others to try too. Whenever I feel heavy emotions or I want to vent out, or when I have spontaneous thoughts, I also use my notes app. I just type what I want to express, like word vomit. These things are usually very long and detailed. Sometimes it’s chaotic, sometimes it’s like a narrated short story, sometimes it’s like a brief meditation—but whatever it looks or feels like, at the end of the day, it makes me feel better.
The phone memo or notes app is a feature that has been around for a while now. We usually disregard it, but to some, it has wonders. I think it’s time that people recognize and honor their stray thoughts and ideas. That’s what our phone’s memos are for.
