Organizing Your Digital Notes

May 27, 2025

I’m a huge fan of my “Notes” app on my iPhone. So much of a fan that I realized I had over 300 notes! Although I could always find what I needed through the search function, I stared to get frustrated with this level of disorganization. Although it was good enough, it was also a little overwhelming. So today, I sat down at my computer and took some time to organize my notes. I deleted some info I didn’t need, consolidated notes where I could, and created folders so that it will be easier to find what I need. In this post, I’ll give you step-by-step digital organizing instructions so you can organize your notes too!

Step 1- Create Broad Categories

Brainstorm some basic categories you think you will need for your notes, and start making new folders. Keep your categories broad enough so you don’t have as many folders as individual notes, but specific enough that it will be easy to find what you need.

Step 2- Sort and Purge

Start sorting and purging. Go down your list and start putting your notes into folders. Add new folders as necessary. If you have your computer synched to your phone, it will be much easier to do this on the computer. I use Apple products for both my computer and phone, so any changes I make on my computer are reflected on my phone. I prefer to sit at my desk and use my mouse to move things around on the bigger screen, rather than being hunched over my phone. Delete anything that’s outdated, duplicated, or no longer useful.

Here are the categories I ended up with:

1-Important: For those notes I want very easy access too
Art/Book Ideas: Random creative thoughts
Art Gallery/Museum: Reminders, ideas, and contact info
Blog/Social Media Ideas: I get inspired all the time, so I like to keep a running list for future post ideas
Books/Music/Movies: Recommendations to check out later
Charlie: Cute things he says, his “predictions”, etc
Clients etc: Work-related notes
Class ideas: I teach both art and organizing classes, so I collect my ideas here.
Communication: As a “Distinguished Toastmaster”, growing my communication skills has been a strong interest of mine. I collect my communication ideas and new lessons learned here.
Dogs: This is anything from dog training tips, questions for the vet, recording medications, and puppy breeding ideas for “Sparkle Terriers”, the puppy breeding business that I will never have! Haha.
Education: Notes and reflections from recent trainings
Garden: Tips, ideas, and planting notes
Gift ideas: I like to collect a running list of ideas for gifts for different people in my life throughout the year.
Health: Doctor notes, questions, and tracking info
Horses: Things I’ve learned, questions, things I need to remember, etc.
Misc: One-offs, or anything that I couldn’t easily categorize
Personal/Goals: Current goals go here
Politics: Local speed bump advocacy and personal political thoughts
Recipes: My go-to chia pudding, Instant Pot cook times, and a few favorites (most other recipes are either on my computer or are also printed out in a binder)
Shopping: One of the things that makes me feel really organized is that when I go to the grocery store, the hardware store, the craft store, Walmart, or another type of specialty store, I always know what I need. That’s because I have a running list for these places that I can easily access on my phone.
Trips/Packing: Reusable packing lists I adapt for each trip
People: Names and details to help remember new acquaintances
Places: Local recommendations, hidden gems, and dream destinations
Rotary: Speaker ideas and planning notes for my upcoming board role
Workouts: Workout ideas, plans, exercises to remember, etc.

Step 3: Edit and Consolidate

Once you’ve assigned each of your notes to a folder, you can go back through the folders and consolidate or edit notes as you see fit.

Step 4: Maintain Your System

Now that you’ve got your notes nicely organized, keep up the good work! If you continue to haphazardly make new notes for notes you already have, or forget to put new notes in folders, that’s ok. Set up a quarterly maintenance program so you can clean up your notes and re-organize them if necessary.

With a little practice, patience, and consistency, you’ll build habits that support a more streamlined digital life. The more you recognize the benefits to getting your notes in order, the easier it will be to continue doing it!